A growing upscale dog boarding business is adding its fourth west metro location in just five years.
In March, Adogo Pet Hotels will open in Richfield near the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport after opening three businesses in Minnetonka and Maple Grove since 2011, the company announced Monday.
The new Adogo (pronounced a-DOG-oh) location will be near Hwy. 77 and 63rd Street E. in Richfield by a major retail center between Hwy. 62 and Interstate 494.
It's part of an expanding high-end dog boarding industry in the Twin Cities, especially the west metro, where pet spending and pet ownership is highest.
The industry has evolved from standard kennels with concrete floors and chain link kennels to several plush "boutique hotels" with everything from heated pools to blueberry dog facials.
This year, pet spending is expected to reach a record $62.7 billion, according to the American Pet Products Association.
John Sturgess, a former vice president of development at Carlson Hotels Worldwide, started Adogo after going on vacation and seeing that the dog boarding facility for his two golden retrievers was busy but not as nice as he expected.
Sturgess and his wife, Stacey, have opened three locations in Minnetonka and Maple Grove that boast 125-square-foot suites with flat-screen TVs, webcams for owners to check in on their pet and fountains for dogs to frolic in.
