OUR STORY
Belquest Kennels & Cattery of Mt. Airy, Maryland is family-owned and operated, since 1984, by Vicky and Mike Creamer. A “five star” boarding kennel for dogs, cats and exotic pets, Belquest also provides grooming for dogs and cats, dog training classes and services, and is a top producer of champion Labrador retrievers.
THE BEGINNING
At age 16, Vicky Creamer (nee Manyette) had saved up enough money to purchase a car, or a dog. She purchased the dog; a black Great Dane, Sir Worthington Black Jack, which she trained to achieve his U.D. (Utility Dog) obedience title. In fact, Black Jack became the #1 Obedience Great Dane in the country for three years.
In 1974, Vicky got her first Labrador Retriever, “Shadow” Am Ch. Monsev Ask An Anthropologist CD. Then came Amy (Am & Can OTCH.Millgrove’s Special Amie WC), who she trained to become the #1 obedience dog in the country – the first, and to-date the only, Labrador Retriever to achieve such honors, as well as the first Obedience Title champion to be awarded a Working Certificate by the AKC parent club, The National Labrador Retriever Club, Inc.
THE KENNEL
A few years later, with a couple of kids and a couple of dogs, Vicky and Mike decided they needed more room for their expanding family of children, dogs, cats and horses, so they purchased what is now Belquest Kennels & Cattery and began a full-service boarding, grooming and training facility.
The 18-acre facility is spacious and quiet – close enough to the center of town, but away from the noise and traffic of major roads. There’s a large meadow, a pond, an enclosed training area, plus the main boarding and grooming building and the Creamer’s own home right next door.
In addition to her success as an obedience trainer and handler, and as a breeder and handler of Champion Labrador & Golden Retrievers, Vicky is also a Master Groomer, a Companion Animal Hygienist, a National Dog Registry (NDR) registered tattoo specialist, and has completed seminars at Cornell University. Vicky arranges a variety of health clinics at Belquest, providing eye, heart, Optigen & DNA testing, Microchip and Tattoo services by area specialists at “HMO” prices.