Meet Your New Neighbors

Welcome to Tehachapi to Kellie Dudevoir, the new owner of Canine Creek Pet Wash and Boutique. Kellie sold her house in La Habra Heights, Orange County and purchased a new home and business in Tehachapi. She arrived on Dec. 26 to snow and ice.

In 2010, Kellie had visited her best friend, Callie Murray, who lives here and while running errands, they stopped at Canine Creek. She thought it was the cutest place, loved the idea and took pictures. Fast forward to 2016, now divorced and with both of her kids in college; she found out that Canine Creek was for sale. She always believed that when opportunity knocks, you take a chance so she jumped at the chance to move here and have her dream business.

Kellie grew up in Orange County and attended Troy High School in Fullerton and then Fullerton College. Her 96 year old grandmother is still in Orange County and Kellie makes sure to visit her often. Kellie’s mother and sister are currently living in Las Vegas and she is now just a quick drive to them as well. She was a stay-at-home mom until her kids were grown and then became a licensed life and health insurance agent. Her daughter Kailey, now 20, is a student at Concordia University and her son Kyle, 18, is a student at Arizona State University.

Kellie said that everything fell into place when it came to the move. She sold her father’s 1957 Chevy to pay off a debt. She said that the classic car was shipped to New Zealand where American classics are a coveted prize. Then she packed up her animal family and moved to Tehachapi. She said that she has always had pets and she currently has two dogs and a cat. Kleo is a yellow lab, Kadie is a shepherd mix and her cat Kiki has taken up residency in a closet and has yet to come out. (Has anyone else noticed all the “Ks” in her household?)

Kellie is very excited about the future of Canine Creek. She is redoing the Canine Creek website and is looking to add more products. She has even considered adding pet insurance. If you are out and about, stop by Canine Creek and welcome Kellie to Tehachapi.

John Lyon is also new to Tehachapi and the major part of a new business in town. John is the new General Manager of Dunkin’ Donuts. He is, however, far from new to food service. He spent the last eight years working as Food and Beverage Manager for Xanterra, the corporation that manages many of our national parks and resorts. He arrived from Death Valley in November to settle in and assist with the preparations for our new Dunkin Donuts.

John was originally from the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. He is the youngest of ten children, three boys and seven girls. Out of school, he worked for TGI Fridays. He then answered an ad for “seasonal work” at a resort and thought it might be fun. That job would eventually lead to a position with Xanterra working at Yellowstone Park. Thinking he could make more in other industries, he answered an ad for construction work in Texas and ended up spending six years as a carpentry foreman for Dillard’s Department Stores in Dallas and Houston. Following Texas he went back to Xanterra in management at Yellowstone National Park, then Key Largo, Grand Canyon and finally Death Valley.

John said that over the last few years of moving around, he had wanted to look for a place where he could put down some roots. He had been looking at areas like San Pedro or Bakersfield when he saw an ad for Dunkin’ Donuts in Southern California. On interviewing, he discovered that the first Kern County restaurant would be in Tehachapi and the idea of having four seasons again appealed to him. It seemed more like home. He had always loved hiking and climbing and was always looking for places to ride his motorcycle. He also enjoys writing and photography. Tehachapi was the perfect place to pursue all these activities. He liked Tehachapi the first time he saw it.

Welcome, John. All of Tehachapi is delighted to have you and Dunkin’ Donuts as part of our community.

If you have moved to the Greater Tehachapi Area within the last six months and would like to know more about your new community, call (661) 822-8188. We will be happy to make an appointment for a hostess to come by and give you lots of helpful information, some valuable coupons, gifts and much more. Many families and individuals who come to the area are pleasantly surprised with the amount of knowledge they gather about their new home. Publishing your welcome article is completely voluntary and is not a requirement of being welcomed.