by The Delaware Business Ledger

Day care goes to the dogs in Fairfax

A dog day care franchise is opening a location in Fairfax Shopping Center in north Wilmington.

Dogtopia is a dog day care, spa and boarding facility with room for 60 canines.

Scheduled to open its doors on Saturday, September 6 at 2101 Concord Pike, Dogtopia's has three playrooms,

In addition to daycare and boarding, Dogtopia also offers a spa, self-service dog wash, and boutique. It will offer something known as "The Happy Pup" - daycare in the morning followed by a spa treatment.

Locally owned and operated by Wilmington entrepreneur Helen Jones, the new Dogtopia is one of 11 locations.

A number of non-franchise dog day care centers have opened in recent years in Delaware as consumers looked for an alternative to kennels typically operated by veterinary practices and other entities. Popularity of pet day care has resulted in those businesses also offering day care services.

"I've always loved dogs, so I totally understand the mindset of pet owners," said Jones. "With Dogtopia, our mission is to create a local paradise for dogs, giving their owners peace of mind while they're away or at work. Instead of leaving their dogs at home alone or in an isolated kennel environment, Dogtopia provides an opportunity for social dogs to get exercise, playtime with pals and human interaction while their owners are away."

Jones said she saw the need for a day care center when she left her four dogs at home, after leaving for her job.

The typical Dogtopia location cares for between 50 to 80 dogs per day with a ratio of one caregiver per 10-15 dogs. The Wilmington location is 4,700 square feet.

"We separate the big guys from the little guys, as well as the overactive and special-needs dogs," Jones said. "Just like a child care center, we take every step possible to ensure a safe and loving atmosphere, but we also keep fun in mind. At Dogtopia, the big dogs can run together, while the older or calmer dogs can relax on cushions and futons in another room."

The division of dogs between rooms allows Dogtopia personnel to control air quality and provide an overall stress-free atmosphere. Generally 25-30 dogs play in each room, and Dogtopia employs web cam technology in each room that allows the dogs' owners to check on their pets at any time. While most dog daycare facilities don't use web came technology, the Dogtopia Web Cam logs more than 50,000 hits each month.

Hours of operation are from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays.

"The pet care industry is growing at an astronomical rate with over 60 percent of U.S. households owning pets," said Amy Nichols, CEO of Dogtopia, a company based in Virginia. "More than 80 percent of pet owners worry about their pets at work, making dog daycare one of the most popular and fastest-growing pet care services in the industry."

The Dogtopia concept was founded by Nichols, who opened the first location in Tysons Corner, VA in June 2002.

Nichols has also created a permanent non-profit arm of Dogtopia, known as K-9 Support, Inc., to support working dogs, such as military dogs, rescue dogs and Seeing Eye dogs. Annual K-9 Support Dog Wash events raise funds to send care packages to K-9 Handlers and their working dogs in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since starting K-9 Support in 2005, Dogtopia has raised more than $30,000 and sent more than 5,000 lbs of supplies overseas.

© The Delaware Business Ledger 2008