Lucky Dog owner hands over the keys to Marshmallow Animal Shelter and Boarding Facility – Detroit Lakes Tribune

DETROIT LAKES

— The Lucky Dog Boarding and Training Center is no more.

“The name is being retired with me,” says Lucky Dog's former owner, Linda Wiedewitsch, who started the local business 19 years ago.

Earlier this summer, Wiedewitsch decided to close her boarding and training business and put the building up for sale. At least part of Lucky Dog's purpose will continue, however: Its pet boarding and day care services will continue on as part of the

Marshmallow Animal Shelter,

which is in the process of

completing the purchase of the property

at 1478 Mallard St. in Detroit Lakes that has been its home for 16 years.

“I'm turning over the keys today,” said Wiedewitsch on Wednesday, July 31, which was Lucky Dog's last official day of business. “Cassi Ohman (Marshmallow's shelter manager) will be taking over.”

Earlier this summer, Marshmallow's board of directors

embarked on a $750,000 capital campaign

to fund the purchase and renovation of the building. As part of that campaign, they needed to raise a $100,000 down payment on the property by July 23 — which they did.

For most of its existence, the nonprofit, no-kill animal shelter shared the facility with Lucky Dog and another local nonprofit that Wiedewitsch helped to establish,

Patriot Assistance Dogs

— until last summer, when

PAD secured a new home

on Highway 59.

Wiedewitsch said she will be continuing to volunteer with the PAD program. For the time being, the dogs trained by PAD will continue to be housed at Marshmallow. “We have a contract to board the PAD dogs here for at least the next two years,” she said.

During that time, PAD will be in the process of raising the funds to build kennels for its dogs at the new site, though their training will continue to be done at different locations around the community. “People will still be seeing our PAD dogs out and about,” Wiedewitsch said.

She added that her decision to step back from Lucky Dog is actually her second retirement: Wiedewitsch

served as a law enforcement officer for 31 years

, retiring from that job in 2006.

“That's 50 years (between the two careers),” she said, adding that she just felt now was a good time to let go of the reins.

“I'll miss working with individual clients, helping them with their dogs,” Wiedewitsch said. “I like problem-solving, and I've enjoyed training dogs.”

While she will continue doing that at Lucky Dog, it will be on a volunteer basis, rather than as her full-time career.

“Maybe now we (Linda and her husband, Archie Wiedewitsch) can do some traveling, or go on a hunting trip,” she added. They will also have more time to spend with family, which includes two daughters, Jessi and Laura, along with four grandchildren.