Our Story

At Diamond In The Ruff Kennels our goal is to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for every dog that we have the pleasure of hosting. We are a small, personal, family run kennel that aims to provide an exceptional training or boarding experience every time.

The love for dogs began at a young age for Sean. In his early 20’s he started developing his passion for dogs by working with and training his own dogs for bird hunting. He then discovered the world of sled dog racing, and that was the beginning of his journey to become a professional sled dog racer. Sean was running his taping and painting company at the time, which kept him busy during the day, but he took time to care for, train and develop his dogs during the evenings and weekends. His racing kennel grew, he was always training up the next great sled dog team and did very well in many of the events. 

Sean seemed to have a natural gift for interacting with dogs, learning how to relate to them and recognizing different personality traits. That gift, along with his many years experience with his dogs led to the knowledge and methods he now uses in his training. 

Some life changes led to the end of Sean’s racing career, and at the same time he was looking for a new way to spend more time on his true passion. At this time he met and married Eve, and together they made the decision to open a boarding and training facility in 2009. Eve grew up in Winkler and has worked in the Winkler/Morden area as a hair stylist for many years. She came into the picture with no experience with dogs, but entered into this new venture with Sean and his 3 children, learning along the way. As the kennel grew, Eve shifted to part time work at the hair salon and became more involved in the business at home. The kids were involved as well, working in the kennel after school and on weekends, cleaning, doing chores and spending time with the dogs.

This is how it all started. And, now, 14+ years later the kids have grown up, we have 4 wonderful grandchildren and we’re busier than ever. We have added 2 staff members to our team who have a true love for dogs and are a huge asset to our business. We still pride ourselves on being a kennel team that gives the personal touch to every dog that stays with us for training or boarding. There is always someone to give that extra bit of love and attention.

If you are looking for excellence in training, unparalleled care for your dog and an overall great experience come and see us, we’d love to meet you!