8/12/04
Gone To The Dogs - Canine Haven Provides Day Care
For Clients
By Brad Kadrich
Staff Writer
Judging by early returns, Nancy Janoch was barking up the right tree when she opened Happy Hound dog day care in Plymouth.
After moving to Plymouth from Cleveland, where she'd sold a thriving pet-sitting business, Janoch noticed a plethora of canine couples - owners walking their dogs - particularly in downtown's Kellogg Park.
She'd spent six years in the pet-sitting business, and missed the daily contact with the dogs. So Janoch, who moved to Plymouth when her partner, chemist Jim Thompson, was transferred for work, decided to grab life by the leash.
"I worked for my sister part-time for awhile, but I couldn't stand being away from the dogs," said Janoch, who opened Happy Hounds Aug. 3. "I walked into a dog day care place in Farmington and said, 'You need some help, don't you?'"
The idea is simple: Provide a place owners can house their pets during the day, for whatever reason. Janoch has about a dozen clients at the moment, most of whom drop their dogs off while they're working.
The time varies - some do two days a week, others three, while one comes just on the day the cleaning lady is in his master's house. While they're at Happy Hounds, the dogs learn a little bit of obedience, but mostly they just play.
"It's exactly like a child day care, but for dogs," Janoch said. "I love to watch doggie behavior. Watching them here is different from watching them in their own homes."
The benefits, according to Janoch, are plentiful: Exercise for the dogs, a way to ease separation anxiety dogs often feel when their owners leave them at home (which is why many dogs chew things, according to Janoch); and peace of mind for the owners.
"The dogs can give you that look, make you feel guilty, just like kids," said Janoch, who spent more than 20 years in corporate management. "This is a win-win for everybody. Their parents know they're happy, the dogs feel good about it and I feel good about it."
Janoch said she had some 100 inquiries before Happy Hounds even opened, and right now has some 60 enrollment forms outstanding. She figures the building, at 673 S. Main in Plymouth, can hold about 25 dogs.
One of the dogs there now is Bosco, a rambunctious black Labrador puppy who goes to Happy Hounds a couple of times a week. Bosco's parents, Shelly and Dale Neeley, work some 50-60 hours a week, and getting Bosco out of the house is a great benefit to them.
"It allows Bosco to get more exercise and learn how to be more social," Shelly Neeley said. "We're gone so much with work, this allows us a chance to have the puppy out of the house and learning how to interact with other animals and with human beings."
Janoch is working with trainers to begin basic obedience classes this fall, and she's getting ready for a grand opening set for Sunday. She also conducts "Puppy Socials" for dogs 6 months old and younger as a way to "get them used to people and to other puppies," making integrating with other animals easier.
Sunday's grand opening will be a "Dog Lovers" event, featuring pet photographer Cindy Rogers, some one dozen vendors selling dog-related items, and a "leash-cutting" ceremony featuring Plymouth Mayor Pro-Tem Dan Dwyer.
Janoch is hoping to build Happy Hounds to an average of some 20-25 dogs per day, and then has her eyes on franchise opportunities. But that's for down the road. For now, she's focusing on the dogs at hand.
"Plymouth, Canton and Northville might be the dog capital of the state," Janoch said. "Dogs are the only creatures on Earth that give you unconditional love and continuous pleasure."
Source: Plymouth Observer/Canton Observer
Click here to see the article in the Plymouth/Canton Observer
