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MEET OUR STAFF
JEFF FOWLER
Owner/Operator
Jeff's career in this industry started as a supervisor for the Greenville County Coroner’s Office for 13 years before coming to Astro. He was the handler for their first cadaver dog, K9 Ino, commissioned by a coroner's office in SC.
He is also a proud member of Foothills Search & Rescue. Jeff currently owns two human remains detection dogs, Ino and Havana.
THE VISIONARIES BEHIND THE ASTRO KENNELS BRAND:
Dave and Cheri Milan opened Astro Kennels in 2008 to provide a state-of-the-art boarding and training facility for the Five Forks and surrounding areas; a fun “home away from home” for clients’ pets. After nine years of growth, they expanded the Astro Kennels brand and opened Astro Kennels 2, located in the Mauldin area of Greenville. They have bred English Springer Spaniels and German Shepherds for companionship and working K9s for 20 years. Both Dave and Cheri were active members of SC Foothills K9 Search & Rescue since its inception in 2006.
DAVE MILAN
Founder
Dave is an experienced search and rescue handler and trainer, and has managed countless successful search and rescue missions in the upstate of South Carolina and the southeast region.
He boasts decades of canine experience to include breeding, importing and training.
CHERI MILAN
Founder
Cheri and her GSD Mato were a certified Human Remains Detection K9 team, and responded for law enforcement and emergency agencies in SC and surrounding areas. Mato was her third K9 partner with Foothills.
Cheri also brings CJ (pictured), her English Springer Spaniel, to work with her every day so he can play with his Astro friends in doggie daycare.
MANAGEMENT
Our team oversees the entire facility to ensure consistency and quality in every service we provide.
Samantha M.
Director of Operations
Sam is the director of operations for both of our locations, and has been with us since 2019. She can tell you the name of every dog that walks through the door, and has two dogs of her own, Luca (pictured) and Ruby.
She used to be a preschool teacher, so she figured wrangling dogs all day wouldn't be much different.
When she's not at work, she's in her kitchen cooking delicious meals for her loving husband and amazing kids. Sometimes we get lucky and she surprises us with delicious meals and cakes at work too! ⠀
Colleen W.
Administrator Director
Coming soon.
Kris C.
Office Supervisor
Kris has been with us since 2021.
She is a full-time student working towards her Bachelors in Human Resources.
The two pups you see in the photo are her fur babies Milo and Grace.
She loves to take them swimming on her time off and spend time with her family and friends attending local events.
Lisa
Kennel Supervisor
Lisa is our kennel supervisor at our Five Forks location. She has been with us since April 2023 but has over 15 years of animal care experience.
She has certifications in animal search and rescue including swift and flood water and high angle ropes.
When she isn't at work, Lisa loves being at the lake with her two kids Cody and Connor, or with her sweet pitbull, Church.
Ashley W.
Mauldin Supervisor
Ashley is the supervisor at our Mauldin location.
She previously came to work at Astro Kennels in 2013. She was with us until 2018 when she decided to take a few years off to spend time at home with her family.
She has two pups of her own named Jade and Saige.
Makayla M
Daycare Supervisor
Makayla is one of our daycare daycare supervisors. She has been with us since April 2021 and has always worked in our daycare area. She has two dogs of her own, Josie (pictured above) and Bella, a German Shepherd and a husky.
When she's not at work, you can usually find her in her Jeep up in the mountains.