About Whisker City Boarding
Our Story
Whisker City’s origin story starts in the late 1970’s with the planning of a large animal veterinary practice. By 1980 the building was done and centered around livestock and some horses. The practice later expanded into a mixed animal practice. Since 1980, the practice has had several veterinarian owners, each putting their own personality into it.
In 2021, Humboldt Veterinary Medical Group was approached about buying the practice and the property. The original plan was to build a new, state-of-the-art animal medical facility to serve the entire Eel River Valley.
However, “The best laid plans of mice and men oft’ go awry.” Post COVID interest rate hikes and the increased cost of building materials meant that dream could not be seen through. After processing the disappointment and a few weeks of wracking our brains, Whisker City was born.
This building has cared for animals since 1980, it should continue to do so. With changes in standards made to modern animal medicine, the layout meant it could no longer serve as a hospital. Renovations to turn the building into Whisker City started in September of 2023.
The original building is so long and has a central corridor made of concrete that was reminiscent of “Main Street, Anywhere, USA.” We decided to create a themed city that will remind you of a Route 66 town. Each area was re-imagined as a storefront you would likely find on any main street, but with a dog/cat twist. Visit “Our Storefronts” page to learn more about all the places to Stay and Play in Whisker City.
When you walk through our city, you can still see the remnants of the original building. Anywhere you see cinderblock walls, those were the original livestock and equine walls. The areas where there is drywall are additions for small animals. We even took down some of the dry wall ceilings so that we could see the original barn trusses.
We had fun creating an entire city within a city with our canine and feline friends in mind. We can not wait to see your dog or cat around town.