Mullinses open pet boarding on Montrose riverfront

Posted

Grand opening Tuesday from 4 p.m to 7 p.m.

BY CHUCK VANDENBERG
PCC EDITOR

MONTROSE - It may be Montrose Dog Boarding now, but they still call it "Dave's".

Amanda and Matt Mullins have been running a boarding shelter out of their home in Montrose for the past year or so, but the demand became so large they had to expand operations.

Now, the two own the former Dave's Meat Market building at 111 Spruce Street in downtown Montrose and are livin' the dream. They've converted the space into a boarding center for dogs and cats and have other ideas that Matt says are all part of Matt's Big Dream.

But the passion for the business comes from Amanda's side.

"I asked her if there was anything in the world she would rather be doing than what she was, and she said this," Matt said, walking through the new boarding center Monday morning.

Matt and Amanda Mullins have opened Montrose Dog Boarding with a grand opening set for Tuesday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in downtown Montrose. Photo by Chuck Vandenberg/PCC

"The demand for boarding was growing at home so we knew we were going to have to expand and then this building came up for auction. We got it at a good price and the first thing we did was buy a ping-pong table, set it up and started playing ping-pong talking about how this would look."

The most striking marketable feature of the new business, which will be holding it's grand opening on Tuesday from 4 to 7 p.m., is that they are open Monday through Sunday by appointment and also can be found on site.

"We live just three blocks from here so anyone can call us and we can be down here in a matter of minutes," Amanda said. "And we've had several people call already and say, 'Can you take our dog, like immediately?', and we can do that."

Matt said the last thing he wanted was for people to think, "Oh, I don't want to call and have to make an appointment."

"We can be reached anytime day or night and even on Sundays," he said. "We can come down, if you get back in town on weekend, and get you back with your pet right away."

The grand opening will feature some special promotions like $5 dog daycare, which is regularly $20 per day. A Buy-One, Get-One dog boarding certificate and a punch card for a 7-day stay in the cat room for $100.

Boarding rates start a $30 for a 24-hour minimum, $15 for each 12 hours after the first 24 and $15 for an additional dog in the same kennel (Must be from the same home.) Daycare is included with the boarding cost and you can drop off and pick-up by appointment. Proof of vaccinations is required.

For the daycare only, $20 will cover a full day with $15 for half days. Dogs must have the state required temperment test and they must be spayed or neutered if older than 6 months. Daycare is available Tuesdays and Thursdays, but additional days may be added at a later date.

The center currently had 10 kennels for dogs in a 1,200 square foot room with smaller day boarding kennels. The center has a 4,000 square foot gravel outdoor playground with a majestic view of the Mississippi River, a dog grooming center is currently under construction, a cat kennel room, and plenty of room for additional expansion.

Amanda even makes homemade pet treats in a double stack convection oven they purchased as part of the auction of the former meat market.

In Matt's "Big Dream" he would like to turn the center at times into a fundraising mechanism for area groups and clubs. The idea would be to bake homemade pet treats that were pre-sold and then donate the majority of the proceeds to the group helping with the baking.

Amanda has made sugar-free pet treats from home ingredients like beef broth, oatmeal, mint leaves, flour and egg. The treats are for sale now at the center.

The Mullins said another part of the "Big Dream" would be to build a deck above the outside play park so people could watch the animals playing from above.

Amanda is also accustomed to special needs dogs and can provide those services such as for blind or diabetic animals.

"What's nice is that we don't charge extra for that. People can get all those services, including playtime with the animals, and pictures of how their pets are doing."

The Mullins also have a Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/MontroseDogBoarding/, and a website for additional information at www.montrosedogboarding.com. Appointments can be set by calling 515-360-8901.

cats, lee county, Montrose, Montrose Dog Boarding, Mullins, Pen City Current, pet boarding

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