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 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!

Working with animals is a dream come true and Kelly loves her job every day.

Kelly and her family have 6 dogs of their own - 3 Irish Wolfhounds, and 3 All-American dogs. Each one has their own special characteristics, and she loves hanging out with them! You might see some of them around our farm or on our Facebook page posing, working, or training.

James Kendall

Owner and Maintenance Champion

James served in the Army. His specialty at Happy Dog is continually improving our facility and fixing anything that breaks. He has a great vision for Happy Dog. You will also often see him helping to check in and check out dogs, take dogs out to potty, or spending time snuggling with our guests.

Sarah V

Kennel Assistant and Administrative Assistant

Before coming to work at Happy Dog Acres in 2021, 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 have an English Setter, Bentley, who loves coming to work with his mom and running around. When not at work she loves baking, kayaking, taking care of her plants, and generally being outdoors.

Ginnia D

Kennel Assistant and Bather

Ginnia has always wanted to work with animals and, before coming to work at Happy Dog in Summer 2022, she worked at the AuSable Valley Animal Shelter for about a year and trained in grooming at The Pet Parlor in Houghton Lake. Ginnia says she likes working here because "it’s very laid back and there’s always a dog to play with! The dogs are lots of fun and have many ways of making people laugh."

She has two dogs of her own, both Pit/Beagle mixes, MJ and Ohno, who absolutely adore each other. Together they love to go on long walks, swimming in the river, and even camping!

Lynne S

Kennel Assistant, Bather, and Training Assistant

Lynne has been working at Happy Dog since Fall 2022. She has both previous grooming and training experience with dogs. She has two dogs of her own: Brubeck, a young male Chesapeake Bay Retriever, and Ellie, an adult Weimaraner.

In her spare time Lynne likes to help organize and play in community band and big band productions.

Nikkie A

Kennel Assistant

Nikkie has been working at Happy Dog since Spring 2022. Nikkie helps with all the cleaning, dinners, and playing with dogs. She is currently still in high school but loves coming to work on weekends and breaks to see the dogs. In her spare time she also loves baking and candy-making!

Kitty Cat

Chief Pest Control Manager

Officially named "Elvira," Kitty Cat came from One Love Rescue in Houghton Lake, MI and is very proficient at keeping mice and other pests away from the kennel areas. She is very friendly with humans and likes to meet calm dogs. If you see her out and about you can say hi if you'd like. If you would like us to put her away momentarily so you can drop off and pick up your dog without the added distraction, just let us know!

Staff is very friendly and professional. They truly care about your dogs. Our pup looks forward to going!

Willa's Dad
Logan