A Dog's Day in the 21st Century

Dogs all over town are playing and learning all day long with daycare pals

Dog Nose News, September 1, 2000

by Holly Hein

The energy in a doggie daycare playroom could power a medium-sized city. Big dogs, little dogs, dogs with toys, dogs who want the toys. They run pell-mell from one end of the room to the other, past the bright plastic play structure complete with slide, past the open "time-out" airline kennels, feet digging into the black floor mats as they round the corner. A few spin off to kiss the human attendants and check for possible treats; then they're off' again.

Passersby are tantalized by the choices offered in the window of Urban Fauna in downtown Portland.

"In the morning they're raring to go," confirms Lisa Plymale, co- owner of Happy- Go-Lucky Dog Training ~ Playcare. She says you can count on nonstop play for several hours when the dogs arrive and meet their friends. After that, the day's particular group dynamics take over. "There are some days when it's frenetic all day long, outside of their formal naptime. Other days they'll go from active...to mellow...to active again, in waves throughout the day. Except for that one," she laughs, pointing at a bright-eyed German Shepherd. "If Hunter lies down, it's a special occasion. We all point and whisper to each other, "Hey, you guys, look what H- U-N-T-E-R is doing."

Hunter is busy showing off his tug toy to an envious Terrier and misses the conversation entirely.

A social microcosm

Cinthia Alia-Marion, who worked with sea lions and other marine mammals in Newport before she opened Doggone Fun in Tualatin, says that canine social structures get complex in a hurry. "There's a lot of management to it," she says. "It's not just baby-sitting dogs, though a lot of people probably think of it that way."

"When there are twenty or thirty of them, that's a pack of dogs. And it's different personalities each day, with new members arriving and different combinations forming all the time."

Staff members at Doggone Fun reward friendly play and "calming signals," like yawning, that dogs use to get along with each other. In the playroom, they work on name recognition, so that they can address the dogs individually. And, as at all the daycare centers, the dogs must sit before getting a treat and wait politely at doors instead of barging through...

Stella loves to run through the tunnel at urban Fauna.

Since many dogs come to daycare on the same days each week, they develop regular friendships. "Some are very particular about who they'll play with. They form little cliques," says Plymale. "But we also have the social butterflies." She points to a beautiful Rottweiler. "We call Luke here the Doggie Diplomat. He can get any other dog to play with him."

Tired dogs are good dogs...

At the end of the day, the dogs going home are tired dogs. "We've had people call and say, I think my dog is sick! She won't get up, not even for food," says Plymale. "But no, she was just tired.

Because of the high activity and interaction levels, most dogs don't go to daycare five days a week. Suzanne Losh, who owns Urban Fauna in Northwest Portland, says that Wednesday is the center's busiest day, because the dogs an energy outlet in the middle of the week Most clients visit two or three days a week "We found through research and our own experience," Plymale says, "that dogs who spend all day every day in daycare can get cranky. They start having problems at home or at the park playing with other dogs. They're not undersocialized, they're just tired and grouchy." Cutting back on the daycare schedule keeps them happy to play with other dogs, she says. Doggone Fun [and Urban Fauna] offers half-day rates.

Is daycare right for your dog?

Doggie daycare is not for every dog. At a job where one of the perks is the ability to bring your own dog to work, not even all staff members' dogs attend.

"My older dog doesn't usually come," says Sarah Miller, who works at Cassandra Hofford's Southeast Portland center, See Spot Play. "She's at the age where she'd rather have some peace and quiet." Most daycare clients are young and athletic. Puppies under five or six months, though, usually aren't ready for the active pace.

Red Raff thinks the action is pretty good, but he'd sure like to know what's keeping his person.

Applicants for daycare undergo individual evaluations to make sure they'll be happy and healthy in a group environment. At Happy-Go-Lucky, trainer Susan Fletcher makes sure the dog is comfortable being handled and having its collar grasped. Then one other dog is brought in. If all goes well, the applicant is observed in a group of dogs. There are also health requirements for vaccinations and flea control.

Only a handful of dogs are screened out. It's partly a self-selection process, say the proprietors. The dogs who come in are the ones owners think will enjoy and benefit from the service.

Staff members also acknowledge that getting used to daycare and learning to play nicely is an ongoing process. "We try to work with the dog," Alia-Marion says a little growliness the first day is not grounds for expulsion. Alia-Marion recalls one dog whose insecurities were running high the first day. "This guy was in a corner shaking, and didn't want the other dogs to come near," she says. After a few minutes, a staff member led the new dog to the office, where a human kept him company for several hours. "It was important to form that bond," Alia-Marion said. "Then, as the dogs went for their walks, he went along, on leash, with every other dog staying here that day One or two at a time, they were much more approachable for him." She remembers the moment the dog realized that socializing was fun. "It was like a light going on," she says. She still gets goosebumps remembering it. "It was such a breakthrough for him! He was inviting other dogs to play, having a great time."...

Howliday Inn and Urban Fauna combine retail space with their daycare centers; toys and treats are also for sale at several of the other daycares. Urban Fauna's floor space is evenly divided between daycare and retail, and Losh launched both parts of the business at the same time. Supplies for cats, rodents, and other pets -- even specially formulated hedgehog chow -- are available in the store.

Urban Fauna also offers full-service grooming on the premises. Doggone Fun does baths and toenail clipping, but not more elaborate grooming.

Dogs at Urban Fauna and Doggone Fun get walks on leashes during the day, a few dogs at a time. "We go by a hardware store and a couple of other places," says Alia-Marion. "They're real ... guy-type stores, and the people there will come out to say hi and pass out cookies. It's a great experience for dogs who are apprehensive around men."

More and more doggie daycares

Most of the Portland area doggie daycares have been operating for less than; year. Proprietors bring different backgrounds and experience to their work, but all share a love of dogs.

"That's one thing I worry about, as this field gets more popular," says Losh. "It's being listed as a hot new business opportunity, and I think soon you might see less qualified owners running places that are basically just kennels."

That isn't the case so far. Losh was a veterinary technician for many years, and Alia-Marion was a Senior Mammalogist at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Plymale worked for several years at a dog training school. "I knew I needed to learn everything I could about dog behavior," she said. "The body language, the social interactions, all of it."

Doggie daycare has become much more widely accepted and available in the last year, says Plymale -- "I don't get the funny looks I used to when I tell people what I do. But even as the centers proliferate, the core of the business stays the same: a swarm of happy, learning and playing all day long.