Our Kennel

Our Kennel

Built in winter of 2015

Take a tour around our kennel and see where our puppies are born and play! 

Nursery

The nursery, or whelping room, is my favorite place!! This is where the babies join us and stay until they join their new families. This room is separated from the rest of the kennel so the door can be closed to shut out noise, hold in heat, or offer a calmer environment. Mama's come into the nursery when they are 1-2 weeks away from their estimated due date so that they can get comfortable and rest without others bothering them. They enjoy this quiet time and do lots of sleeping to prepare! The floors are heated which helps keep those little ones warm  if they get away from mama or siblings. We also put in heat pads for the first few days to ensure that babies stay warm which is crucial to thriving. We are able to move divider panels to create a smaller cozy space to give a more "nest-like" feeling. We are also able to move the larger side panels of the pens to make a pen larger if needed. This is very nice when a larger mama is whelping and rearing her babies!! This is also great for larger litters. The outside runs are 32''x15' on concrete with a 6' overhang to provide shade and protection from the rain. Each pen has a feeder and a "liks-its" automatic water spout. This provides unlimited fresh water for both mamas and babies. There are 3 sets of windows in this room which helps with airflow and provides clean fresh air and a breeze when there aren't any newborns that have to stay toasty.

Main room

This is the main room where our adults stay unless they are having pups. The floor is concrete covered in epoxy, the pens are made from 1/2" HDPE plastic and the walls are covered in FRP panels which makes cleaning and disinfecting much easier!! Each pen is 5'x5' and has its own feeder and automatic water spout that provides the dogs with fresh and clean water at all times.  The pen in the corner has a "lid" on it...this is for our mountain goat of a mama Lab :) we discovered that she likes to jump and climb so to keep her from snacking at midnight we had to put a cover on. It can unhinge and swing upwards so that a person can get in easier to clean. Each pen also has a doggy door going outside to a 5'x15' chain link run. There is a 6' covered roof to provide shade and protection from the rain. 

This room is also where the grooming and bathing station is. I love this area!! It makes it so much easier to keep the pups clean and cared for. No more bending over the bathroom tub! You can see the wonderful young lady who comes once a week to clean and do whatever needs done. It has been a tremendous blessing to have her time. She helps us keep on top of things and it is a big relief knowing that the kennel will get a good wash and disinfectant once a week. There are also large windows for ventilation and a fan that sucks air out on a schedule and brings in fresh air. An air conditioner keeps them cool in the hot summer months as does the nice cool floor.
Quarantine Room
This room has 2 pens slightly smaller than the rest. These come in handy if we ever need to separate a dog or puppy for whatever reason. This also works great if we need to make room somewhere else for a period of time. Most of the time these pens are not in use but they are wonderful to have when they are. This room is separated from the main room by a wall and a door so it can be closed off if needed.
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