Wanna Buy an 1890 Farmhouse with So Much Commercial Doggy Infrastructure?

Your 11.5-acre dream dog compound located just 40 minutes outside of the metro.

4:09 PM CST on November 20, 2023

Mill City Team/Keller Williams|

The author would like to relocate his family to this dog paradise.

At the risk of projecting, it is every millennial's dream to give up the rat race, buy some country acreage just outside of the Twin Cities, and start a Siberian husky rescue operation there while living inside an old brick farmhouse.

So you can imagine my delight upon discovering 413 Dempsey Ave. SW in Marysville Township.

Listed last week for $325,000, the three-bedroom, three-bathroom, 1,664-square-foot house from 1890 is eye-catching enough on its own. We're talkin' original brickwork, millwork, stained glass lighting, and hardwood floors as far as the eye can see. It's a fixer-upper, sure, but the bones look promising, plus it's located just 40 minutes from downtown Minneapolis. Then you get to the curious little lofted two-story barn next to the jumbo two-car garage. Then, venturing out farther onto the 11.5-acre lot, you get to the long structure that just so happens to be a sprawling commercial dog-holding facility with indoor and outdoor kennels.

Wait, what?!

"The owners were really big into showing dogs, and they used to breed English and French bulldogs on the property," says listing agent Amber Lange with Keller Williams Classic Realty Northwest. "A lot of folks in the community know this house, the family, and the history of their dogs. I've gotten quite a few calls from people who actually bought their dogs from here."

The house's foundation is in good shape considering its age, Lange reports, and some items like the boiler and electrical have been updated over the years. The toilets, as you'll see below, have not been updated—they're the old-timey two-piece ones you flush with a pull cord! The barn loft could be transformed into anything from a home office to a rec room, she adds.

"It's a really, really cool property in a beautiful setting," Lange says, noting that the adjacent 5.69-acre parcel is also available for purchase. "It needs some love for sure, but it's amazing and we're getting a ton of activity on it. There's so much possibility, like a potential dog rescue or hobby farm."

Let's take an arf-tastic photo tour of 413 Dempsey Ave., courtesy of Mill City Team and Keller Williams. Stick around until you get to the dog stuff!