“Hello, this is Susan, Brody’s mom. I was wondering if his friends were going to be at doggie daycare today. Let me know and I’ll drop him off, thanks.”
This is a recent voicemail left by one of Hounds Town Ronkonkoma’s customers, who brings her dog Brody in for doggie daycare several times a week. She coordinates the dog’s schedule based on the group of friends he has made at the facility. “He just has more fun when his friends are here!” she says. “I see pictures and videos on Facebook of him playing with his buddies and I know he’s going to come home tired and happy,” she adds.
The fully interactive doggie daycare, overnight boarding, and grooming facility has been a Godsend for many of its regular customers, who bring their dogs to play anywhere from once a week to every single day. Many customers work full time and don’t want to leave their dogs home alone. “I’ve seen dogs form friendships and relationships in their play groups, and they actually seek each other out when they come in the door,” explains Hounds Town USA founder Mike Gould. The bond that dogs establish between each other helps boost confidence, bring shy dogs out of their shell, and minimize behavior problems.
With natural pack environments, Hounds Town USA offers dogs the opportunity to be themselves. “Dogs are social pack animals, and it’s very important that they have the opportunities to interact with each other and establish relationships with minimal human intervention,” adds Mike. While our dogs undoubtedly love us humans, they should be encouraged to interact with other dogs as well. “Fully interactive doggie daycare really provides the psychological structure and natural stimulation that dogs need,” says Mike.