About
The Barking Birch Pet Lodge

The Barking Birch offers personalized lodging, grooming, and daycare for your furry friends. Our goal is to offer playtime and enrichment that will keep your dog entertained, healthy, and active.

What started with a dream and a big garage has grown into a modern and enriching atmosphere for guests-both two and four-legged. We are dedicated to providing the best pawsible services to our customers and a place to build careers for our staff.

Founding the Barking Birch

In February 2013, Travis and Shannon Kunz founded The Barking Birch Pet Lodge. With only 800 square feet and a dream to provide a higher quality of pet care, they set out to make the Barking Birch a success.

Expanding Our Facility

By November of 2016, the Barking Birch was growing fast. We wanted to take the company from its mom-and-pop beginnings to a full-service pet lodge. This included a new outdoor play zones, additional suites, a grooming room, and an expanded reception area.

More Offerings for Our Guests

We saw the need to expand again in March of 2020. Our facility extended to 8800 square feet, more than doubling in size. We added an indoor play area, additional suites, expanded and improved our outdoor play area, and added a second grooming room.

With so much growth, The Barking Birch has space for multiple play groups, indoor and outdoor play, rest areas, and state-of-the-art grooming equipment.

Meet Our Founding Pack

Travis

Whether its meeting new clients, chatting with existing ones, cleaning, fixing or just wearing the many hats of a business owner, all too often, he is not standing in one spot too long. In his short-lived spare time, you can find Travis flying around Central Minnesota on his paramotor or attempting to golf with his sons.

Shannon

As Barking Birch OG (original groomer), chances are Shannon and her team is the reason your pooch leaves the Barking Birch looking and smelling great! Shannon spends her down time crafting, fishing with Travis from their kayaks, spending time with her boys, Logan and Jacob, and loving on her boxer babies.

Finch

April 2000 – July 2015

Finch served as the first ambassador for The Barking Birch. Finch was Travis’s heart dog, who always greeted others with a sweet demeanor and mellow attitude.

Lucy

August 2007 – November 2020

Lucy was a high-energy dog who loved to run and play outside. Lucy frequently hunted anything she could find, until she was so tired that she had to be carried home in our arms.

Nabi

May 2007 – December 2020

Nabi came to us after his owner, Jack, was unable to care for him. He constantly exercised a “go-with-the-flow” attitude, besides his excited weekly visits to see Jack.

LuLu

Born July 2014

Lulu was a guest of ours at The Barking Birch whose owners needed a new home for her. We were quick to raise our hand and welcome her to our home. She is stubborn, sweet and has no concept of personal space!

Roni

Born August 2014

Roni is a sweetheart, constantly loving people. She is our alarm system, even if she runs for cover at any sign of something scary. Roni demands to be tucked in every night.