This is Golden Acre Kennels, built from the ground up in 2001 and soon to transfer ownership to the founder’s daughter, who has managed the business for the past four years.

The property at 3685 Ninth Lane in Ford River Township features 21 indoor kennels, plus outdoor pens and two separate play yards. It was built specifically for the purpose of becoming Golden Acre Kennels, near the home of its founder, Lisa Block.

Lisa previously worked as a veterinary assistant and has an extensive knowledge of dogs in addition to a love for the animals. When she began to develop the concept of opening a doggy daycare, she toured other facilities in Michigan and Wisconsin to get ideas of how such a facility should be structured and run. Her husband, Dan Block, drew up the plans and the kennel was built and opened in 2001.

“The area didn’t have a kennel, so there was a need for it,” said Samantha “Sam” Carlson, business manager and Lisa’s oldest daughter. Sam has helped out at Golden Acres since she was 10 years old. Her brother, TJ Carlson, also works at the kennel full time.

Dogs boarding at Golden Acre Kennels in Ford River play in an outdoor area. (Courtesy photo)

Golden Acre has a staff of five, and at least two people work at a time. When the place is fuller, three or four employees will be on site. Everyone pretty much does everything, Sam said, from checking clients in and out and taking care of the dogs.

When customers comes to Golden Acre Kennels for the first time, they have to full out some paperwork and answer questions about whether their pet has a medication schedule, likes other dogs, is aggressive or has any other special instructions. There are a handful of vaccinations that are required, and dogs must be brought in with their own food along with information about the times and amounts they’re usually fed.

There are three sizes of kennel: 4 by 15 feet, 5 by 7 feet, and 8 by 14 feet. Four more small kennels, for dogs 20 pounds or less, are under construction in an area that used to be Golden Acre’s main office. About 10 years ago, a new addition was built onto the north side of the building and stands as the entrance that greets people today.

Trips to the outdoor play and restroom areas and outdoor kennels are made throughout the day — roughly eight to 10 times a day, Sam estimated. During the winter, time outside is kept to shorter durations. To avoid altercations between animals, the staff carefully coordinates certain groups to go out at different times — and, of course, some dogs don’t get along with others and have to be kept alone. All that is understood and accommodated.

In 2011, they began a project to redecorate some of the kennels. Now, in some areas, artwork and murals and different styles of bed are found in the various suites. The wall of the “Poker Suite” features a print of “A Bold Bluff,” one of Cassius Coolidge’s famous paintings of dogs playing poker. In the “Packer Suite,” the floor is painted like a football field, and a Green Bay Packers sign hangs on the wall.

A dog at Golden Acre pauses on a play structure to look at the camera. (Courtesy photo)

During much of the year, the kennel is at capacity. When the Press visited on Thanksgiving weekend, it was full, with many pet owners travel for the holiday. And as the slogan goes, Golden Acre is “a great place for your pet to vacation, so you can enjoy yours!”

While there are waiting lists in the summer, January and February tend to be slow, at about half capacity, Sam said. But when March hits, spring break is the busiest time of all, and “usually from March until about October, we are at max capacity,” Sam said.

Kennel guests may check in for just a day or for extended stays.

Certain optional amenities are available. For extra fees, Golden Acre offers homemade treats, lick mats, toys with tasty fillings and even a service called MagnaWave, a treatment that uses a pulsating electro-magnetic field meant to improve circulation and reduce inflammation and pain. Kim Schoen from Superior Impulse LLC brings the MagnaWave machine to the kennel every two weeks, and Sam said she notices the benefits on her own pets.

In the lobby, visitors will notice a few things for sale — blankets made locally, collars and harnesses, and gourmet treats made by other small businesses.

After 24 years under Lisa’s ownership, Golden Acre Kennels is preparing for a change — though not one that will have much of an effect on customers. Sam will officially acquire the business Jan. 1, but she’s already been running the place for a few years — including four as manager — and Lisa’s been pretty hands-off the past year. No major changes are planned for the near future.

Sam earned a veterinary technician degree from University of Wisconsin in Madison and is currently working on a certificate in canine nutrition from the Academy of Natural Health Sciences that could evolve into a new service next year.

The kennel is open to the public from 9 a.m. to noon and 3:30 to 5 p.m. on weekdays, from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturdays and from 3 to 5 p.m. on Sundays.

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R. R. Branstrom can be reached at 906-786-2021, ext. 140, or rbranstrom@dailypress.net.