Barks & Rec is a doggy daycare and boarding service located just north of Hastings at 12260 Margo Ave. S., the same building as Rio Grooming School and Salon. Barks & Rec owners Kirk and Leigh Trammel have two other locations offering similar services in Lakeville and Minneapolis, but this new location will be the first to offer all of their services at one location. The main services offered are daycare, boarding and wellness.
We are taught from a young age that having a pet is a huge responsibility. The feeding, grooming, training, socializing and general care of our hand-picked furry family members is crucial at all stages of their lives. Yes, some pets are not furry, but for the sake of this story, those are the ones that will be focused on, more specifically, the furry canine companions.
The new doggy daycare and boarding facility built by the Trommels is quite a sight to see. The building was previously used by a trucking company.
“My wife and I bought the building and Rio stayed,” explained Trammel. “Rio is both a partner and tenant with us. They have the front part of the building, and we have Barks & Rec in the back half of the building, so we each have about six to seven thousand square feet.”
The Barks & Rec space is well laid out between two enormous garages and the fenced outdoor play area known as Wiggly Field. The outdoor play area is 86 feet by 86 feet and that is divided into three separate sections for small, medium and large dogs. Each of the three outdoor play areas is turfed for the safety of the dogs and also has a pool.
Currently, they have 78 regular kennels and five luxury suites. The regular kennels vary in size which is good for different sized dogs. The luxury suites are 14 feet by eight feet and when complete, they will have a raised basin with turf for the dog to use for a potty and a raised bed. They are also in a secluded area from the main kennels to help isolate the suites from the majority of the sounds. This is beneficial for dogs that are more sensitive to noise.
The facility has custom climate controls to ensure the comfort of the guests and workers including in-floor heating, overhead heating, ventilation and air conditioning. They also have a new dog washing station for those that take advantage of the expanded boarding services, and they use green friendly cleaning products to maximize safety.
To safeguard Spot and prevent runaways, the exits all have double gates. The double gates, when used properly, prevent any pups rushing out the exit. Another safety item that is often overlooked is the floor. The indoor spaces, when not turf for the play surfaces, are rubberized. The rubber floor is much better for everyone to walk on over concrete.
Daycare for dogs has become more popular due to longer workdays for pet owners. A full day of care is anything over five hours according to their website, and that will cost 35 dollars per day. Five hours or less is only 25 dollars.
Boarding starts at 50 dollars per night for one dog, 75 for two and 100 for three in a shared kennel. Those that use the basic service can rest easy knowing their pups have a private kennel for their family only. That includes the basics of fresh water and feeding, with treats during the stay. The pups will visit Wiggly Field three to five times a day with group or individual play time. There is not an overnight staff, but the pups are let out one last time around 8:00 p.m. before staff heads out and there is someone on site by 6:00 a.m. the next day.
One of the fun parts of using Barks & Rec is they frequently post images throughout the day to their Instagram page so that pup parents can see their pooch is having a blast.
For those wanting to see the space firsthand, there are two entrances, one from inside Rio Grooming and the other on the back side of the building where the outdoor play area and garage doors are. Give the staff a call to learn more about their services 651-480-4726 option 2 or visit www.barksnrec.co/hastings (yes .CO not .com)
Barks & Rec is open for both boarding and daycare drop off and pick up Monday through Friday 6:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.