By Sara Gilbert Frederick
Every morning at 5 a.m., Roger and Pam Barnlund go to work. They step out the front door of their rural Mankato home and walk about 100 feet to the red barn that houses the business they’ve been running for 14 years: Heartlund Kennels.
Mid-week, there might be 25 or more dogs waiting for that first morning walk; on weekends, especially during the summer, they are likely to be maxed out with 45 dogs. Each one gets walked at least three times a day; frisky young puppies and aging dogs usually get even more. Pam and Roger split up the walking responsibilities, each taking a few dogs at a time in a different direction. Some days, they log up to nine miles each.
When they started the business, both of them worked full-time jobs elsewhere. Although Pam quickly quit hers to work at the kennel full-time, Roger “retired” just five years ago. Now they both spend nine or 10 hours in the kennel every day of the week. And they are available as needed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
They admit it isn’t exactly what they expected it would be when they first started. It’s gotten bigger than they imagined, but they don’t mind. “We can’t get any larger,” Roger Barnlund says. “But we take good care of the animals,” Pam adds. “And we love it.”
MN VALLEY BUSINESS: You two have spent almost every day of the past five years working together at the kennel. How has that been?
Pam Barnlund: It’s been great.
Roger Barnlund: It has been really good. We joke around with each other a lot. And our customers are our friends. They make it fun too.
MVB: How is the rest of your family involved?
RB: Our daughter Hannah is with us quite a bit — every weekend, and many times in the morning and evening as well. She’s 16 years old and she’s fabulous; she’s such a hard worker. The three of us spend a lot of time together here.
PB: We get the whole family involved. One of our sons-in-law did our Web site and handles all of our computer updates. Another son-in-law is an electrician — he runs his own business — and he has helped us with our electricity. We get everyone involved. It’s bigger than just us.
MVB: Have the two of your established roles that you each take on in the business.
RB: It’s evolved over time. At first, we both just did everything. Then we figured out that walking the bigger dogs was harder, and so I’ve taken that over. Pam has a good memory for what the dogs eat and the medications they take, so she takes care of all of that. But we’re flexible enough that we can both do anything that needs to be done.
MVB: Do you enjoy being able to spend so much time together, even if you are working?
PB: It is nice to be together.
RB: I wouldn’t know what to do if you weren’t around.
MVB: Are you able to find time for yourselves, apart from working at the kennel?
RB: Typically, we do things separately. I go on hunting trips, and Pam went to New York City with Hannah.
PB: We went to a wedding together. That was four years ago. That was the last time we took a vacation together. But last fall, a customer came to take care of the kennel overnight so we could spend the night in Red Wing together.
MVB: How about making time for the rest of your family, especially with a daughter still in high school?
PB: I used to do a lot of running around with Hannah, but she has her driver’s license now. That makes a huge difference, but I do miss the time in the car with her because we were able to talk so much. But still, when she’s out working with us, that’s good time. She’ll tell me about her friends, talk about what they’ve been up to.
RB: And I think that working with her has been a good thing. We really have been able to in-still good working habits in her.
MVB: I would imagine that the dogs you take care of become a little like family too.
RB: Oh, they are. We have some customers who we’re now taking care of a third generation of their dogs.
PB: Some of our customers tell us that every time they turn on the gravel road leading to the kennel, the dogs get crazy. They can’t wait. They’re wagging their tails and eager to get out. That makes us happy, because then we know they’re happy here.
