New kennel opens

People love their pets and when their furry companions have to be left behind for some reason, owners worry as if they were leaving their child – all the more so if the animal needs medication each day. In answer to this dilemma, Janet and Joey Kanode have created and recently opened Little Kennel in the Pines.

Janet shares her reasons for starting the kennel: “I want to work for myself and provide a great kennel experience for my customers.” She admits that this has been her dream for some time and that dream was further inspired by Annie.

Annie was a precocious and diabetic little dog the couple was honored to know and for which they cared for ten years. Diabetes in animals is much like in humans, the solution calling for injections twice every day of their lives.

“We couldn’t board her anywhere,” says Joey, “So Janet and I figured out we can board dogs that are diabetic. We know how to give the insulin.”

The couple can give injections and/or oral medication and, according to Joey, theirs is one of the few kennels that will medicate.

The willingness to care for diabetic dogs is not the only difference that clients will see at the Little Kennel in the Pines, though. The makeup of the facility itself is well thought out to the benefit of its guests.

Due to the special hard surface used for the interior walls and the rubberized floor made specifically for kennels, fungus and disease-causing bacteria cannot grow within the walls or on the floor. Joey, who washes the facility three times a day, stated, “Janet and I were really concerned about disease.”

The floor also has a slightly rough texture, ensuring the stability of dogs as they walk through the space, and the floor, though having no under floor heating, holds some heat from the ambient room temperature within the membrane.

“We put a lot of thought into it,” Joey noted. “It is state of the art.”

The doors to the outside kennels are “spring loaded” so that the dogs are able to move in or out as they please without allowing cold air to waft in and the closed doors allows no cold to seep in around the edges, ensuring a comfortable rest for the animal inside.

The Kanodes sourced all the work they could locally. Says Joey, “The building was built in Gillette, the wiring was bought in Gillette, all the electrical was done locally. Everything was bought from local stores in our community and that’s a big deal now a-days.”

Little Kennel in the Pines is located 13 miles outside of Moorcroft on Highway 14 in a very rural setting, but Joey says there is no need to be concerned about predators as these doors and the outside kennel gates ensure that “nothing can get the dogs”.

When owners bring their furry friends to stay at the facility, they are asked to provide the name and number of their veterinarian as the Kanodes will call the vet familiar with that specific dog in the case of an emergency. They also advise bringing the animal’s familiar bedding and food to better calm the dog in the unfamiliar place.

However, if this is not possible, the facility is able to feed and they have beds as well. The couple wants the experience to be hassle and worry free for the owners and the pets.

As the weather warms, they plan to build a large dog run/yard for the pets to socialize and play each day, “if they’re friendly and can play with one another, we’ll let them out with other dogs”, says Joey, ensuring quality exercise and fun for the guests. “Right now, we walk them three times a day,” according to Joey.

The couple has kept the facility of a manageable size, including only ten spaces so that they can work with the dogs without hiring employees, “We will always be here,” Joey assures clients. “When there are dogs in this facility, one of us will be onsite all the time.” Janet adds that she wanted to keep control of the operation to be sure of quality.

Little Kennel in the Pines is open to clients from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. There are no time constraints beyond pick up, “If they need us to watch them for one day, we can do that. There is no time limit on a dog’s stay.”

The times are flexible for pick-up, too, says Joey. “As long as they pick their dog up before 11 a.m., we won’t charge another day, but anything after 11 a.m. will be charged for another day.”

The kennel has been open a week and has already accepted more than seven reservations. The enterprise is off to a very good start.

“We have a lot of room, though, as the reservations are spread out from the Christmas holiday through January,” Joey assures dog owners. “They will be spoiled here.”