Dog boarding business rooted in Amish country values

December 8, 2025

ARPIN – In the tiny Village of Arpin – population 300 – situated between Marshfield to the northwest and Wisconsin Rapids to the southeast, sits Oak Road Farms Pet Spa & Boarding.

Owner Shaylyn Matthews said Oak Road Farms – a pet-sitting, boarding and training facility located at 7151 Oak Road – is nestled on 63 acres in Amish country.

“The only reason I even have Oak Road Farms Pet Spa & Boarding is because we bought an Amish farm here,” she said. “Arpin was mainly Amish for a long time, and in 2019, right before the COVID-19 pandemic, we ended up buying this place and putting in electrical, heating and plumbing.”

Matthews said because the property was once an old dairy farm, it came with several outbuildings.

Owning her own small breeding business at the time, Matthews said the move allowed her to expand into boarding and training.

“I probably wouldn’t have done that [otherwise], but it had so many buildings, I [said], ‘Wow, we might as well do something fun with these,’” she said. “It’s really peaceful here – a great area with a lot of farmers.”

Matthews said the way she and her husband found the property is a story in itself.

“We lived in Wisconsin Rapids, but one day, I was driving to the area to meet with a friend,” she said. “I had never been on Oak Road, but when I came home, I told my husband I could live on Oak Road – it’s so beautiful. I happened to drive out another day, and there was this little house [and] farm for sale.”

From there, with no real intentions of moving at the time, Matthews said they looked at the property.

“It’s been a big undertaking, but it’s been worth it,” she said. “All our fruits, hay and everything we get off the farm. A lot of it was already here, but we’ve planted a lot.”

Because the previous Amish owners never used chemicals on the property, Matthews said the land remains “very organic.”

“I also feel it’s a safe place for pets, too,” she said.

Features of the property

Matthews said the property includes a pond they make full use of when boarding dogs, along with plenty of land for canines to roam.

“We take them swimming, and we can walk them on local roads because they are safe,” she said. “It’s a small area, and it’s been a huge blessing in our lives.”

Before starting Oak Road Farms Pet Spa & Boarding, Matthews said her small business focused on breeding Great Pyrenees a few times each year.

“I really enjoyed that, so when we first moved to the farm, the building was used solely for breeding dogs,” she said. “We put in in-floor heating, because I wanted to pamper my mama dogs. They have their own little rooms to have their babies in.”

Since Matthews only bred the dogs a few times a year, she said most of the time, much of the space remained unused.

“I prayed about it for a while, and I felt like the Lord was nudging me to open up for boarding,” she said. “That took off, and then we added training. I have trainers come in, and that took off, too.”

Matthews said it has been about a year since they first opened for limited boarding.

“Right now, we only have three indoor/outdoor kennels,” she said. “A lot of people bring two dogs at a time, and they can stay together, so the number of dogs I can have varies from three to six.”

Because the facility is thriving, Matthews said they are renovating the remaining half of the building to expand the business’s services.

“We currently only use half of the building, so we’re remodeling the whole other side to accommodate more clients,” she said. “Basically, it was a big, ugly machine shed. We poured concrete, did drywall and redid the trusses. Basically, it’s like we started from scratch.”

Once the remodel is completed – “hopefully sometime soon” – Matthews said it will accommodate 11 more dogs and have a cat apartment.

“If you have birds, hamsters, etc., we will also have a room where you can bring those pets,” she said. “They’ll be safe and away from the other animals. I currently have a wait list, so once the remodel is done, I will incorporate doggy daycare. I have a lot of people who want a doggy daycare where they drop off and pick up on the same day.”

Though she was hoping to have the remodel completed by the end of October, Matthews said that didn’t happen.

“My business model is to do things as much as possible debt-free without taking on loans,” she said. “We’re close [to being completed], but with all the holiday stuff coming up, I’m thinking for sure by the new year. Even though there is a lot of concrete – because dogs tend to be hard on things – I like things to be homey and fun for the dogs.”

Matthews said despite Arpin’s rural setting and small population, there is a strong need for a facility like Oak Road Farms Pet Spa & Boarding.

It’s not uncommon, she said, for clients to come from an hour away.

“I get clients from Marshfield, Wisconsin Rapids, Amherst and some from Wausau,” she said.

Matthews said people love their pets, and Oak Road Farms Pet Spa & Boarding loves them right back. 

“When they’re here, we pamper them and treat them very well,” she said. “All of the dogs are such good listeners, and we don’t have to worry about them running after something. We have a little farm here, so we have chickens walking around. The dogs love to walk and check that stuff out.”

Matthews said clients appreciate that their dogs are not confined to a kennel all day.

“When it’s downtime or quiet time, we have a TV going with interactive videos they can watch of birds and squirrels,” she said. “We always give them busy things – brain games, beef hides, etc.”

Matthews said she doesn’t charge extra for the “extra stuff.”

“A lot of places will charge extra, but I think to myself, ‘how would I want my dog to be treated if I had to leave him or her somewhere when I went on vacation or had a family emergency?’” she said. “It’s important for us to have a lot of one-on-one time with them, get them fresh air and mentally stimulate them.”

Training, too

Matthews said she brings in a couple of certified dog trainers through the BAXTER & Bella training program, offering training sessions that last 10-20 days.

“Generally, with puppies six months and under, it’s a 10-day board and train,” she said. “They stay here, and we work with them about eight hours a day. That’s really fun, especially if you get a nine-week-old puppy that is willing to learn. We call that our Super Pup Academy.”

Matthews said Oak Road Farms Pet Spa & Boarding also offers an academy for older dogs, focusing on a range of skills or behaviors that the owner would like the staff to work on.

“Generally, the dogs know how to sit and shake at that point, but maybe they pull hard on a leash or don’t go into a car well,” she said. “We can leash train them or treat-train them to get in a car.”

Matthews said Oak Road Farms also offers in-home stays for clients within a reasonable distance.

“I have a lot of dogs and animals anyway, so when I leave, someone has to come stay at my house,” she said. “My dogs have never been kenneled – I like someone to stay at the house when I’m gone.”

Matthews said the service is especially helpful for older dogs, who can feel uneasy being confined to a kennel.

“We have home sitters who will come and stay at your home,” she said. “Maybe it’s a dog that won’t get along well with other dogs, or they are reactive and can’t stay at the kennels.”

Vacation?

Matthews said though it isn’t always easy, she can still take time away from the daily operations at Oak Road Farms thanks to her dedicated employees.

“My daughters are also really into dogs and have all worked with me in one capacity or another,” she said. “This is a family-owned operation, so it’s set up so my kids can run it with me. We all have a passion for dogs.”

For more on Oak Road Farms Pet Spa & Boarding, visit its Facebook page.