ABOVE: A few dogs staying at Bed and Biscuit in Fairmont. Behind them is the building thoat houses the 21 new kennels that were just added in an expansion.

FAIRMONT — Bed and Biscuits, a boarding kennel in Fairmont, just expanded by adding 21 kennels. The operation, managed by Britney Kawecki, can now house upwards of 100 animals.

The kennel, located at 1041 Marcus St., opened in May 2021 for 24 kennels. At the time of opening the business, Kawecki said she never expected it to be so busy and certainly didn’t have plans to expand someday.

“Summer is definitely the busiest time for us,” Kawecki said. “The most dogs I’ve ever had is 43.”

However, she said from Thanksgiving time through March it’s also pretty busy as a lot of people and families will travel and need a place to board their pets.

“Our down time is definitely April and May but that’s okay because that’s when we get some stuff done,” Kawecki said.

On the decision to expand, Kawecki said, “last summer I was probably turning away anywhere from five to 10 people a week. I thought I should start considering it.”

Over the winter she also saw an increase in the amount of people who were inquiring for doggie daycare services, which is not something she has been advertising for.

“I know I wouldn’t be able to keep the daycare dogs through the summer because I wouldn’t have room for them,” she explained.

On a daily basis she currently has about a dozen dogs and plans to start advertising for it now that she has more space.

The 21 new durable, stainless steel kennels, which were just installed this week, were built by Henway Manufacturing. This time, Kawecki had some kennels built with a boarder around the bars so that anxious or aggressive dogs can be in them and not see what’s going on around them.

All of the kennels come in a variety of sizes. There are 3 by 5 ft. for smaller dogs and 6 by 4 ft. for bigger dogs. Often times, people with multiple dogs opt to have them in the same kennel because they’re used to being together at home so they’ll have a larger kennel to share. Each kennel has a raised bed and food and water bowls.

Kawecki is also proud of the 5,000 sq. ft. of outdoor run space in five different pens that Bed and Biscuits offers which allows them to separate big dogs from little dogs or dogs with different temperaments.

With the addition of the 21 kennels, there is some increased staffing. Staff has always periodically come in to take care of the boarded animals but with the addition of some staff, someone is there all day now.

Finally, three cat suits were also added in the expansion.

“I have a regular bunny that comes and I have another bunny that comes and we’re about to have our first rat. We board all types of animals,” Kawecki said.

She pointed out that boarding a pet is not for everyone so if someone tours her facility and is unsure, Kawecki will refer them to people in town who she knows does in-home pet sitting. She’s also referred other area kennels if she’s full.

In addition to boarding animals, Bed and Biscuits offers a stand alone pet wash station that operates much like a car wash. K-9 Clips, a dog groomer, is also located at Bed and Biscuits.

With the expansion, Kawecki is excited to focus on doggie daycare and she spoke to the positive impact it provides.

“It’s important to socialize your dog, especially as a puppy. People want to get their dog used to being around other dogs and people. I’ve learned how important that is just by seeing dog’s interactions, they can be so timid and shy but within a week they’re completely different dogs,” Kawecki said.