Prior to having human children, Michelle would say that there were two things that tore at her heart strings, dogs and soldiers.

Michelle joined the North Dakota Army National Guard when she was seventeen and left the Bismarck area for military duties and pursuit of higher education. After two overseas deployments and multiple military schools, Michelle graduated from the University of North Dakota with her Juris Doctorate and moved back to Bismarck. Michelle’s significant other Richard had a beautiful boxer mix, Dempsey who stole Michelle’s heart. They later added a boxer named Goose to their family.

It was through Michelle’s military service that she met now business partner, Lila Teunissen. They were both involved with Team Red, White, and Blue and through conversations at events, quickly realized that they both loved animals. Through many conversations they realized there needed to be more options for dog boarding in the Bismarck area, and the idea of Bed n’ Biscuit Ranch commenced.

Michelle and Richard now have two human children, Isabelle and Sullivan. In her free time Michelle enjoys spending time outdoors or brainstorming ways to help support local animal rescues.

 Mike and Sarah Thomsen have been employed by the same companies for 30 years and have owned other businesses throughout the years. Their love for animals initiated a search to find a business working with dogs. Healthy Dog Center became available for purchase and like the previous owner, natural food selection and proper care of animals was important to Mike and Sarah. They were extremely excited to pair up with Mike's sister, Michelle Thomsen and her business partner, Lila Teunissen to purchase Healthy Dog Center.

From the early days of taking over, Mike and Sarah identified a significant demand for support in canine health, particularly in healing from injuries or surgery, weight management, arthritis, and hip dysplasia in Bismarck and the surrounding areas. Their personal experience with their black lab, Sam, who suffered from severe hip dysplasia, prompted Mike's extensive research into solutions that could alleviate Sam's pain and enhance his quality of life. This journey led to the decision to invest in an aqua treadmill from Hudson Aquatic Systems, making Healthy Dog Center the first and only facility in Bismarck with this innovative equipment. The treadmill quickly became Mike’s passion. Through working with dogs at Healthy Dog Center, Mike and Sarah’s desire to help dogs in our community grew. They now volunteer and help support local animal rescues on a regular basis.

With Michelle as a business partner, Mike and Sarah are excited for their ability to work with animals to grow even more! They look forward to continuing to give the quality of care that Bed N Biscuit Ranch clients have received since its inception in 2018.