Dog Daycamp Offers Pooches a Place to Mix, Mingle and Sniff the Day Away

WHEN STINA HUGHES relocated to the area, she immediately set about re-establishing her family’s life--finding a home, a school for her daughter, the best commute routes and new service providers. However, an important service she’d relied on in New England seemed to be missing in her new community: a nearby daycare where she could drop her dog on her way to work.

“There are lots of dogs in our neighborhood and lots of dog-walking services,” says Hughes, whose formerly passive pooch came out of her shell thanks to the doggy daycare they used in Massachusetts. “But my dog needed social time and interaction.”

An entrepreneur who had owned businesses in the past, Hughes saw an opportunity through the void. She started doing some market research and learned that King County has a high number of dogs per capita. She also started looking for locations and preparing the finances. The name Scampers, she says, just came to her.

Three years later, in late October of 2010, she and her sister Linda Olsen--who moved here for the venture after 40 years in Vancouver, B.C.--opened in Kirkland’s Totem Lake area.

The bright and clean doggy daycare offers dogs of all ages, sizes and breeds a safe place to socialize and play. With 9,000 square feet of play space, indoors and out, Scampers has several divided areas for different groups of dogs to run, play, sniff and sleep.

“The thing we hear most consistently, after a day here, they’re usually so tired they’re asleep by the time they get out to the stoplight,” says Hughes. “It’s not just the exercise, but it’s being awake all day and not only that, it’s like they’re at a cocktail party. Sniffing is like gossiping to dogs so they’re gossiping all day. Even if they’re not big players, they’re learning to be more social. And the big players are just running all day.”

When dogs arrive each day, they are immediately ushered to the outdoor play area to sniff, relax and do their business. They then join their group, which is determined based on their size and energy level. Some dogs are moved from group to group, based on their mood that day. “We might say, ‘he’s playing big today so he might have fun with the bigger group,’” Hughes explains. Dogs in each group mingle and play, and have open access to cots and crates if they’d like to take a nap.

Each group makes an hourly trip outside to play and potty. During the summer, the staff pulls out shade tents and wading pools to allow the dogs to play all day outside.

Thanks to two third-party partnerships , Scampers offers two additional convenient options for customers. Every other Tuesday, customers can sign up their pooch for grooming by Cut-n-Run Mobile Grooming. Training classes are also available at times through PawLogic.

SCAMPERS IS a no-bark, no-jump facility and they work hard to maintain a social, yet calm environment for the dogs. Dogs are evaluated closely to ensure they are not aggressive and a threat to the staff or other dogs. Staff continues to monitor their temperament and health throughout their time at Scampers.

If the business’ growth is any indication, customers appreciate this careful approach to doggy care. In just 14 months, the business has grown tremendously. They now welcome an average of 50 dogs every day--Scampers is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday--and they have just hired new staff to allow for a capacity of 65 dogs per day. The space will allow for a capacity of 80 dogs, so down the road, Hughes and Olsen look forward to further expansion.

The dogs are closely supervised by staff dog wranglers. What started as a three-person staff, including the two owners, is now a 10- to 12-person team. “We’ve really been very lucky finding highly qualified staff members,” says Hughes. The staff includes a vet tech who prefers the less clinical setting and another staff member who worked for seven years in an Oregon doggy daycare.

The team also includes six high school students, including Hughes’ teenage daughter. “It takes more effort to hire young employees,” says Hughes, who added that they do not have any openings for additional high school students. “But we thought it was a reasonable thing to do. We are giving them their first job. It’s a bunch of good, responsible kids learning to be employees. They all love having a job, having responsibility and making money. It’s great being able to give them that experience.”

Doggy campers can come for a half day, defined as five hours or less, or a full day. Ten-day punchcards and unlimited monthly passes are also available and offer a discount for frequent customers. Discounts are also offered to Microsoft Prime Card or Passport Unlimited holders. While reservations are not required, they are recommended so the team can staff appropriately and to ensure there is a spot available when you arrive.

So, whether you work out of the house, or simply want to treat your pet to some social time, scamper over to Scampers and check out one of Kirkland’s newest, dog-friendly businesses.