Where’s Fido when you’re at the office? St. Paul-area doggy day cares step up to welcome pandemic pets

Maraya King, Pioneer Press
·4 min read

Shannon Rhoades said she refers to the dog day care that her pup, Wendy, attends as “school,” because the chihuahua mix gets so excited to go to class. The class that Wendy attends has other four-legged friends, a spacious play area, treats hidden in toys and, of course, nap time.

Dog day cares are rising in popularity as pet owners are placing an importance on their pets’ mental and emotional health along with their physical well-being, said Kerry D’Amato, executive director at Pet Haven, a Minnesota-based foster and animal rescue organization.

People in general are having fewer kids and more dogs, said Bob Crawford, CEO of dog day care franchise Central Bark. “People have realized that dogs need socialization and they benefit from interacting with other dogs,” he said, noting 6 million dogs were adopted or taken into families during the first 2½ years of COVID-19.

When working with adopters, D’Amato said one of the first questions is, “What is your plan when you are away from home to keep your pet enriched?”

St. Paws, a dog day care, boarding and grooming facility located at 1920 W. University Ave., has looked after more than 2,000 dogs since it opened in 2016, said owner Tom Dunn.

When a new dog is enrolled in St. Paws’ dog day care, they undergo a temperament test where they are slowly introduced to other dogs to make sure they are able to play well with others, Dunn said. Once a dog is given the green light, they are free to play with their pals for most of the day in a large play pen, stopping mostly for bathroom breaks, Dunn said. He also noted that St. Paws doesn’t have a breed ban: “Each dog stands for itself, we welcome them all here.”

Rhoades said her partner, Ken Achterling, was able to stay home with Wendy for two years during the pandemic, but when he went back to work, they knew they needed to find a solution.

Wendy now attends Central Bark Oakdale three days a week. “It keeps her from laying on the couch all day and being lonely; it’s been a great solution,” Rhoades said.

The Oakdale location is a 9,000-square-foot property with a 7,000-square-foot indoor facility that includes four play areas, a grooming salon, retail area and a nap room for dogs during their rest period.

Central Bark Oakdale, located at 3115 N. Hadley Avenue, celebrated its grand opening last month and is one of nearly 40 Central Bark locations in more than a dozen states.

Angie Holbrook, co-owner of the Oakdale location, said the dogs at her facility partake in different types of activities to stimulate them throughout the day.

During play group, there are toys available for the dogs to chase and chew, Holbrook said, noting some dogs prefer to play with toys than other dogs. Play group is also where the dogs work on basic skills like name recall, group sits and going in and out of gates in an orderly fashion.

Central Bark also offers one-on-one enrichment sessions if pet parents want to pay a bit extra for added stimuli. During these 30-minute sessions, Holbrook said dogs work privately with a handler on “nose-work,” which refers to them following a scent to seek something out. At Central Bark, nose-work looks like treats hidden in ball pits and treat puzzles, so the dog not only gets a reward but has to think about how to get to it.

At first, Wendy was skittish about her new routine, but within a few weeks, Rhoades said, “When we walked in the door, she pulled as hard as she could to run back.”

Adoptions steady

Dog adoption rates in Minnesota are still steady, said Sarah Bhimani, strategic communications manager for the Animal Humane Society. Animals are being adopted quickly, she said, with the average length of stay for dogs in a shelter being 10 days.

At St. Paws, Dunn said there has been a roughly 25 percent increase in enrollment for dog day care since the onset of the pandemic. Although many folks are still working from home, Dunn said he expects overnight boarding to increase in the near future as well.

When considering a dog day care, D’Amato said pet parents should do their research and observe one of their options in action. “If they don’t let you observe, move on to another one,” she said.

You can trust that you’ve chosen the right option when your pet is excited at the facility and wagging their tail and whining, D’Amato said. “When your dog comes home tired and happy to see you, you know they’ve been having a good day.”

Pet Haven, located at 505 W. Minnehaha Ave. in Frogtown, is partnered with dog day care facilities across the area including Dogtopia in Woodbury, Downtown Dogs in Minneapolis and Lucky Dog Pet Lodge in Bloomington, D’Amato said.

“Doggy day cares are all over because people are realizing their dogs need to live a well-balanced and enriched life,” D’Amato said. “We are responsible for their mental health as much as their physical health.”

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