Pooch Paradise
The Insider Pets
Pooch Paradise Dog Daze Playcare opens as Columbia’s newest canine retreat. By Mattie Schuler Photo Courtesy Of Dog Daze Playcare
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new day care is opening up in Columbia, and it isn’t for your kids. Instead, it’s for your furry, scruffy, drooly friends with four legs and plenty of energy. Dog Daze Playcare is a doggie day care that focuses on canine socialization and giving dogs the best care they need during the day. “I like learning and dealing with behavior issues,” says owner Becky Hanson, noting that she chose to open a day care rather than a boarding kennel. (Traditional kennels don’t usually offer play and socialization; they’re simply safe places to leave animals). “I’m more interested in the interactions between dogs, and between humans and dogs.” Hanson grew up with dogs but became interested in training — interacting with them — while attending Colorado State University. Hanson has shown, trained and groomed all sorts of canines, but she’s most captivated by herding dogs such as collies, German and Australian shepherds and Belgian sheepdogs. She’s worked as a sheepdog trainer and is currently a herding judge for the American Kennel Club. Hanson, who previously owned a dog day care in Fort Collins, Colo., moved to Columbia five years ago. She offered private herding lessons here, and says she came to realize “that Columbia needed another dog day care and I >> book a play date I could fill that need.” In April, she Dog Daze Playcare opened Dog Daze. 573-817-2272 Located in the Columbia www.dogdazeplaycare.com Canine Sports Center, Dog Daze Playcare offers drop-off fun for pets from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. During the day, up to 50 pooches can socialize with other dogs, spend time outside, play with toys and have plenty of bathroom breaks. Kristy Sulgrove has seen quite a change in her 2-year-old border collie since she started taking him to Dog Daze Playcare. “It builds his confidence and independence up without me, which I think is so good for dogs because they tend to get protective of their owners,” Sulgrove says. “And I get the time to run errands without worrying if I’ve given him enough stimulation for the day.” The dogs have 4,500 square feet of cage-free, rubber-matted space inside to roam around, as well as more than 3,000 square feet of outdoor fenced-in space. Small dogs or puppies have a separate play area so the little ones don’t get trampled; a quiet area accommodates older dogs. “We can make separate rooms for
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different styles — a small dog room, a big dog room, a crazy dog room, whatever we need,” Hanson says. Amy Pike, a veterinarian who specializes in veterinary behavior consultations, says a day care can give pooches the necessary daily exercise that busy owners can’t always supply. “Doggie day care can definitely provide a dog that would have a limited environment at home — with the owners gone or busy all day — with an outlet for energy and exercise,” Pike says. She warns though, that day care isn’t for all dogs, especially aggressive dogs. “A good day care will have a skilled evaluator who can effectively read dog body language in order to determine if the dog will be an appropriate candidate for such an environment,” Pike says. Dog Daze requires each animal to pass a behavior assessment — the first time dogs check out the day care, they are introduced to one or two dogs at a time. “We try not to overload them with the whole pack,” Hanson says. “We make sure that they are able to be social. They have to be safe in the pack and not be aggressive, and they have to be safe around us so that the staff can handle them. We observe how they greet each new dog and what they are comfortable with.” Dog Daze accepts puppies as young as 8 weeks; all dogs must have updated vaccines, year-round tick and flea protection and pass an initial behavior assessment. Reservations are required. “It’s about getting to enjoy being a pack animal, which dogs a lot of time don’t get to experience if they are a single-dog family or if they are always on a leash,” Hanson says. By the end of the day, the pups are tired out. “They follow their natural rhythm,” Hanson explains. “In the morning they run, play with every toy, wrestle with every dog; they go in and out, and then they lay down and sleep. Then they get up and somebody starts with the ball again, and it starts all over.” n
Also check out South Paw Acres at www.southpawacres.com, or call 573-446-2733. July 2012 INSIDE COLUMBIA
Pooch Paradise Dog Daze Playcare opens as Columbia’s newest canine retreat. By Mattie Schuler Photo Courtesy Of Dog Daze Playcare
A
new day care is opening up in Columbia, and it isn’t for your kids. Instead, it’s for your furry, scruffy, drooly friends with four legs and plenty of energy. Dog Daze Playcare is a doggie day care that focuses on canine socialization and giving dogs the best care they need during the day. “I like learning and dealing with behavior issues,” says owner Becky Hanson, noting that she chose to open a day care rather than a boarding kennel. (Traditional kennels don’t usually offer play and socialization; they’re simply safe places to leave animals). “I’m more interested in the interactions between dogs, and between humans and dogs.” Hanson grew up with dogs but became interested in training — interacting with them — while attending Colorado State University. Hanson has shown, trained and groomed all sorts of canines, but she’s most captivated by herding dogs such as collies, German and Australian shepherds and Belgian sheepdogs. She’s worked as a sheepdog trainer and is currently a herding judge for the American Kennel Club. Hanson, who previously owned a dog day care in Fort Collins, Colo., moved to Columbia five years ago. She offered private herding lessons here, and says she came to realize “that Columbia needed another dog day care and I >> book a play date I could fill that need.” In April, she Dog Daze Playcare opened Dog Daze. 573-817-2272 Located in the Columbia www.dogdazeplaycare.com Canine Sports Center, Dog Daze Playcare offers drop-off fun for pets from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. During the day, up to 50 pooches can socialize with other dogs, spend time outside, play with toys and have plenty of bathroom breaks. Kristy Sulgrove has seen quite a change in her 2-year-old border collie since she started taking him to Dog Daze Playcare. “It builds his confidence and independence up without me, which I think is so good for dogs because they tend to get protective of their owners,” Sulgrove says. “And I get the time to run errands without worrying if I’ve given him enough stimulation for the day.” The dogs have 4,500 square feet of cage-free, rubber-matted space inside to roam around, as well as more than 3,000 square feet of outdoor fenced-in space. Small dogs or puppies have a separate play area so the little ones don’t get trampled; a quiet area accommodates older dogs. “We can make separate rooms for
> 46
different styles — a small dog room, a big dog room, a crazy dog room, whatever we need,” Hanson says. Amy Pike, a veterinarian who specializes in veterinary behavior consultations, says a day care can give pooches the necessary daily exercise that busy owners can’t always supply. “Doggie day care can definitely provide a dog that would have a limited environment at home — with the owners gone or busy all day — with an outlet for energy and exercise,” Pike says. She warns though, that day care isn’t for all dogs, especially aggressive dogs. “A good day care will have a skilled evaluator who can effectively read dog body language in order to determine if the dog will be an appropriate candidate for such an environment,” Pike says. Dog Daze requires each animal to pass a behavior assessment — the first time dogs check out the day care, they are introduced to one or two dogs at a time. “We try not to overload them with the whole pack,” Hanson says. “We make sure that they are able to be social. They have to be safe in the pack and not be aggressive, and they have to be safe around us so that the staff can handle them. We observe how they greet each new dog and what they are comfortable with.” Dog Daze accepts puppies as young as 8 weeks; all dogs must have updated vaccines, year-round tick and flea protection and pass an initial behavior assessment. Reservations are required. “It’s about getting to enjoy being a pack animal, which dogs a lot of time don’t get to experience if they are a single-dog family or if they are always on a leash,” Hanson says. By the end of the day, the pups are tired out. “They follow their natural rhythm,” Hanson explains. “In the morning they run, play with every toy, wrestle with every dog; they go in and out, and then they lay down and sleep. Then they get up and somebody starts with the ball again, and it starts all over.” n
Also check out South Paw Acres at www.southpawacres.com, or call 573-446-2733. July 2012 INSIDE COLUMBIA
