About Happy Dog Acres

Happy Dog Acres is a veteran-owned dog boarding, training, and daycare facility outside Roscommon, Michigan, conveniently located just off of US-127 and I-75, north of Higgins Lake. The Happy Dog Acres property has a rich history as a dog boarding facility since the 1960's. James and Kelly took over in December 2019 and have been working to renovate and update the buildings and kennels. You might see their wolfhounds or their two grown daughters around the farm. Currently the Happy Dog Acres property includes:

• 21 acres
• 4 completely enclosed grass play yards
• 21 temperature-controlled kennels ranging from 16-48 square feet
• 9 outdoor potty yards
• Training barn

We know that it is tough leaving furry friends and family in the care of strangers…especially if it is the first time. Here at Happy Dog, we are dedicated to making sure that all of our guests are able to get the best care which includes a fun, friendly, clean, and safe environment. Our staff are on the property 24-7 and want make your pet feel as at-home as possible. We love dogs, and pride ourselves on the care we provide your dog—each pet is treated just like they are our own.

About Our Staff

Kelly Kendall

Owner and Lead Trainer

Kelly is a life-long animal lover. She was a certified pet training instructor at PetSmart, always continuing her education. She is a certified Pro Dog Trainer through Absolute Dogs, and absolutely loves her job! Helping dogs and pet parents to achieve their real-life goals is Kelly's passion!

Kelly and her family have 5 dogs of their own - 2 Irish Wolfhounds and 3 rescue dogs. Each one has their own special characteristics, and she loves hanging out with them!

James Kendall

Owner and Maintenance Champion

James served in the Army. His specialty at Happy Dog is fixing anything that breaks and making improvements to the property. However, you will also often see him helping to check in and check out dogs, take dogs out to potty, snuggling, or going for nice long walks with our guests.

Emily W

Kennel Assistant

Emily grew up surrounded by nature in Southwest Virginia, on her family’s five hundred acre farm. Her degree in Applied Science led her to conservation work, but her love of animals drew her back to them.

When she’s not at Happy Dog Acres, you can find her in her hobby greenhouse with her dogs and husband, or at the local Home Depot hugging random dogs.

Sarah V

Kennel Assistant

Before coming to work at Happy Dog Acres, Sarah worked for 2 years at another boarding and daycare facility and has lots of experience with monitoring off-leash play. She loves playing with all our four-legged guests and enjoys getting those great pics you might have seen on our social media!

Sarah and her husband just recently got a new puppy, Bentley, who loves coming to work with his mom and making all the friends. When not at work she loves baking, kayaking, taking care of her plants, and generally being outdoors.

"Nice open space with a real country atmosphere. Very friendly owner and staff. Our pooch always comes home looking healthy and wise."

Chai's Dad
David