About

John is a Minnesota native whose career took him across the Midwest for many years before settling back close to home. Late in his travels, he rescued Dakotah. (Or maybe it was the other way around). A year later, Zeus, a charismatic Alaskan Malamute joined the pack. He’s stepped away from his career as a bank executive for a new adventure serving our community’s pets and their families.

After years of boarding his dogs at facilities across the country, John returned to his roots in Elk River and decided to open the facility he always wished he could find for his dogs, Dakotah and Zeus. Contact us today to learn more about our story.

Here's What Sets Our Pet Care, Training, and Boarding Services Apart

To build his ‘dream facility”, he had some very specific requirements, which he integrated into Dakotah's Doggy Day Care, Hotel, Salon, and Training:

A great location that is easy to visit before and after work.

A full-service facility, including daycare, boarding, and grooming.

• You can drop your dog off for daycare, and we’ll take care of their grooming needs while they are here.
• Every dog that stays overnight gets to play in the daycare.

All inclusive pricing – no add-on fees!

• Daycare is included with boarding, it’s not an extra charge like other places.
• No extra charge for larger kennels. We ensure your pet gets a comfortable kennel, no matter how big they are, or if you want to board more than one dog in a kennel.
• Because a sudden change in your dog’s diet can upset their stomach, we encourage you to bring your dog’s food for overnight stays. But we won’t let any dog go hungry, and we won’t charge extra if we provide their food.
• If your dog needs to take medicine, we don’t charge extra to give it to them.

Convenient drop-off and pick-up hours.

• Each overnight stay includes a half day of daycare after drop-off (after 12 PM) and a half day of daycare the day of pickup (until 12 PM.).

The cleanest facility possible.

• We utilized epoxy flooring and hospital grade vinyl flooring to ensure that germs and bacteria can’t penetrate the floors. Most facilities use concrete and a sealer, which once scratched can harbor bacteria.
• We provide clean bedding. We do not accept outside bedding.
• All of our dog dishes are machine washed to ensure that they are sanitary.
• Our cleaning products are all dog-friendly and non-toxic.

John and his pack live in the building, so your dog has 24×7 care.

On those rare occasions when John and his boys are away, another staff member will stay overnight. Many facilities lock their doors and send their employees home overnight, leaving your dog alone. At Dakotah’s, there is always a caring staff member available to see to your dog’s safety and comfort.

Professional staff.

• Each Dakotah’s Doggy Daycare employee completes a full training program before working with our furry guests and receives recurrent training throughout the year.

A fun, stimulating environment. Dakotah’s Doggy Daycare offers a great environment for your dog, including:

• Bright, large, well lit indoor play areas
• Separate areas for puppies, older dogs, and dogs that are less social
• A large outdoor play area that includes agility play equipment and two wading pools

You are provided with a daily report card so you’ll know how your dog’s day went.

Our live video PlayCams in our play areas allow you to check up on your dogs from our website.

At Dakotah's Doggy Daycare, Hotel, Salon, and Training, our state-of-the-art pet care facility caters to all your furry friend's needs under one roof. With both heated outdoor play areas and indoor play spaces, your pet can enjoy year-round fun and exercise regardless of the weather. Rest assured, all playgroups are supervised by our highly trained staff to ensure safety and enjoyment for every pet. Conveniently located in an easy-to-access area, dropping off and picking up your pet is a breeze. Whether it's daycare, training, or grooming services, we provide a comprehensive experience tailored to your pet's needs, all in a convenient and comfortable setting. Call today to learn more about our facility.

Outdoor Play Area

Our outdoor play area is unique! We have two wading pools for your dog to play in during the summer months. In the winter the floor of the outdoor play area is heated. No more cold paws! (And easy to clean every day, no matter how cold it gets.) We also have a misting system to cool the air during those really hot summer days, a gazebo to provide shade, a variety of doggy playground equipment, a bubble machine that makes a mountain of bubbles, and two separate areas -- one for large dogs and the other for small dogs.

Indoor Play Areas

We offer three indoor play areas so we can match dogs with other dogs of similar size and play style.