Boardmoor Pet Resort is a new 18,807-square-foot facility in Fountain that opened just over a month ago and features 74 kennels, radiant heated floors and an automatic ventilation system. Owners Dan and Lea O’Sullivan call it a “home away from home” for dogs.
Luxury takes a new form at the Boardmoor Pet Resort.
As seen from Interstate 25 in Fountain, Boardmoor’s 18,807-square-foot facility (the same size as four NBA basketball courts) could easily be mistaken for a warehouse in an industrial park. But inside is what owners Dan and Lea O’Sullivan call a dog’s “home away from home.”
The dog-only boarding house, which opened just over a month ago until the facility saw more demand for other animals, has 74 kennels, radiant heated floors and an automatic ventilation system.
“If you’re going to do something, do it right,” Dan said.
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For O’Sullivan, that meant investing $2 million in a facility that took nearly three years to build.
“I wanted a place where we could really design and build from scratch,” Dan said.
From floor to ceiling, Dan and Lea designed the facility to meet all the standards of the Colorado Pet Animal Care Facility Law and to keep the facility as clean and comfortable as possible so the facility lives up to its name, Boardmoor Pet Resort — the legendary Five Diamond Five Star Cloth The name of Lordmore Resort.
“(It shows we’re) providing the best care,” said Jennifer Armstrong, daughter of Lea and Dan, who helped at the facility.
Tim Langness, owner of Sparrow Enterprises, says the building’s underfloor heating system is a unique fixture for his company.
Beneath the concrete slab, Sparrow laid out a sensor and glycol system to keep the dog comfortable walking and lying down on the floor.
“The dog is best lying on something warm,” Ronnes said.
Also in Boardmoor’s kennel area, dog gates allow dogs to wander between indoor environments and covered outdoor areas. Green hoses surround each fence so crews can wash and rinse the area, and fans are suspended from the high ceilings to aid the structure’s computerized ventilation system.
“There were a lot of hoops, and then COVID-19 got in the way,” Dan said.
But now, with the facility’s doors open to dogs of all shapes and sizes, the couple is stepping up their services, including dog day care and overnight boarding.
The facility comes with a grooming space that the pair plan to rent out after they find a qualified dog groomer.
They also hope to run a pet training class with dog trainer Adam Watson.
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Watson, who teaches dog training and behavior classes in Colorado Springs and works with the local law enforcement K9 team, said he was impressed with the Boardmoor facility because it offered the space to teach him the classes and the ability to foster his own dogs. place.
“If I have to get out of town and leave my dog somewhere,” Watson said, “that’s the only place they’re going.”
Dan, 77, and Lea, 81, purchased the 4.6-acre lot to build their dream dog care center after following their daughter from Indiana to Colorado, where they operated (and still own) a pet Kennel for over 40 years.
“I was born and raised on a farm,” Dan said. “She (Lea) is in a city…it pains me to live in a city, so she wants two things to move out – she wants a Great Dane and an Arabian stallion.”
Lea has both, the couple have been married for over 50 years.
Leah started a dog business after she wanted a Great Dane Rufus.
“It was really an accident,” Lea said.
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Her dog had puppies with another Great Dane, so she decided to learn more about dog genetics and dog ownership. Since then, business has taken off, but her dog days are over – though her and Dan’s overnight dog days continue.
For Lea, it’s about the dogs, but Dan loves the people he’s met over the years.
“We always say we boarded the senators to strippers,” Leah said.
Dan and Lea agree that their new business will keep them active, but one day they hope to pass on their facility to their adult children who help run their facility in Colorado and their farm and kennel in Indiana .
While business has been slow in the first month at Boardmoor, they believe traffic on Boardmoor could soar as the area is pet-friendly. Of course, other companies, such as Tumbleweed Country Kennels, Lucky Dog Day Care and Boarding, and others are also taking advantage of this pet-friendly environment, with an abundance of boarding facilities and dog daycares in the area. But Dan believes his facility will stand out.
“Build the best buildings,” Dan said, “and they’ll come.”