Friday, April 16, 1999

Day care for dogs

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Puppy Camp gives pooches a place to stay while owners work

BY CINDY KRANZ
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Bandit, right, tussles with her friend, Blue, a golden retriever, at the Puppy Camp. (Michael Snyder photos) | ZOOM |

        Four days a week, Alisha Molloy takes her baby to day care, where the 9-month-old plays with friends and eats biscuits. Dog biscuits.

        Bandit, an Australian cattle dog, attends Puppy Camp, a dog day-care center that opened three weeks ago in Avondale. Puppy Camp parallels child day care — complete with cubbys for leashes, snacks and doggie time-out.

        Most clients are working couples with no children or singles who feel guilty about leaving their dogs home alone all day. Or just people who want to pamper their pets. Alisha and Mike Molloy fit that bill. The Anderson Township couple both work. He's a computer consultant; she's in sales for the Yellow Pages.

        “She's so little,” Ms. Molloy says of her dog. “It's not fair for her to be home all day by herself. When we get home from work, we're tired. We don't have enough time to give to her. She comes home and sleeps all the time. It just wears her out. I don't worry about her as much being home by herself.”

Susan Woodcock hands out a morning snack of dog biscuits. | ZOOM |

        Bandit arrives at 7:15 a.m. and eagerly stands on her hind legs, peering over the gate to Puppy Camp. “She's so excited!” Ms. Molloy says. “She loves it here.”

        Two couples own Puppy Camp. Jon and Susan Woodcock of Bridgetown and Jim and Cathy Turner of Oakley have other jobs, too, but they juggle them so Puppy Camp is staffed from 6:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Friday. There's no licensing agency for dog day care centers, but the owners believe they have the first one in the city. In recent years, dog care centers have been popping up around the country.

        Mrs. Woodcock, a part-time veterinary assistant at Covedale Animal Hospital, periodically did day care for five dogs in her home. She realized there was a demand for this service on a regular basis. Four people sent her a USA Today article about dog day care centers and asked if she would start one in this area.

Woodcock get a kiss from her beagle, Shamoo. | ZOOM |

        Dogs benefit from the socialization skills and exercise they get at the center, she says. “This is better than a doggy spa. Veterinarians recommend dogs get a mile walk every day. They get more than that here. They're bouncing off the walls. They're having fun. They're better behaved for mom and dad. They're not bored at home. A bored dog is a destructive dog.”

        Dog owners pay $12 to $15 a day. On this day, there are two to three caretakers for 22 dogs, including four belonging to the owners, at Puppy Camp. There are yellow, black and chocolate Labradors, a husky , cattle dogs, beagles and mixed breeds. To be admitted, all dogs must be spayed and neutered, have their shots and be on heart worm and flea prevention year-round.

Expansive playroom
        Puppy Camp occupies 14,000 square feet in a commercial building on Reading Road. The large playroom, about 12,000 square feet, is painted with shades of lavender, pink, yellow, green and blue. Brown paw prints are stenciled on walls and pillers.

        Dogs nap on the floor or one of nine used sofas. Five large colorful dog houses with pillows are another haven for naps.

        A garage door stays open so dogs can run outside on blacktop and do their duty in the fenced yard. On hot days, the dogs run through a sprinkler shaped like a fire hydrant.

        “They get a little wet,” Mrs. Woodcock says. “They get a little dirty, but they have a lot of fun. That's the important part.”

        Bandit wags her tale, excitedly searching for her best friends, two Golden Retriever pups named Kiara and Blue. She tussles with Kiara on a sofa while Mr. Turner throws tennis balls and a Frisbee to the other dogs.

        They join the rest of the dogs, who hyperactively chase balls and get a little too raucous. Mr. Woodcock claps his hands. “Enough. Enough. Rowdy down a little bit.” They seem to listen.

        “There's always a group dynamic,” Mr. Woodcock says. “It changes every day, depending on who's here. No matter what, the dogs will respect the biggest dog in the place.”

        So when he and Mr. Turner open every morning, they make sure the dogs know who's boss. “We're the biggest dogs in the place,” Mr. Woodcock says.

Compatibility test
        Dogs do a one-day trial to see if they're compatible with the group. Puppy Camp owners help new dogs overcome separation anxiety, although most dogs are too busy to suffer this malady. Skittish dogs get hugs and reassurance. Dog owners get reassurance, too. One dog's mom cried the first day she left him, fretting that he would be miserable and wouldn't make friends.

        “You hear owners say, "They didn't even say goodbye to me,' ” Mrs. Woodcock says. “They leap out of the cars. They know where they're going. They're so excited to get here and so excited to go home.”

        A black Labrador named Elwood is here on a trial basis. Elwood is smitten with Bandit, who wants nothing to do with the big brute. Elwood gets into Bandit's face a little too much.

        “Stop that, Elwood,” Mrs. Woodcock yells. “No.”

        She grabs his collar and crouches down to his level, looking him in the eye. “Calm down. Do you want to go into time-out? Are you done? Thank you. Behave.”

        Puppy Camp owners constantly circulate among dogs to keep the peace, especially when the canines are wound up. They watch out for the little dogs and the younger ones. If two dogs are scuffling, they redirect them into playing with someone else.

        “You can tell by the sound whether you've got dogs playing or dogs fighting,” Mr. Woodcock says.

        He spots an accident on the blacktop outside. “This is our fact of life. We don't do diapers, but we do a lot of pooper scoopers.”

        The dreaded doggie time-out is a space behind two blue gates. “I put them in a kennel if I'm making a point,” Mrs. Woodcock says. “Or, if they just need to calm down and haven't done anything bad, I just let them run in here.”

        Shortly after 9 a.m., Elwood is in Bandit's face again. “He's like a pushy boyfriend,” Mrs. Woodcock says. “Elwood wants to play with Bandit so bad. He'd be a stalker if he were human.”

        Perhaps unnerved by Elwood's advances, Bandit wets the floor. “Oh, Bandiiit,” Mr. Turner says, grabbing Lysol and a roll of paper towels. “This is the glamorous part of the job.”

        Minutes later, Elwood is back bothering Bandit and lands in time-out for 15 minutes.

        “The whole point is to separate them for awhile to give Bandit a break,” Mrs. Woodcock says. “When he comes out, he should be a totally different dog. He needs to be in there for awhile until he's unhappy about being there.”

        The dogs have to eat their meals at home, but they take snack breaks around 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., when they're given dog biscuts (Iams).

        The morning is spent at warp speed, with dogs chasing each other continously. Like children, the dogs ultimately get cranky and irritable. They need naps, but they don't give into them until early afternoon. Sometimes, Mrs. Woodcock helps them wind down by pulling a futon in front of the console TV, an old junker from their home. Dogs sit and actually watch it or nap around her. She hopes to get a VCR so dogs can watch Lassie reruns or other dog videos. Right now, they don't have a favorite TV show. “They hate Jerry Springer,” Mr. Turner joked.

        About 1 p.m., Bandit winds down and naps on a sofa with Blue, while Kiara gets groomed, another service Puppy Camp offers. After their naps or quiet time, all the dogs are more docile. They play quietly, wrestling with each other. They get into less trouble. Even Elwood is more mellow and less troublesome to Bandit since he landed in time-out. He passed his trial day after a shaky start.

        Owners pick up their pets starting in the late afternoon. They all want to know how their dog did that day and eagerly listen to verbal report cards.

        “There's my baby!” Ms. Molloy says as she spots Bandit about 5 p.m. The dog leaps up to peer at her over the gate. Once outside the gate, Bandit licks Ms. Molloy's face and yawns. She's ready to call it a day.

        “People think we're crazy for bringing her here, but she's all we have,” Ms. Molloy says. “We take care of her. She's our baby.”

        But is Bandit better off at home or day care? Will she grow up confused by too many caregivers? Do working parents care more about their jobs than their dogs?

        Let the studies begin.

IF YOU GO
        • What: Puppy Camp

        • When: 6:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Friday.

        • Where: 3330 Reading Road, Avondale • Cost: $12 per visit for three or more prescheduled visits per week; $15 per visit for one or two visits per week.

        • Information: 221-7877.

       

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