Separate from other dogs. Never separate from us.
Home dog boarding on five acres in Lake Stevens, Washington. Your dog is in the kitchen while we cook and on the couch in the evening, and never shares that space with a dog outside their own family.
A home away from home
Boarding usually asks you to choose between two bad options. A playgroup where your dog spends all day managing other dogs, or a run where they spend all day alone. We built the third one.
Your dog is with us. They follow us around the house, come along for chores on the property, get the field and the creek to themselves, and sleep inside. There's a tennis ball or a soccer ball within reach at all times, and someone around to throw it.
Every stay is built around the dog in it. Their feeding schedule, their medications, how much running they want and how much quiet they need, whether they'd rather be underfoot in the kitchen or left alone in a sunny spot. We follow what you tell us instead of running every dog through the same day.
What they don't do is meet anyone else's dog.
How dogs are kept here
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Own space
Every family gets a space of their own: a room in the house, or one of the separate runs in our heated garage. Dogs who live together stay together. Dogs who don't, don't meet.
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Own time outside
The five acres, the field, and the creek are used in rotation, so each dog gets the whole property to themselves rather than a share of it.
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No introductions
We don't do meet-and-greets between clients' dogs, even when both owners say their dog is friendly. It's the one thing we're strict about, and it's why reactive dogs can stay here safely.
One family at a time outside
The field, the creek, and the whole property are used in turns, so nobody shares and nobody waits behind a fence.
Photos every day
Pictures and updates sent to your phone, plus an immediate message if anything at all concerns us.
Someone is always here
No overnight gaps and no waiting for the next shift to arrive. Your dog is never shut in alone for the night.
What a day here looks like
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Morning
Breakfast on your dog's own schedule and in their own space, medications if they take them, then out to the field while it's still cool.
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Midday
Long stretches outside, one family at a time. Fetch until they're done, the creek if they like water, a walk around the fence line if they'd rather sniff than sprint.
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Afternoon
A quiet nap window, then photos and an update go out to you. This is usually when the good pictures happen.
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Evening
Dinner, a last walk around the property, then time with us. Dogs who want the couch get the couch.
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Overnight
Everyone sleeps inside, in their own room, with us close by.
Who we can take
- Dogs who are reactive or selective toward other dogs
- Anxious dogs who shut down in kennels
- Senior dogs who need a slower pace
- Dogs on medication or a prescription diet
- Only dogs who've never shared space
- Puppies who still need frequent supervision
- Social dogs whose owners would rather they weren't in a pack
Where we draw the line
We're set up for dogs who struggle with other dogs, not for dogs who struggle with people. We can't take dogs who are reactive or aggressive toward humans, dogs with a bite history toward a person, or dogs formally designated dangerous.
We have young children at home, which is the honest reason. If that's your dog, tell us anyway and we'll point you toward someone nearby who specializes in exactly that.
Named for the dog who needed this.
Bear was our Australian shepherd. He didn't get along with other dogs, and he deserved better than a crowded kennel, but finding boarding built for a dog like him turned out to be almost impossible.
Keeping dogs separate isn't a limitation here. It's the thing we set out to build, because of him.
Your dog's best days start here.
Text or email with your dog's name, the dates you need, and how they are around other dogs. If you'd like to meet us before booking we're glad to arrange that, free and with no other dogs here, but it isn't required.