Sarah Miller, owner of Camp Bow Wow Troy, points to a picture on the wall beside her.
“Her name was Charlie. Little black Pomeranian. I took her all over the place with me. She was my baby.
“Charlie unfortunately passed unexpectedly. I've lost humans, but losing her was…awful.
“I used to take Charlie to another Camp Bow Wow. I thought, ‘Wouldn’t that be awesome to see dogs every day?’ And I said, ‘Life's too short, and no one's just gonna show up and be like, 'Here's your dog daycare you've been dreaming about.' Time to take action.’”
When Sarah first bought Camp Bow Wow, five years had passed since Charlie had been a client.
“I said, ‘I don't know if you would remember my dog.’ The staff instantly said, 'The black Pomeranian.’ After five years’ absence, without even me saying my dog's name or breed, they remembered her? That’s the kind of place Camp Bow Wow is.”
Sarah says the socialization Camp Bow Wow offers is critically important for a dog’s development.
“Dogs here get used to being around other dogs, other people besides just their pet parent, and that's huge. For many dogs, their pet parent is their whole world. So when they come to camp here, they have relationships with other pups, with staff members."
Sarah says the health and safety of pups and staff are priority one.
“Every dog that comes in the building has to pass a special multi-step interview on-leash. And we’re closely monitoring all day to make sure they can be a regular part of our community.”
What does that community look like?
“Our schedule is basically two hours of playing in group, an hour and a half of rest, back to play, back and forth all day long. And they all have access to water at all times, and comfy cots and blankies to take their rest breaks.”
Many dogs, and their pet parents, love Camp Bow Wow so much they want to come back as often as possible.
“We offer unlimited memberships and discounted daycare packages. We have a lot of people that come four or five days a week to make sure their dogs get plenty of socializing.”
At Camp Bow Wow, every dog gets a cabin, not a crate, so they have plenty of space. In addition to day care, the camp offers boarding, baths, nail trims and full service grooming.
For those parents who want their fur baby to get extra love and attention, the camp also offers 15-minute Enrichments: Snuggle Time, where pets get treats and cuddled; Agilities, where they traverse a little course with tubes and hurdles; and Sniff-and-Seeks, where dogs have to find special items by scent.
Sarah says pet parents also love getting special pictures of their dogs. So every month, the camp has a uniquely themed photo shoot or art project: Disney, Alice in Wonderland and many more.
“For Mother's Day, we did paw-print paintings on an 8x10 canvas. We dipped the puppies’ paws in the non-toxic paint, and then I drew stems and a bow so it looked like a little painting of a bouquet of flowers.”
In Sarah’s eyes, Camp Bow Wow is enhancing the quality of their canine clients’ lives.
“They're not here forever. If you're lucky they're here 15 years. But if we can make their lives even more enjoyable than just at home with their pet parent, give them the joy of having friendships and playing and not just laying on a couch all day…how sweet is that?”
For more on Camp Bow Wow Troy, call Sarah at (248) 583-9247.