by Elyse Kaner
Staff writer

If traveling is in your future, you might want to consider a spacious lodge in Blaine. It boasts a wood-burning fire place, large suites, heated floors, specially designed four-poster beds and hiking trails. Meals are included.

But not for you. This $3.5 million state-of-the-art getaway would be for your pooch or kitty.

"We went a little crazy," said owner Dave Larson, who says he thrives on challenge. "It's a very expensive building, but it's premium care. It's the top end for the dog."

A Rocky Mountain lodge theme calls to animals and owners alike at the upscale Stone Mountain Pet Lodge in Blaine at 9935 Radisson Road N.E.. The monumental lodge was two years in the making.

From the custom-designed wrought iron gate depicting a sun rising over a mountain at the front of the building, to the lodge's lobby with a stone fireplace inset with paw prints that reaches to the lofty 40-foot ceiling - well, it's the cat's meow.

When Larson went on vacation years ago, he had a tough time finding someone to care for his dogs. So he decided to tackle the problem by building the behemoth 32,000 square-foot pet lodge.

Larson also owns Larson Systems Inc., a company located in Blaine that measures mechanical springs.

Springs and pooch paradise? Where's the connection, you say?

As a 1979 University of Minnesota graduate in mechanical engineering and a "very hands on" guy, Larson says he likes to design things. He worked on the spacious building design, adding personal touches - like the custom-designed gate that was created exclusively at - where else? - Larson Systems.

The lodge can board up to 216 dogs and 75 cats. Costs range from $20 on the low end to $48 for the deluxe suites.

Technicians greet guests in a spacious lobby. Pet lodgers are ushered into a room where they are examined for fleas, ticks and bumps. There, clients say goodbye to man's (or woman's) best friend.

"It's kind of like leaving your kids some times," Larson says.

Dogs are boarded separately in a section of individual suites named after presidents' dogs. The Barney suite named for President George Bush's dog or the Fala suite named after former President Franklin D. Roosevelt, for instance.

The suites are divided into massive wings: the Presidential Wing. The Wilderness Wing. The American Wing. The Hollywood Wing.

All dog suites feature a window, air conditioning and heated floors. Water is piped into each suite that has a separate drain.

Larson chose colors that he felt would resonate with his canine guests. The ceiling of the kennel is sky blue, while the floor is a light, grassy green.

Does your dog fancy a good plot?

For fun, he can watch the Animal Channel featured on TV in every deluxe suite. Or he can lounge on the custom-made, four-poster cushioned bed. Too bad chocolate isn't good for dogs, because he could dine on bon-bons at the same time.

Instead, Fido can chomp on a heart-shaped dog cookie made from natural ingredients and yogurt frosting featured in the Stone Mountain gift shop out front.

If a dog wants a sniff of fresh air, he can go out the doggie-door attached to each suite.

Larson is in the process of completing smaller suites for toy dog breeds, who he says might become anxious in larger spaces.

The cat lodging is a different story. The furry fellows are caged, also separately, in a room with a separate and specially ventilated room. Quiet baroque orchestral music soothes the feline souls. Nary a meow is heard. Once a day, kitty exercises for 15 minutes in a maze of multi-tower cat-scratching posts.

"It's fun to be a surrogate mom," says lodging manager Jeanette Johnson, one of Larson's 20 employees (10 are full time).

"I get to give hugs and they go home to their real moms and dads," she says.

Larson's children Tim, Matt and Amy also work at Stone Mountain.

In addition to lodging, Stone Mountain offers a vast grooming salon with four tables, two large stainless steel bath tubs and a smaller one for cats.

The retail center is stocked with pet food, animal toys, T-shirts and dog and cat figures of hand cast sculptures that look real. One of the figures, a three-foot high chocolate-brown rotweiller, sits on the floor and guards the display. The dog gives cause for double-takes.

Another aspect of the business is the training, exhibition and petvention center. (Larson likes to make up words.) It is here the dogs learn things like how to sit and heal in obedience classes for dogs of all ages, from puppy kindergarten to puppy agility to agility level two for dogs more than a year old.

Sandy Monte of Blaine was teaching Rocky, her seven-month-old Jack Russell terrier to sit and stay in an obedience class.

"It helps communication between you and your animal," she said. "It's a good learning tool."

Cheryl Bethel of Ham Lake is a first-time dog owner. She was teaching Ginger, a Cairn terrier, to sit and stay during class.

"The minute I came here, I thought, 'this is it. This is the place. It's new. It's clean. It has to resonate,'" she said.

Bethel was not only happy with Stone Mountain, she was happy with her new doggie friend.

"We can't believe the joy - the unbelievable joy," she said, about the puppy-love triangle that has formed among her, her husband and Ginger.

It took Larson six months to find a suitable site for the lodge. He combed the northern suburbs. The property off Radisson Road proved to be perfect. There is no residential area nearby. The dogs could bark and not disturb neighbors.

Another hurdle was the wetlands. "It was a challenge to make everything fit," Larson said, especially with nearly half, or 10 of the 22.7 acres, of the site being wetlands.

Still another struggle was fitting water pipes inside the concrete walls in each kennel.

During tours, people will ask Larson if he is franchised.

"To me that's one of the best compliments," he said. "That means it's really attractive."

But will he franchise his business someday?

"Who knows?" he says. His first goal is to fill the kennels to capacity and to make the animals and customers happy.

During Christmas he boarded 145 dogs. Pretty good for a lodge that opened in November.

"This is a huge undertaking," says Larson, who gestures to the 40-foot ceilings and is dwarfed by the large building.

"To be successful, you need to pay attention to detail," he says.

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