Bruce E. Arnesen

The animal world lost one of its best friends on Oct 13th 2011, when Bruce Arnesen, owner and operator of Paws Inn the Woods Boarding Kennel, joined his many friends at Rainbow Bridge. He designed every square inch of the kennel with love and concern for the pets. He wanted nothing more than to retire and focus his time and attention on the kennel and working with the rescues. He loved seeing their success stories. Bruce put in countless hours, after working a full day on his "real" job, training and playing with the rescue dogs. He would take them to their forever homes and introduce them to their new surroundings, he would drop everything if someone needed help with one of our dogs, he would make numerous vet visits, he went above and beyond for our rescue dogs.

Bruce and June spent years visiting other boarding facilities. They kept notes about what they liked and did not like. One thing they insisted on, the kennel be "all about the pet". For that reason we are open 7 days, including Holidays, so Pets and their Owners can get back together as soon as the Owners get home. Cramming as much outdoor Playtime in each day as they can, was another priority. This helps the mental and emotional well being of the pets. Bruce and June believed that dogs need to be outside, nature has a calming effect. Because of this, all our kennels have outside patios. This allows, in good weather, the dogs to be outside even when it is not their turn to go to the play yard.

Bruce will always be with us. He is in our hearts and minds. We cannot drive down that long driveway without looking to see him walking one of our rescues and smiling. He was always smiling. He still is. It is just those of us that are left that have to learn to smile again. We are getting there. With every pet we help, we know we are continuing what Bruce started. His smile and gentle laugh are everywhere. We will not let him down. Bruce is still the heart and soul of the kennel. He will be greatly missed by everyone, mostly by our furry friends.