Carriage Hill Kennels, a Family Owned and Operated Business Located in Glenview…
Left to right: jim, francine, doris, chris.
Carriage Hill Kennels was bought by Jim and Doris Cocallas in 1961. Prior to their ownership the kennel in that is located in Glenview had a different name and was primarily a dog training kennel specializing in German Shepards.
When Jim and Doris first started the business, Jim was in charge of dogs that were being boarded while also training dogs. His wife, Doris handled customer relations and made grooming dogs her speciality. She also was very good at training teaching her dog many tricks throughout the years. Having just bought the facility money during the slowest time of the year, money was tight. Jim, Doris and their two children (now owners, Francine Barnes and Chris Cocallas) along with their grandmother all lived in the one bedroom house that you see when you pull into the Carriage Hill Kennels.
Chris and Francine grew up learning the family business from the inside out. Growing up, cleaning kennels and picking up after dogs was a normality but once they proved that they could handle that, Jim and Doris started to throw more responsibilities their way. Chris and Francine now have been working with the man’s best friend their entire lives. Together they have over 96 years of experience!
Now, fast forward 62 years and Carriage Hill Kennels is still family owned and operated. Francine’s son, Bob Barnes and Chris’ son, Jimmy Cocallas have since been added to the team making this a third generation family business. However, things have changed since Jim and Doris last managed the facility. In 2010, Carriage Hill upgraded our facility and have introduced something that no one else has, a heated in ground zero depth indoor swimming pool that is opened all year long for dogs to swim.
carriage hill kennel’s office in 1993!
This addition was inspired by Bob’s Springer Spaniel who tore her ACL twice. The vet recommended that he have her swim as much as possible. Which sprung the idea, “Let’s build our own pool!” The pool has been a huge hit since opening in 2010 and when you combine that with the knowledge our family has gained over the years it separates us from the pack!
At Carriage Hill Kennels we treat it more than just a “business,” as our goal is to make your dog or cat feel at home with us. We are a full service dog kennel located in Glenview, Illinois that offers dog training classes, dog grooming, dog and cat boarding, indoor swimming classes, our doggy day care swim for your dog while you are at work and lastly, we offer a special skunk off bath that works wonders if your dog ever gets sprayed!
