How I Found a Fort Collins Fencing Contractor Who Understood My Dogs

When I moved to Fort Collins last year, I knew I wanted a fresh start. I had accepted a new position at a local nonprofit and was excited to leave behind the chaos of city living. I’d been in Denver for the last seven years, and while I loved the food, the culture, and the buzz of it all, I never quite felt like I had room to breathe. Fort Collins offered the slower pace I craved and a sense of community that had been missing.

I found a small but charming home on the west side of town. It had mature trees, a little sunroom, and a backyard with real promise. It also had a very old, very sad-looking fence. It leaned like it was tired of standing, boards missing at random intervals, and nails sticking out at angles that made me nervous just looking at them.

But the fence wasn’t just an eyesore—it was a problem. I moved in with my two rescue dogs, Lily and Beau, who are both full of energy and deeply committed to mischief. On our second day in the house, Beau discovered a gap under the back gate and slipped out. I found him 20 minutes later trotting down the sidewalk like he owned the neighborhood. That was all the convincing I needed. I wasn’t going to feel settled until I knew the dogs were safe.

That evening, I sat down with my laptop and started searching for fence installation in Fort Collins. At first, I didn’t know what I was even looking for—what made one contractor better than another? I started bookmarking websites, comparing photos, reading reviews, and making notes. Most of all, I wanted someone who was responsive and professional but also understood how important this was to me.

I ended up calling three companies. One never called back. One answered but gave me a quote over the phone without seeing the yard. The third—thankfully—was different. A woman named Sara answered the phone and immediately put me at ease. She asked if my dogs were escape artists. She asked how big they were, if they’d ever tried to dig, if they jumped. She actually wanted to understand the problem.

We set up a site visit for later that week. The contractor, Dan, showed up on time and shook my hand like he meant it. He walked the entire perimeter with me, pointing out spots where the fence wasn’t just loose but structurally compromised. He gave me two layout options and showed me a few styles that would provide both security and some privacy without making the yard feel boxed in. I appreciated that he didn’t push for the most expensive material or try to upsell fancy add-ons. He was honest, and he was clearly experienced.

I went with a cedar horizontal plank fence with galvanized steel posts for added strength. We also included a gravel trench under the gate to prevent digging, and a dual-latch locking mechanism to keep it secure. The quote came in slightly higher than I’d budgeted, but after talking it over with a friend who had also worked with Fort Collins fencing contractors, I felt confident I was making the right choice.

The crew showed up the following Monday and got right to work. Every day they arrived early, worked steadily, and cleaned up before they left. They were polite, professional, and even remembered my dogs’ names. They double-checked measurements, leveled every board with care, and even took time to rehang my garden hose and gate light that I had taken down before the build.

By the end of the first week, the old fence had been hauled away and the new one stood tall, straight, and beautiful. I hadn’t realized how exposed my yard had felt until the fence was up. Suddenly, I had privacy. I had boundaries. It felt like a real backyard for the first time.

Watching Lily and Beau run around without me panicking was worth every penny. I sat on the back steps one afternoon with a cup of coffee and just watched them wrestle and roll around in the grass. I wasn’t worried about traffic or strangers or wandering into neighbors’ yards. I could breathe again, and so could they.

A week after the install, Dan came back to walk the perimeter one more time. He checked the latches, made sure the gate swung freely, and asked if anything felt off. That kind of follow-through isn’t something you see every day. I thanked him probably three times before he left.

Since then, I’ve had two neighbors stop by to ask who did the work. I tell them it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made since moving here, and it is. The fence didn’t just improve my property, it gave me back a sense of ease. That’s not something you can put a price tag on.

Fort Collins has a lot to offer—trails, breweries, good people—but for me, the biggest relief has been finding people who care about their work. The kind of people who understand that when someone types “fence installation in Fort Collins” into a search bar, it’s not about wood or nails or square footage. It’s about trust. It’s about safety. It’s about home.

And thanks to one of the most reliable Fort Collins fencing contractors I could’ve hoped for, I finally feel like I’ve found mine.