Owner and Head Trainer:
Joel Slaven
Joel Slaven has over five decades experience in the animal industry. His career started at the world-renowned Darby Dan Farms where he trained racehorses in Columbus, Ohio. Joel then began raising and training exotic animals at the Columbus Zoo for Jack Hanna. He has been the head animal trainer and show producer for parks such as Cypress Gardens, Silver Springs, Six Flags over Texas and Georgia, and Arabian Nights Dinner Theater. He was the animal expert for several television shows including the George and Alana show, Crook and Chase, Carol and Marilyn show, and Disney’s “Mickey Mouse Club.” His production work includes training animals for Disney’s “That Darn Cat,” “Rainmaker,” “The Road to Wellville,” and “Ace Ventura Pet Detective.”
In 1997, Joel founded Joel Slaven’s Professional Animals Inc. JSPA Inc. became the largest producer of domestic animal shows in the world, rescuing over 2,500 dogs, cats, pot-bellied pigs, ducks, pigeons, rats, skunks, exotic birds and animals from shelters across the country. They provided animal shows for Sesame Place, the Columbus Zoo, the Jacksonville Zoo, the State Fair of Texas, all four SeaWorld parks, Busch Gardens Tampa, and Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Many of his animals appeared on “Late Night with David Letterman,” “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” and “Good Morning America.” JSPA rescued and trained the dogs for the Spring Spectacular with the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall and “101 Dalmatians, the Musical,” that toured the United States from October 2009 until April 2010 performing at dozens of venues including Madison Square Gardens. Most of their shows have been recognized by IAAPA, the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions.
Joel was the inaugural recipient of the “Animal Hero Award” by the Pet Alliance of Central Florida in 2014. His shows and training have been written about in several publications from The Columbus Dispatch and Columbus Monthly Magazine, to USA Today and People Magazine. He has been a speaker for Iowa State University Veterinary students and Ohio State University Animal Science students. He has worked closely with Canine Companions for Independence both in Orlando, FL where he received the Golden Leash Award, as well as the New Albany, OH location. He is also proud to have initiated the canine program at Flying Horse Farms kids camp in Mt. Gilead, OH.
Most recently, Joel has founded and opened Joel Slaven’s Dog Lodge with the goal of helping dogs and families become a great team.
Ever since she can remember, Jackie has always loved animals and dreamed about working with them one day, which led her to the Ohio State University where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in Animal Science. Prior to graduation, Jackie started her dream career working for Joel Slaven’s Professional Animals, which produced the animal show “Surfin Safari” at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, as well as other shows across the country. For three years, Jackie trained and performed alongside the animal stars, while promoting animal adoption and conservation. She also traveled to Florida for a seasonal live nativity show where she trained and performed with different species of hoof stock. After the unfortunate closure of the show due to Covid, Jackie continued to advance her knowledge by learning dog training firsthand from Joel. She has assisted with obedience training, behavioral issues, agility and trick training. Jackie has also helped redevelop the canine program at Flying Horse Farms kids camp and has recently begun working closely with Canine Companions. Jackie is very excited to meet your furry family members and give them the best vacation and education at Joel Slaven’s Dog Lodge!