Homestead Nottawa: An immersive country retreat for dogs
Maureen McFarlane, of The Homestead Nottawa, has found her happy place and has created one for dog- lovers in our community.
Homestead Nottawa is a playground for pups of all ages, offering multiple tail-wagging walks a day, cozy lodgings for loungers, and playful games for the whole pack. Whether your dog needs a half-day run, a full- day retreat or a week of “forest camp” while you travel, McFarlane and her team have you covered as a home- away-from-home for your dog.
“I wanted to create a place where I would want to keep my dog while I was away; a unique and differentiated experience from traditional kennels where my dog could be mostly outside all day, actively and safely playing with other dogs,” said McFarlane.
Homestead has been built over several years on a 40-acre property near Nottawa. With a goal of creating community and connection for dogs and their owners, the location boasts multiple trails, fenced in playgrounds, a sleeping cottage or individual suites, on-site grooming services and even a swimming hole for the water dogs. The idea came to her in 2019 after a meaningful career as a special education teacher.
“I found that taking care of dogs was actually amazingly similar to my special ed work and training; reading different and unique personalities, understanding individual needs and learning styles, calming the nervous, stimulating the shy, and helping all those in my care make friends, was how I built my career,” said McFarlane.
Her timing couldn’t have been better. Leaving teaching permanently and starting dog care for friends and family, in hindsight, was the perfect decision with the pandemic just around the corner.
“While I never used a dog service myself, I researched other services as I didn’t have anything to compare it to,” she said. “When the pandemic hit and so many people acquired dogs, I knew it was going to be big.”
McFarlane grew up in Northern Ontario and was raised to be outside in woods, camping and enjoying all that nature as to offer. An owner of Golden Retrievers, she discovered that she had a knack for training, no doubt due to her passion for teaching. When her second retriever, Jasper, came along, he put her to the test as he was a more challenging dog; equipped with her training and enrolling in multiple dog obedience courses, she got to work and learned. (Jasper went on to win several obedience titles!).
Shifting her career didn’t happen overnight. McFarlane and her family started small, taking in five dogs, mostly from within her existing network. As the property evolved and her confidence grew, she was able to take on more dogs, all the while being very careful to bring in “clients” that would fit into the trusted partnership she felt was core to what Homestead offers.
In June 2023 she placed her first ad on Facebook Marketplace and her phone went crazy. As such, McFarlane does meet-and-greets with every family to make sure people and dogs are a good fit for what she offers.
She said, “We aim to set the standard for superior care, create a warm, safe, fun and welcoming environment, foster a sense of security with pets and parents and lead with love for dogs of all sizes and all needs.”
For more information, you can email the team at reception@ thehomesteadnottawa.com, check out www.thehomesteadnottawa.com or follow @thehomesteadnottawa.
Janet Logan is a Creemore resident with a background in business development and entrepreneurship.
