Star Barks Inn in Braselton plans to give dogs a getaway worth wagging about. 

Michael and Jana Kane invested $2 million into a 12,500-square-foot facility, which will provide day care, boarding and grooming for dogs. 

They broke ground on the 1.5-acre plot of land on Tuesday, June 25. Michael Kane said he aims to open Star Barks Inn in the winter of 2020. The project’s team includes J4 Construction, Day Design Group and Trinity Engineering. 

The Kanes will hire a staff of around 40 groomers and kennel managers. 

Michael said he owes the inspiration behind Star Barks Inn to his dog, Patsy. He adopted Patsy after suffering from a brain injury in 2011.

“I popped a hole in my spinal column, so whenever I stood up, my brain would settle because there was no fluid there,” Michael Kane said. “I couldn’t see, I couldn’t talk, I couldn’t do anything.”

Through his months of recovery, Patsy remained by his side. Today, Michael Kane said he is nearly healed. 

“Patsy taught me how much you can love a dog and how much they can inspire you,” Michael Kane said. “She got me through a pretty tough time.”

Michael and Jana Kane moved from downtown Atlanta to Hoschton, and soon afterward noticed a lack of dog day care facilities in the Hall and Jackson County area. 

“The places near here, most of them are boarding and they let the dogs out two or three times a day,” Jana Kane said. “They have chain-link kennels, and it’s just not the environment that was right for Patsy.”

Starting a large project, such as Star Barks Inn, isn’t their first rodeo. While living in Atlanta, Michael Kane said they owned a couple of hundred units of apartment rentals. They also built a couple of small shopping centers in California. 

“This is more intricate that what we’ve done in the past,” Michael Kane said. “We’re having to do everything with this, from the kennels and luxury suites, to the grooming and AstroTurf.” 

The facility will reflect Googie architecture, a type of futuristic style which was popular during the late 1940s and mid-1960s. Michael Kane said he grew up in Los Angeles, where he fell in love with this type of design. 

Star Barks Inn will contain 80 kennels and 15 luxury suites. The size of the luxury suites will be slightly larger than the kennels and include TVs for dogs’ enjoyment. Five of these suites give access to one of the facility’s indoor play areas. 

While Star Barks Inn does provide dog grooming and boarding, Michael Kane said its main focus will be day care for people to drop their dogs off before work and pick them up by the end of the day. 

“Day care is important for having your dog be socialized with not only other dogs, but other people,” Michael Kane said. “Burning off that excess energy is really key.”

Dogs can also stay overnight and receive day care services. Michael Kane said the facility is “all about big open areas with hours of socializing.” 

Star Barks Inn will have 5,000 square feet of outdoor space for the dogs to play, and four other spaces inside for the same purpose. 

Michael Kane said every dog that comes into the facility will be treated the same way he cares for Patsy. 

“Your dog is going to become a part of my family, the same way that Patsy is a part of my family,” he said. “That’s what we really want to convey. You’re not just dropping your dog off at a kennel, you’re dropping them off at, what I would consider, my home.”

Star Barks Inn will be located at 2311 Sparta Way in Braselton.

For more information and updates on the construction of the business, visit Star Barks Inn’s Facebook page or email kane@starbarksinn.com.