Doggy Day Camp: Trend Or Here To Stay?
There’s a growing trend among dog owners in the US, doggy day camp. More and more pet owners are putting Fluffy or Fido in day camp to keep them from being lonely during the day when no one is around. Only five years ago you would have been hard pressed to find one of these camps, now it’ turning into a booming industry.
“It’s a recent phenomenon, and it’s grown so quickly that we’re just beginning to track it,” said Joe Lyman, chief executive officer of Pet Care Services Association, formerly known as the American Boarding Kennel Association in Colorado Springs, Colo. The recent name change came about because even the term “kennel” has gone out of fashion. More pet owners seek lodging that comes with more amenities.
Going to camp doesn’t come cheap, with an average price of $25 a day or $40 for an overnight stay. Statistics show more people are putting off having children which may lead to an increased amount of spending on their dogs. Or, are more people treating their dogs like children?
Amy Popp, 31, lives in Warren but works in Novi as a marketing expert, and she worries that her four-legged children will be bored or lonely without her. She admits the camps might sound overly indulgent. She also uses a webcam the camp provides to keep an eye on her dogs during the day, when she is at her desk.
“Before I got my first dog, I would have said, ‘Are you kidding me?’ ” she said. But in the three years she has been using Camp Bow Wow, first in Troy and now in Commerce, “I have never second-guessed my decision. They will be coming here as long as they are able.”
Perhaps the reason behind the trend is simply that people love their dogs and consider them part of the family. I know that’s how Lisa and I feel about Bo, Copper, and Logan.
Outside Detroit, MI in the Commerce Township camp Bow Wow opened in late July and is the second facility for owners Ann and Bob Roth; they also operate Camp Bow Wow in Troy, where as many as 40 or 50 dogs come to play each day.
“We have a lot of dual-income families, with people working longer hours in this economy,” said Ann Roth, as 15-year-old Nick, a long-haired dachshund, followed her about the main office. He is a “special needs” dog because of his age so he’s been given the run of the office. “People love their dogs, and they see them as part of the family and want to treat them that way.”
What do you think of doggy day camp, is it a trend or here to stay? If you’ve sent your dog to camp we’d love to hear about your experience. Give me a bark back.
I occasionally send 2 of my 3 dogs to Camp Bow Wow (the 3rd isn’t doggy friendly). I like the opportunity to send them but with my crowd of furbabies it has limited appeal for them.
I think the play areas are too small, especially the outdoors. It would be a great thing for dogs who don’t get to socialize with other dogs as much as mine.
Its definately here to stay! My dog attends daycamp once or twice a week. This gives him the socialization he craves and the excersize he needs. I usually take him tuesday and thursday to break up the week for him and Wed and Friday he is too tired to even care that he is home alone. Plus it gives me a break from worrying about him while I am at work.
I took Bella to Lucky Dog Daycare for awhile. It really helped her with her doggy issues. They were well supervised and after her intial growlyness she would play well with the others. Since it was on the opposite side of town from where I worked, I had to stop taking her. But if there was the opportunity to take her to another one closer, I would do it.
Doggie daycare has been a great experience for my dog and for me. I am lucky enough to have a private doggie daycare provider who accepts only a limited number of dogs and thus the problem of out-of-control dogs is not an issue for us. The caregivers never change and they are qualified and very nice. My dog loves it when I say “daycare” in the morning and I would take her every day if it were economically possible!
I take Coco to Wag-A-Lot at least once a week. Since I work from home 3 days during the week, I like to take her to doggie daycare at least one of the days I go into the office. The daycare isn’t far from my office, so I swing by there and drop her off before I head in. It’s really good for her because of her shy issues. I truly believe, with consistency, it will help her in so many ways. I believe doggie daycare is here to stay. I watch owners as they drop off their dogchild or dogchildren and it doesn’t look like they’re itchin’ for daycares to go away.
As a matter of fact, there’s a building close to my home that would be perfect for a doggie daycare/boarding/grooming facility. It’s in a perfect location and there aren’t any others in the area. I believe it would do very well. Whenever I pass it, I always say to myself, man, I wish I knew someone who would be willing to invest in doggie daycare/boarding/grooming, because this is a perfect place and it’s big business.
I have been going to Doggy Day Care since I was a puppy. Mom and Dad were never comfortable leaving me home alone and it makes their workday much less stressful knowing that I am not alone. Mom also wants me to be used to being around other dogs and I am with other dogs at day care and also at agility classes. It has been something that we think is good for us and we will continue to use a Doggy Day Care when one of my pawrents cannot be home with me.
I’ve heard that Doggy daycare is the most wonderful place. If I only had one or two dogs who weren’t socialised as well as my pack are, that is where they would go everyday while I was at work. No one can underestimate the value of a well socialised happy friendly pup and that is what Doggy daycare is all about.
May Doggy daycare’s pop up all over the place.
I love to take Coco to Camp Bark in Waxhaw, NC. she loves to go and visit all her buddies. It makes me happy too that she is interacting with other dogs and when she gets home she is wiped out. I love it, she is happy and well socialized because of her experiences at Camp Bark.
I have to say, that would be my dream job, to open a doggie day care. Perhaps one day when being an assistant to over wrought executives has reached its point of no return, I will gain my respectability back and follow that dream.
Kim & Coco