There are many types of places where you can board your dog; most of them are great choices. For something a bit different, though, S & B Kennel in Glenwood, IA, (about 15 minutes south of Omaha on I-29) features open spaces, scenic country views, and everything else you’d love to have available to your pup while he stays. Meet Joe Huntoon and S & B.
“I’m just a regular Joe,” Huntoon says, “with a construction background and a love for dogs.” He grew up without pets; his my parents didn’t allow them. Soon after he moved out of his parents’ house, he got his first dog Shia, a dog he had for almost 18 years. Along the way, Huntoon adopted a dog from Nebraska Humane Society; a black lab named Boston was his second addition. These two dogs sparked his love and passion for dogs (hence the name S&B) and his kennel is his way of sharing that love. “Life just wouldn’t be right without a dog in it,” he says. We agree.
As Huntoon grew older, and his first two dogs passed away, he just so happened to acquire an acreage. “It was my luck that the prior owners had been breeders and so the property contained a pre-existing dog kennel, he says. The place was in rough shape though. “It was going to take some work to get back up and running,” he says.
With the help of a friend who specializes in dog training, Huntoon devised a plan. This plan was not only to board people’s personal dogs, but to provide a safe place for dogs in rescue who were awaiting forever homes.
“I got moved into the house and immediately began turning the place around. In just under a year, the property and kennel was up and running. Of course there were a few challenges along the way, but I knew that if I built it with the dogs in mind, it would be beautiful and dogs and their owners would love it,” he says about getting the kennel back on its feet and better than ever.
What makes Huntoon’s kennel different from most is the combination of things he offers there. Here’s what S & B provides it dogs:
- spacious indoor and outdoor kennel runs for large dogs; the outside kennel runs are 10’ x 5’ and the indoor runs are 7’ x 5.’ That provides a combined space of 17’ x 5’ for each dog in the large runs. For the small dog kennels, the runs extend both inside (4′ by 4′) and outside (5′ x 5′).
- the indoor/outdoor runs, both large and small, are connected by a doggie door which enables the dogs to move from the indoor run to the outdoor run at their leisure. Given that the kennel is still a fairly place, this allows S & B to give each dog a lot of personal attention. We board no more than 12 dogs at a time, unless there are multiple dogs from the same home housed together.
- the kennel is also climate controlled and very clean, thanks in large part to the staff. Each of Huntoon’s staff members have years of experience working with dogs and in the dog kenneling field. In Huntoon’s opinion, they are the best you will find.
Huntoon has staff there full time during the day and, since he lives on the property, is on site at night and on the weekends.
Kenneling can be stressful on dogs. “We use essential oils to help keep the dogs calm and peaceful. We don’t like them to be stress barking, so my kennel is rather quiet,” he says. “We also have a radio playing for them quietly to deter them from barking at outside noise.
S & B is not a free range kennel; each dog has its own room that keeps them completely separated from the other dogs next door. There are also three separate yards: one large back yard that is used mostly for Huntoon’s personal dogs; one yard around the kennel itself so if a dog happens to escape, they are still contained; there’s also a large front yard for the kennel dogs to run and play.
“We have the option to do small play groups or to take the dogs out one at a time. We have lots of room, shade, and green grass to help make their stay as comfortable as possible,” he says. It is a pretty picturesque area, too. S & B sits in the Loess Hills.
Another plus: S & B has NO breed discrimination, so all dogs are welcome.
If you’ve run a rescue, started a non-profit, or any business for that matter, there are many hoops to jump through on the way to being operational. “I jumped them all to get opened up,” he says. ”I had to get approval from the county and I am also licensed by the state. We officially got our Certificate of Occupancy and opened up in April of 2016.”
And though the kennel is fairly new, there hasn’t been much in the way of award-winning or word-of-mouth marketing. If you are interested in reading reviews, the S & B Facebook page includes client feedback and a number of Five-Star reviews.
“Many future clients want to come out just to tour the facility and meet the staff first before booking with us,” he says, “and we encourage them to do so. That way, they feel comfortable with their family member being here on an extended stay.”
Huntoon’s full time staff, Norma Jean, takes amazing care of not only the dogs, but the kennel property itself. Huntoon’s had a lot of people comment on how his place smells good and is so impeccably clean. Norma captures most of the videos that you will find on the S & B Facebook page and almost single-handedly has created a following from just her commentating on the videos. “People just love how real she is and how she loves the dogs. In addition to Norma, the part time staff includes Carter. ”He also has a tremendous love for dogs and his responsibilities at the kennel are similar to Norma’s,” Huntoon says.
If you are interested in meeting the staff or touring the facility, check out the S & B Facebook page here. Also, ask about price specials (such as $5 off per dog per night for multiple dogs from the same home and discounted rates or free night(s) for extended stays.
And if you are looking for a different kind of kennel, S & B is definitely worth a look! Huntoon guarantees that “you won’t regret it! It is a peaceful country setting with lots of room to run and play…a place to basically just let a dog be a dog.”