When Lucky Dawg Boutique owner Julie Craig left college to enlist in the U.S. Army, she was searching for her place in the world. Craig said among the many attributes the Army instilled in her, it also unveiled her true calling: to be the owner of a multiservice dog care facility in Montgomery.

Craig enlisted in the Army in 2001, nine months before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

“I wouldn’t trade my time in the service for anything,” she said.

Craig was unexpectedly given the opportunity to train K-9s for the army. Even though she had no previous experience in dog training before joining the military, Craig learned to train dogs for various duties, including search and rescue and bomb detection operations.

However, Craig said the experience she gained by racing and training horses as a teenager were beneficial training techniques for dogs.

“Dogs enjoy a job; they want that purpose in life just like people do,” Craig said.  “Even if they’re chasing a ball into a lake, it’s a productive outlet for their energy.”

When Craig obtained a training certification for domestic dogs in 2003, she opened Lucky Dawg from her home, offering training and boarding services from each city she was stationed.

The business remained mobile until Craig fulfilled her time in the Army in 2007. She then moved to Montgomery in 2008, completed her business degree and opened Lucky Dawg Boutique. Today, Craig and a team of assistant trainers operate the care facility, offering retail items, boarding, dog day care, training, grooming, and in-home training and care.

Lucky Dawg Boutique’s training services include obedience, entertainment, home protection and therapy, as well as behavioral modification for dogs who exhibit anxiety, fear or aggression.

Craig said the relationships she forms with clients and their furry family members are irreplaceable.

“I don’t even like to call them dogs; they’re like children who just don’t speak English,” she said. “Their level of unconditional love and loyalty is amazing. They don’t care if our hair is messy or our breath stinks. They love us no matter what, and you can’t do anything but love something like that.”