Read about us during our grand opening in the CT Insider

HARWINTON — The ShagBark Inn is taking on its first furry tenants.

The new dog boarding and day care facility at 215 Litchfield Road owned by Cait and Kevin Jersey was nearly a decade in the works.

Cait Jersey, who started working with dogs as a teenager, had always wanted to manage one of her own. The catch, the two said, was they needed to find a property they could also call home themselves.

After a lengthy search, they found a former dog kennel that hadn’t been in operation for nearly 15 years and got to work.

“As far as the actual building itself, it wasn’t used for probably 14 years before we actually bought the place,” Kevin Jersey said. “It was basically a mouse heaven. A lot of things were built ham and egg. When I started getting into renovating and certain projects, it would open a whole other set of projects. On the Facebook page, I tried to show people exactly what we’ve been doing. We didn’t just buy this place and open. That was not going to happen.”

The laundry list of tasks was exhaustive: They had to insulate the walls, install a septic system, run water from their house to the dog facility and install central air in the kennel, among other projects.

With that work behind them, they’re open for business and can focus on their goal of being a facility for dogs of all personalities.

“Besides loving, caring for dogs and being with them we actually have had problematic dogs of our own,” Cait Jersey said. “It’s been hard to find a place that we trust will understand their quirks and whatnot, and take them because of their behavioral issues. They were a motivator for people who otherwise might have a difficult time finding a place to take and manage dogs like that.”

Part of the kennel is named in honor of their beloved American bulldog named Stout, who motivated them to keep working toward their goal.

“We ended up adopting an American bulldog who couldn’t walk,” Cait Jersey said. “The doctor said he might not ever walk, but you can try. We did water therapy in our bathtub. We had a wheelchair for him. After three months, he started walking. He kept our motivation going. He kept us motivated to keep looking.”

It’s dogs like Stout, the couple said, that need a place to go, whether they require special care or simply don’t fit in with the other dogs at the kennel. To them, every dog should feel welcomed.

“I want to be the place that’s not right off the top judgmental and give them a chance,” Cait Jersey said. “We can cater to individual dogs. If one likes playing ball other than dogs, that’s what we’ll do. If one wants to be on a hike on a leash exploring that's what we will do. It’s more of a catered schedule as opposed to this is what we do: fit in, or sorry.”

The facility sits on 23 acres of woods with hiking trails, another asset the couple plans on utilizing. And because Cait Jersey has experience working in a veterinarian hospital and lives on site with her husband, the couple said they are always there for emergencies.

“It helps that we live on the property,” Kevin Jersey said. “There is always somebody there.”

Written By

Michael Walsh