NEW GERMANY, Minn. — In 2024, more people are prioritizing travel and new experiences. That's the trend Forbes reported just this week and when vacation calls and folks go away, pets need a place to stay.
Top Dog Country Club in Carver County is a local spot ready to meet those needs.
The business has been serving the community since 2000, and owner Jean Stelten says it was the first facility of its kind. It came on the scene and changed the way dogs are cared for when their owners travel.
Stelten says her goal is to give customers peace of mind.
"I traveled all the time. I had a bad experience boarding my shelties back in the day and said, there's got to be a better answer."
Her answer was a vacation club for dogs. She spent ten years developing the concept.
"We're with them 15.5 hours a day. Five to six hours of run time, ball time, [and] swim time. The dogs absolutely love it. They're not only getting five to six hours of playtime, but they're getting five to six hours of social training," said Stelten.
Top Dog Country Club also offers spa and transportation services, "Yappy Hour," with fresh-baked biscuits and bedtime stories.
Customer Sarah and her family say they love it there. Their dog, Jax, has been coming to the club since October after he got injured at a dog park.
"You can tell by the people when they talk about your dogs that they actually really care," she said.
They care, so you don't have to worry.
"We have highly trained staff, and we have a lot of resources available to us that a neighbor, someone who's maybe not quite as familiar with dogs, might not have," said Stephanie, Top Dog's general manager.
So pack your bags and your pooch's bags, too, because, at Top Dog Country Club, it's all about the dogs!
Stelten says they average about 75 dog visitors a day.
To learn more about services, hours, and pricing at Top Dog Country Club, click here.
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
Watch more KARE11 Sunrise:
Watch the latest coverage from KARE11 Sunrise in our YouTube playlist: