Oregon Canine University at Indigo Ranch 15640 Airport Way Vernonia, Oregon 97064 Phone: 503-429-0806 Email: info@oregoncanineuniversity.org Directions: Use these below: From Portland going West Take US 26 West towards Ocean Beaches Turn Right onto Nehalem Hwy (OR – 47) Go approx. 11.8 miles Look for signs for Vernonia Golf Club and Vernonia Airport and Turn Left onto Timber Rd. E. Go 1.0 mile Turn Right onto Airport Road. Go 0.3 miles Bear Left onto Airport Way. Go 0.4 miles The OCU Ranch is on the left just past the entrance to the park. From Oregon Coast going East Take US 26 East towards Portland Turn Left onto NW Vernonia Road. Go 2.6 miles Continue onto Timber Rd. Go 6.5 miles Turn Left onto Airport Road. Go 0.3 miles Bear Left onto Airport Way. Go 0.4 miles Intake Forms (click below): Check-In (pdf) Registration (pdf) Liability Agreement (pdf)

Click the picture above to visit the ranch

In early 2007, we decided we needed to find a way to expand our potential and create a legacy. One of the biggest challenges always facing any non-profit rescue organization is whether there are enough funds to do what you need to do (and there never are…) So, we decided we needed to find a way to make our money and fund our own rescue work and growth. We took the plunge and invested in a 16 acre property in Vernonia where we’ve opened a cageless boarding and training business.

Our business, called Oregon Canine University at Indigo Ranch, offers dog boarding that’s really much more like a vacation getaway for dogs, located in a beautiful country setting. If you’re going on a trip, have company visiting from out of town or maybe a big home remodel project that requires your undivided attention, you can bring your dog out to enjoy fun filled days on the ranch! Our rates are competitive and visiting dogs get to play and have fun in a rural country setting and sleep in specially decorated dog “living rooms” without being kenneled in traditional concrete kennels. Our new property has a huge area of river frontage on the Nehalem River and sits next door to an 18 hole course at the Vernonia Golf Club. The newly opened LL Stub Stewart State Park is just a few miles down the road. Patrons can bring their dog out for a day of fun while they golf or bike the linear trail.

Very soon, Oregon Canine University will also feature a full capacity training center offering multiple levels of obedience training, agility course, tracking (search and rescue) and much more.  Our staff and volunteers are all “dog people” and we’ll never have so many dogs that individual attention is not provided for every dog. For our human visitors, we’ll be offering a variety of year round seminars and workshops including things like first aide and herbal health care for pets, T-touch, and pet massage. In the kitchen, we’ll have fun classes where we bake homemade dog treats, learn how to make home diets for dogs and much more. Soon, you’ll be able to find a schedule of seminars and classes on our new web site. Within the next few seasons we’ll also be offering organic u-pick blueberries and raspberries, organic, free range eggs and co-op organic vegetable gardening. In front of the property is the Vernonia Airport with a private-plane landing strip so people can fly in for a visit, too!

Most importantly, all proceeds go to support Indigo Rescue, a local non-profit animal rescue group!

Our property backs up to a beautiful city park that also sits on the river and has 23 camp sites for weekend visitors who want to camp and enjoy weekend seminars and other activities we offer for both dogs and people! There will be two phases of remodel happening on the property beginning with a large building we’re converting into the training center followed by a fantastic barn we’ll be remodeling for multiple uses including a gift shop, private rooms for multiple dog families and space for fundraising events. This investment is a huge step for us, but our primary goal for our project is to funnel the profits from our successful business into our non-profit so we can grow our programs and our ability to accomplish more on behalf of companion animals. As an example, our community needs many more spay/neuter programs to be available so that we can continue to reduce the overpopulation problem, and we want to do more public education about the importance of adopting rather than purchasing pets, training dogs and making lifetime commitments to pets.

We’re looking to you, our wonderful supporters, to help us make OCU at Indigo Ranch a success. We need you to help promote our new business to your friends, relatives and co-workers. Brochures and schedules of events are available and we encourage people to come out for a tour so you can share with all of your dog loving contacts about OCU at Indigo Ranch.