Barnlake House – a place where animals come first!

The Boarding Kennels have been running since 1981, since when we have served the animal community for many generations of pets!

The stone house and buildings were originally a farm built in the 1800s, in the traditional format of buildings on four sides of a grassy yard.   The outbuildings have been converted into the Boarding Kennels with a separate cattery,  so the dogs and cats in boarding are not far away from us.  This makes our supervision and involvement with the animals ever present and easy, and all our methods are based on the Animals feeling close to people, loved and not abandoned.  The field behind the house is used for exercising the dogs, where they have special time with a human as they would at home when going for a walk. 

The Dog Training Centre was started in 1989, the result of Paddy and Merril's experience of running an Animal Shelter.

The aim in starting a training school was to help people cope with their dogs so they didn't have to become “rescues”.  Training is based on the relationship between the dogs and their owners, and helping people to understand their dogs and how to communicate with them. Teaching commands can be a frustrating past-time if the relationship and trust is not established between owner and dog. Training sessions are held throughout the week, weekends and evenings.   The training school has both indoor and outdoor facilities.

Paddy Maris

1946 - 2003

Founder

 Paddy and Merril Maris moved into Barnlake in 1981.

During the intervening years, they have run the Boarding Kennels, an Animal Shelter (unfortunately now closed) and a full-time Dog Training School.