The APDT Chronicle of the Dog Summer 2020 | Page 17
ASSOCIATION NEWS | DOGS DON'T WHISPER
it as a trick at the end of a performance,
along with ‘Say your Prayers.’ School
officials found out about Terrell’s dog and
asked them to perform at a variety show
to raise money for his middle school. After
he graduated from Central High School
in Memphis, Terrell went on to become a
salesman at Alfred’s Men’s Clothing Store.
In 1976, he married Mary Ann Turner.
But what Terrell really wanted to do was
work with dogs. He read dog training
books and magazines during breaks at
Alfred’s and begged to get off weekends or
even weekdays to go to training seminars.
Terrell was instinctive in his training.
He attended some training classes at the
Memphis Obedience Club, but that was
during a time when training methods were
more punitive. “I didn’t know anything
about positive dog training, I just know I
didn’t like training using harsh methods,”
Terrell said during a 2018 interview in
Memphis. “I thought there has to be a better
way.” He later began to learn marking or
clicker training as he got more involved in
the dog show community. At one point, he
was the trophy chairman of the Memphis
Kennel Club, a member of the National
Collie Club, National Great Dane Club,
and Best Friends Animal Society, just to
name a few. He visited the barn of Steve
Fields, “Mr. Collie” himself, on one of his
trips to learn more about the industry.
After an 18-year career at Alfred’s,
it closed in 1984 and Terrell opened
Claridge Kennels in Memphis, partnering
with local veterinarians. Terrell became a
certified kennel operator, a member of the
American Boarding Kennel Association
(now Pet Care Services Association) and
served on its board. The couple took a
break from the kennel business after 10
years, then moved from Memphis to
Collierville. They came out of retirement
in 2006 to purchase land with plans to
build a $1.6 million pet resort.
“I like nice things,” Terrell said simply. “I
wanted to design a kennel that didn’t have
chicken wire.” He traveled all around the
country, picking the brains of other resort
owners before opening his in 2009. The selfproclaimed
5-star resort features individual
club and lodge suites, kitty condos, splash
pools, an indoor play area with a dog
jungle gym and services that include day
care and grooming. Their clients receive
“maid service” from the resort assistants.
Terrell understood the value of branding
his reputation on the resort, saying “it was
all about creating an image.”
And that is the image Terrell and Mary
Ann Jones project when they attend
APDT conferences, resplendent in their
Lab slacks; a couple who have devoted
their lives to dogs and their comfort.