About Us

For thirty-five years, our lives in the California tech world—from Palo Alto to San Francisco—were measured by the hum of the next big project. But if you looked at our real map of the world, it wasn't defined by office buildings. It was defined by our dogs.

Every home we have ever chosen was picked with them in mind first. We looked for the yards where they could run, the quiet streets near the best parks, and the houses that put us closest to the water. From our two 11-year-old Frenchies to our rescue Bulldog, Margo, our dogs have always been our North Star. We’ve celebrated the zoomies of new puppies and navigated the quiet, heartbreaking goodbyes to old friends like Jagger and Ruby.

Through it all, we realized we wanted a different kind of life—one where we could finally build the sanctuary we always searched for as dog parents but could never quite find.

In 2025, we made our biggest move yet. We traded the city noise for 14 quiet, wooded acres here in Fennville. We didn’t move here to open a "facility"; we moved here to open our home.

Colleen is the self-proclaimed "dog nerd" of the family. With a degree in behavioral psychology and years spent studying under legends like Jean Donaldson, Trish King, and Karen Pryor, she’s spent her life obsessed with how dogs actually think and feel. She’s the one making sure every "Aha!" moment during training is rooted in kindness and real connection. Elizabeth is the heart of the house—the one who makes sure every guest, whether they’re here for a week or a month, feels like they’re exactly where they belong.

When you pull up our drive, you aren’t dropping your dog off at a business. You’re bringing them to join our pack. We keep things small—only five guests at a time—because we want to know your dog’s favorite scratching spot and their specific "I need a nap" cues. We spend our mornings on "Sniffaris" in our private woods and our evenings doing bedtime tuck-ins alongside our own pups, Max and Georgie.

We built Saugapaws because we know exactly what it feels like to worry about your best friend while you’re away. We wanted to create the one place where you don’t have to.

We can't wait to meet you and your pup.

— Colleen & Elizabeth