Photo by Kelli Uldall ~ Carmel Magazine ~ Summer 2009

Charlie Sammut was a police officer in Seaside California in the 1980's but his love for all animals was life long.

In 1985, he purchased Oxton Kennels from it's original founder, Sally and Jake Huizenga. Oxton Kennels was named after a location in England where the Huizengas were from. The Kennel was originally built to house the hunting dogs of Mr. Gene Harden, a Salinas produce icon whose name and foundation still benefits the Salinas community to day.

When Mr. Harden passed, Jake and Sally opened to the kennel to pet boarding. When Jake passed, Sally ran the kennel for many years and upon deciding to retire in 1985, sold the business to Charlie.

In the beginning the kennel was meant to be a side job for Charlie while continuing his police career but in 1987. He decided to make animals his entire career when founding another company on the same property called Wild Things (Monterey Zoological today...) Click here for a much more detailed biography on Charlie.