About
About Us
Hi, I'm Jennifer. My family calls me Fur-Fur since the time I was a toddler. I suppose its because I was born to run with the pack (pack of dogs that is). I'm a country girl who has been around animals my entire life and known to sneak home stray cats, lizards, rabbits, and moles (yes moles) to take care of them until my mother would find them and we had to release them back into the wild or take them back to the farm. Since I was 8 years old, I have been pet sitting and caring for our relatives, neighbors, and friends' pets when they go on vacation or working late which gave me a lot of experience with a wide variety of different dog breeds, horses, and cats. I was raised with dogs and cannot imagine a life without them.
Bringing home a new puppy this fall or winter? Sign up for our Puppy Program Today!
Since high school, my mother helped me come up with the fun idea of running a luxury pet boarding facility someday, a concept, at the time, had been rare in certain markets. While in college, working on a business management degree in hopes to have my own business someday, I developed my business plan for my luxury resort concept and took it to a competition through DEX, a collegiate business organization, to present the idea. This plan then sent me to a National competition in Anaheim, CA. While working toward building my dream and developing my professional skills to successfully run a business someday, I took on a great career in banking/finance for the next 16 years. From lending, to branch manager, to Reginal Market Manager and small commercial lender, I learned the importance of community relations, great customer service, how to help others succeed in order for me to succeed and of course understanding finance in running a good business. All the while, I kept fulfilling my passion through fostering & training dogs, serving on our local animal shelters board of directors and volunteering to walk shelter dogs and fundraising efforts. Although I enjoyed the financial industry, it was time for me to move on to what really made me get out of bed in the morning!
By 2019, I was eager and ready to move forward to living out my dream where I spent the next year earning my certifications and constant trainings to transition into the Pet Services world and best care for your pets needs in a positive, fear free environment.
My current certifications include:
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Professional Pet Boarding Certification, Level 2 - Professional Pet Boarding Certification Council
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Infectious Disease Management Certification - Professional Pet Boarding Certification Council
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Grooming Certification - Animal Behavior College (ABC)
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AKC Safety in the Salon Certification - American Kennel Club
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Canine Massage Certification - Barkleigh
- BA in Business Administration - Northwood University, Midland, MI, 2003
- MBA in Business Leadership & Administration - DeVos Graduate School - Northwood University, Midland, MI, 2009
In the fall of 2019, my husband and I found the perfect spot for our "fur-ever" home & vision of my dream in the middle of beautiful farm country just 30 minutes east of Grand Rapids, where our dogs could run in the fields, take hikes and play free. We named it the "Dog House" since there will always be more dogs than people here. I'm so blessed to have married a wonderful, kind, and supportive husband that loves the dogs as much as I do! We have four fur babies of our own, a cat-dog raised by dogs, two rabbits, and fun ducks the dogs love to visit on their hikes. I'm exactly where I need to be, right in the middle of happy barking dogs!
We would like to welcome and share our Dog House with your beloved pet as they enjoy the trails, fun wildlife, and lots of snuggles.
Our Team
Cynthia
Hi! I'm Cynthia and I am the Resort Spa/Groom leader here. I am excited to have the opportunity to help allow us the opportunity to expand & offer more spa & groom services to our current lodging clients.
I came on board in December of 2022 as our part time bather and also helped us out as a Pack Leader when we needed extra help while I was attending grooming school. I've been extremely busy & focused on achieving my Professional Pet Groomers certification in July 2023 through the Michigan School of Canine Cosmetology in Lansing, MI. Along with this, I also worked hard on other certifications such as CPR certified, management of cleaning, sanitizing, viruses & diseases, as well as completing the Knowing Dogs program through the Dog Gurus. This training taught me a lot about dog behaviors, reading dog language, identifying stress triggers, and conflict management in the yard, which will also work well for my dog handling skills on the table. I have a very calming, patient demeanor with my dogs that makes them easily trust in me. Since grooming can be a very stressful experience for some dogs, these are just a couple of the great traits to have in pet grooming.
Outside of my passion for dogs, I enjoy some camping & love to play Pickleball when I can. I also hope to have a Golden Retriever puppy in my future someday!
Anna
My name is Anna and I’m a trained and certified Pack Leader at the resort since the spring of 2024. I am responsible for managing the play yard, helping with pick up & drop off of pets, cleaning the resort, and most importantly.... making sure your fur babies are loved on and spoiled while they are here.
I’m currently going into my Senior year at Lowell Schools and I absolutely love working here! I have always wanted a dog and up until recently, my parents were not in favor of one. With the training I learned working here, I developed a powerpoint to point out all my reasons for the importance of owning and raising my first dog to them and it was approved! For my birthday in July, I brought home my very first dog, Daisy Mae, a spunky, sweet, & playful Golden Retriever inspired by Sadie Mae & Simba at the resort here! I am hoping to continue to learn all I can about dogs and utilize my pup to be an expert in running our certified puppy program here at the resort someday. Although I have never had a dog before, I’m a unique fit as I have a lot of experience with caring for young children, which isn’t a whole lot different most days. I am a true animal lover and love learning about them.
I plan to pursue a future in child development or elementary teaching and this resort is teaching me more than I ever could have thought about the hands on physiological behaviors that mirror development in young children as well. I enjoy reading, hanging out with friends, doing board games with my family, traveling, snuggling with my sweet cat, Goose & now spending all my free time with my new love & obsession, Daisy Mae! I look forward to meeting you & your fur babies!
Resort Leaders Team
Resort Ambassadors
Toby - Littles Captain
This is Toby, our Littles Captain & Yard Alert. His job is to take care of all the littles at the resort to make sure they are happy and stress-free. He checks in on them or sleeps on the couch with them, but always respects their space. Because of his strong Beagle brawl voice, he also alerts everyone that someone is here.
Hello my furry friends! My name is Toby. My family calls me Tricky Toby or “The Trickster”. For those of you who know beagles, you know I live up to the name well! I can be a bit “mouthy” at times and dramatic, but I like to think it’s all in the fun of my breeding. I am a very happy soul, but I am an old soul too. I love rabbits (boy do I love me some bunnies) they make me so excited, I want to sing. Tricking and trotting is my thing! I love to lounge around all day long, in the sun, on the couch, on the bed, in the grass. I’m not what you would say an active dog, unless of course, I smell a bunny.
My job here at the Doghouse is pretty simple and one I was born for. I’m the doorbell alert system. I’m also the Little’s Captain. Meaning I’m in charge of the small dogs. It’s my job to alert my momma when someone comes to the facility because she might be working in the yard, grooming a pup, or busy chasing a pup that took something they shouldn’t. She also needs time to get every pup situated for guests when they arrive. Since I have a beautiful piercing voice, I can be heard all over the property. 
I’m not always so patient with high energy, young pups though (that’s the old soul in me) so I leave that skill to Sadie Mae, she’s great with them. I really like small dogs the best. They are definitely my tribe! So mom put me in charge of them and I have to say, it’s my favorite job. Don’t be too scared of my mouthy talk, I just like to let everyone know I exist. It ain’t easy being the little guy, ya know?
~Toby
Blaze - Yard Police/Office Manager
This is Blaze our retiring Yard Police Officer and now Office Manager. He helps make sure the yard rules are enforced and stays calm and balanced. He is great at training dogs, especially pups and due to health reasons has recently had to slowly retire into Office Manager overseeing the puppy program and mom.
Hi pupper friends! My name is Blaze but my family calls me Crazy-Blazey. I’m a purebred, stubborn, yet gentle German Shorthair pointer and I know the rules well! I aim to please and have an extremely important job here which I naturally have matured into. My title & job here is to be on police patrol. That’s right: I’m the no-fun police when needed so your fur babies stay protected and balanced and not stressed out during their stay here. If I sense tensions are high or some puppy is stressed, I step in and immediately stop the play or intrude and back off the other dog with my alpha stare. I do not like conflict in my yard! I need to be introduced to your dog the first time with the proper dog handshake so they know and understand my role immediately and then everyone has a good time. I also do very well with puppies and absolutely love to train them for my humans. I’m very effective. I team up with my brother and sister to make sure we are all doing our assigned roles to keep everyone relaxed, happy, and having fun. I have a lot of energy, so I bark with enthusiasm & like to run a lot.
I am an Addison’s Disease dog (aka: A-Dog) which affects my energy levels a lot. This past January, I fractured my right leg and had to have surgery. I don’t heal fast, so my body is forcing me to slowly retire and be mom’s office manager. It’s a harder job than yard boss trying to keep up with her and boss her around all day! Have no fear, I have trained my best dogs here and Sadie Mae to do a great job for me when I need to step out. I’m also now training our new pack leader, Simba. I was raised to be my daddy’s hunting buddy, but I am truly one of mom’s most devoted & proud workers. I love my job at the Doghouse and aim to make my humans proud of me! I can’t wait to have your pup run with me & visit with us! ~Blaze
Sadie Mae, CGC - Resort Ambassador
Hi my fluffy friends! I’m Sadie Mae and I can’t wait to meet you. I’m a Golden Retriever and the apple of my momma’s eye. I’m pretty chill and laid back, except for when there are deer in my yard and my protective instincts come out to protect my yard. I’m extremely friendly and my job is to make sure your dog has an enjoyable experience at the resort. I love to play, but I also don’t mind just hanging out on the hill in the shade with my furry friends. In June 2023, I worked really hard at completing the AKC Canine Good Citizen Certification so I can use these skills to help your dog stay calm in stressful situations, and proper introductions. I don’t like conflict in my yard, so I like to softly approach the situation and try to chat it out and turn on my lovey skill to make everyone happy. If this doesn’t work, I will alert brother Blaze or a yard leader to help me out. With my calming demeanor, I've taken on a new challenge to help assist in the Puppy Program we have here. I love helping & training new puppies! Simba and I have become a great team helping them grow up here.
My favorite things to do is play with Blaze & my new baby sister, Simba. We have the same parents, so we are a lot alike. I also love going on hikes with my momma, especially if they are off leash. This is the best place to be as a dog and I can't wait to show you around! ~Sadie Mae
Simba, CGC - Resort Ambassador
Hi every-pupper! My name is Simba. My momma gave me that name because she calls me and sister her little lion cubs since we help run the pack around here. I love my name as I hope to grow into a courageous leader someday. But for right now, I really enjoy having fun pouncing & playing as much as possible. I love to play chase, tug, and throw sticks around. I'm very laid back and have a submissive & loving spirit that makes even a non animal lover love me and I'm always ready to play in an instant! My sister, Sadie Mae, who is also my best friend, has taught me so much and I use all our training skills to make sure we are a great team for your pet here. I absolutely love meeting new furry friends but my favorite is new puppies. I like to teach them hide-n-seek games and we have so much fun. In July 2024, I completed my pre-therapy class and received my AKC Canine Good Citizen certification like my sister so we can help our momma train all the dogs here and help keep the yard balanced and stress free. I am excited to continue on for therapy training soon to learn more ways I can help your fur babies enjoy their stay with us. I can't wait to meet you & your fur baby!