When the owners of Carver Canines set out to create a new kind of boarding and daycare facility, they already had a clear vision for what it should be, they just needed a partner to help make it real. Kaeding Architecture stepped in to help transform a former Countryside veterinary clinic into the warm, welcoming space the owners had envisioned, one designed entirely around the comfort and happiness of dogs, and their humans.
Gone are the clinical touches of its former life and in their place is a lobby that feels more boutique hotel than kennel. A decorative wood accent wall showcases the space as you enter, wrapping around a sleek electric fireplace, while a reclaimed wood reception desk and cozy leather club chairs create a lounge atmosphere for pet parents dropping off or picking up their pups. But the real transformation happens beyond the lobby. Carver Canines operates on a kennel-free model, offering overnight boarding, daycare, spa treatments, and training. All built around the idea that dogs deserve room to roam, not cages to sit in. The design includes two large indoor play areas, giving dogs ample space to socialize and burn energy regardless of Minnesota’s weather, plus a sprawling outdoor space where they can enjoy fresh air and unlimited playtime. From above, the building’s footprint, tucked among mature trees and surrounded by open farmland, shows just how much room these pups have to roam.
The vision for Carver Canines belonged entirely to its owners, a space built on comfort, joy, and genuinely unlimited attention. Our role as their architect was to help translate that vision into a set of plans that would meet code and obtain city approval, clearing the path for their idea to become real.
And as a client myself, I see the proof every time I pull into the parking lot when my own dogs can barely contain themselves, tails wagging and pulling toward the door before we’re even out of the car. The photos say it all: my fur babies are sprawled out and completely at ease in the play area, lounging around like it’s their own living room, without a leash or kennel in sight!
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