Rocky Ridge Kennel now open for boarding

 For first time business owners Danny Dally and Lizzie Janzen it was a happy set of circumstances that led them to opening Rocky Ridge Kennel. Both Dally and Janzen were raised by business owners so they grew up with a business mindset.

     After Dally’s parents bought a 138-acre parcel north of Dorset on Hubbard County Road 7 to build a retirement home they offered that the young couple move into the house already on the property.

     The couple had never even been to Park Rapids prior to moving here and starting their new business.

     “We love it so far, we haven’t had any regrets,” Dally said about the fresh start. “We love it up here and everybody we’ve met has been so nice.”

     The idea to board dogs started when they wanted to breed their two silver labs and contemplated building a barn of sorts in order to do so. According to Dally, everything snowballed from there into building, opening and operating a kennel.

     Jenzen explained that both her and Dally grew up loving animals. They have a small hobby farm of their own with plenty of space to build and were able to work from home.

     The kennel houses 20 runs. Each run is large enough to comfortably fit up to 3 dogs, making it possible for an owner who needed to board multiple dogs to keep them together.

     Everyone who boards their dogs at the facility is required to fill out a client info sheet specifying veterinarian preferences, the dog’s general temperament and feeding specifications among other vital information to caring for the animal.

     All dogs need to have verification from their vet that Rabies, Distemper and Bordetella vaccinations are current.

     Dally and Janzen have boarded their own dogs before with less than ideal outcomes, and understand that it is a concern leaving pets with strangers.  

     “We want these dogs to leave happy and be comfortable here and not be scared,” Janzen explained.

     Both Dally and Janzen want to cater to the customer and ensure that they all know their pets are being well taken care of.

     Being both young and ambitious, the couple has a lot of plans for the future. Currently they do not board cats but it is something they will be considering moving forward.

     Also, they want to offer dog training, in the spring they will be making improvements to the outdoor run, they may convert the garage attached to the kennel into an indoor play area for their doggy daycare services and in the distant future they may consider boarding larger animals.

     They have already started to expand their list of services offered. As of March 1, Heidi Schroeder of Grooming by Heidi has leased out a space at the kennel to operate her dog grooming business.

     Having worked with and learned from talented breeders, handlers, trainers and groomers Schroeder is familiar with grooming, training techniques, showing and handling in AKC as well as nutrition and breed specific needs.

      Schroeder has taken her years of experience and developed her own style and approach.

     “Grooming is an art and no artist does things quite the same,” Schroeder said. “It is one of the most rewarding jobs, seeing the before and after and the relationship you build with each dog makes me happy to come to work. I groom, train and show because I love doing it.”

     Rocky Ridge Kennel encourages people and their pets to come in to say hello and tour the facility.