Paws Inn provides pet boarding services for animals large and small

Rayna Thompson opened Paws Inn Pet Boarding in Lincoln on June 7.

"I used to babysit dogs around town here when I was in high school," said Thompson, who has worked in boarding kennels in Kalispell and Helena for over four years. When she returned to Lincoln, she decided to start her own.

In addition to overnight boarding, Thompson offers bathing for dogs, including nail trims, as well as variety of day care services for different types of pets.

The kennel includes a custom-built shed, with six chain-link separated rooms for dogs, as well as a swimming pool. Cats are boarded inside Thompson's house in a room with separate kennels.

While she has only boarded dogs so far at her kennel, Thompson said she's looking forward to having cats.

"I do accept small reptiles, or sometimes people like to board fish," said Thompson, adding that for day care services she can check in, do walks and water horses, among other services.

Thompson noted that the work she did at larger kennels has helped prepare her to care for animals in a variety of situations.

"It's helped me quite a bit, just learn about animals. All the medical stuff that you learn that you wouldn't really think about. If a medical problem comes up you have to learn how to deal with that, either get them to a vet or fix it yourself. I learned a lot working with diabetic dogs. I've been trained by a vet tech to do that," said Thompson.

Playing with the animals is one of the best parts of the job, said Thompson, adding that she also enjoys seeing the different types of breeds around town and which ones people prefer.

"It tends to be quite a bit of larger breeds here, lots of labs and shepherds and pitties. I haven't seen a lot of little guys. It's fun to see all the different personalities of dogs and to help clients around town. They know they're well taken care of and in a safe place," Thompson said.

Paws Inn Boarding is located west of Lincoln at 1644 Thompson Rd and can be reached by phone at 362-4010.