In my childhood I had dreams of a wonderful place just like Happy Tails where dogs of all sizes, breeds and types enjoyed themselves. In my teens I worked for two different kennels one who bred Siberians and one who bred German Shepherds. I loved both breeds but I loved the sport of dog sledding and ran teams for fun and for the tourist industry. Make A Reservation Online...

The woman who owned the German Shepherds said concentrate on one breed, and I chose the Siberian and became a top breeder for the history of my breed. With over 75 Champion titles under the kennel prefix of Isbok in the 1980s, with titles in obedience and conformation, 2 international world champions, OTCHA champions and speciality winners. Anyone who knows Siberians know they can’t run free and most live their lives confined in small kennels or staked out.  I couldn’t do that and gravitated to using larger and larger yards where they could play.  My dogs were very happy and outstanding in the show ring, so something I did was right, I felt other than genetics, my dogs were happy and fit, their lives filled with joy that showed in their exuberance for life, and that was the winning factor.  After 16 years in Alberta I returning to my hometown of Huntsville in Muskoka, so synonymous with Summer Kids Camp for city children, and knew I wanted to open a Pet Resort and Camp for Dogs with as super sized dog parks as I could build, and that it does.  Now in my 50’s I have been happy to have made my fulltime livelihood in Pet Care since 1980.  Others have followed suit in the years that followed our media attention and I am happy for the changes to pet care that is bringing about.  However, there is nothing quite as good as Happy Tails in Muskoka.

Here dogs have the freedom to enjoy fresh air and free time to explore wonderful places and spaces at their speed. .  They gravitate to buddies of same age, interests and social circles.  Hounds pretend they are running the trails baying together, old gaffers enjoy sniffing and sunning in slow little groups, young ones can run, play and swim all day if they want to. Our chipmunks consider our dog guests their summer sport and find ways to initiate the games every day. Water dogs spend hours perusing the ponds for elusive frogs and pollywogs. Bird dogs pretend they are going to find birds in the bushes, or run in the meadows in giant circles with their eyes to the skies following the path of dragonflies.  At the end of the day dogs eat their dinners and look for comfort in their fireplace lounge or choose to retire to a pet room to sleep. Tuck in biscuits at the night check  usually brings some sleepy wagging tails out of their cosy beds, and after maybe a tinkle or a drink from a cold water automatic waterer outdoors (never locked in) they return to their cosy spots to sleep till dawn, when they rise up again for another day of dog time bliss and play.

Nowadays people are forced to control every aspect of their pets’ lives. Their dogs are crowded into smaller, smaller places and for longer, longer times. Their walks limited to what time or service we can provide for them.  Conventional kennels say “we walk 3 times a day”, but here, dogs play all day.  They do fun things they dream about doing or have only had small tastes of during their short lives. Some have only the memories in their genes from their great, great, great grandparents.  Happy Tails is the one place that pets can truly enjoy them self and be a happy dog doing all the things they want to do all day long at their speed, on their time schedule.   Even cage-less camps and facilities use lock downs in confinement dog yards or communal rooms, not here.