Happy Hounds lead the way in Detroit
New Cass Corridor business in Detroit caters to man's best friend for just $25 a day.
By Christopher M. Singer / The Detroit News
DETROIT -- It's the two faces of the Cass Corridor. Right across Cass from the offices of the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries is a brand new business: Canine to Five, a day care center for dogs.
Launched earlier this month by Elizabeth Blondy of Detroit, Canine to Five currently provides a home away from home to 20 dogs from downtown Detroit, southwest Detroit and Wayne State University. For $25 a day, the canines get to hang out with their pals, play, go outside to a fenced in pen, play, eat, play, lie around on a couch and play.
In addition, there's a separate play area for puppies, small dogs and quiet time.
"Nelson came home from his first day tired and ready for bed," said Sharon Dolente, an attorney at a downtown law firm who lives in southwest Detroit.
Nelson is a 3-year-old mixed breed. Dolente used to bundle Nelson into the car, drive him to day care in Farmington Hills and then commute to downtown. It was Dolente who gave Blondy the idea to start a day care center.
Blondy, 30, grew up in the Grosse Pointes and worked as a sales representative. She lives in Lafayette Park.
"I was talking to a friend and she was saying she was taking her dog to Farmington Hills," Blondy said.
That was in 2003. Blondy says she visited a dozen dog day care centers and apprenticed at Happy Hounds in downtown Plymouth. She is certified in Pet First Aid and is certified by the American Boarding Kennel Association in the Certified Advanced Pet Care Technician Program.
Blondy found a 4,500-square-foot, one-story building on Cass at Selden that had been vacant, she said, for seven years. It was what could be labeled a "fixer-upper," that is after putting $30,000 into the building for new wiring, new heating and cooling system and a 1,400-square-foot fenced-in pen in the rear, the building was ready for its first customer.
Dolente describes Canine to Five as "much hipper looking" than other day care centers.
Many of Blondy's customers are women. Besides people who work at Wayne State University, she has customers who have moved to the trendy new housing available in the city.
"A lot of people are moving into lofts downtown," Blondy noted.
The dogs are mostly mixed breeds, but a pedigree boxer and an English bulldog are among the regulars.
There are rules. Dogs must play well with others. Their humans must apply and provide veterinary and vaccination records.
Dolente said her Nelson "is very energetic and needs a lot of exercise." He gets it playing all day with his pals.
As for Blondy, she has two Siamese cats. And she shares "joint custody," she said, with Casey, a chocolate Labrador.
Making the plunge into business for herself turned out to be a wise decision for Blondy.
"I'm happier than I've ever been in my entire life," she said.
You can reach Chris Singer at (734) 462-2093 or csinger@detnews.com.
Source: The Detroit News
