By Karen Blackledge
At least three other locations offer doggie daycare in the Susquehanna Valley.
They are the Stay-N-Play Doggie Daycare, Wizard of Paws and Warrior Run Petcare Center.
Stay-N-Play, at 829 Fairground Road, Lewisburg, is part of Lewisburg Veterinary Hospital and has been open for slightly more than a year, manager Ruth Bronish said.
The daycare offer lots of playtime for dogs. “We try to do a lot of interactive toys. We do get some dogs in here that don’t want to play with other dogs but want extra attention. For those dogs, we do interactive games like hide treats in toys so they can pull them out to try to keep them busy,” she said.
Not all the dogs are out at the same time. They run several play groups. The dogs go inside and outside depending on if it’s really cold out, she said.
The daycare, at 522-DOGS, has dogs of all ages. “A lot of people just think it’s for young playful types. We can also help out with geriatric dogs who need medicines during the day that the owner can’t do,” she said.
Their regulars come from the Danville area and Union County.
She said the dogs keep them busy — one person in the morning and another in the afternoon.
Wizards of Paws Doggie Daycare, Grooming and Boarding at 1135 Continental Blvd., Danville, has offered daycare for five years. “It started when people got a puppy and didn’t want to leave the puppy home alone and the dog started coming every day,” said owner Kathy Diehl.
She has regulars and a part-timer in the daycare, two who are 5 years old, one that is 9 and the other 2, where the dogs go both inside and outside. “We have two yards if they need to be separated. They can watch movies if they want. They like ‘Shreck.’ We do birthday parties with Frosty Paws and Milk Bones on the dog’s birthday. Everybody gets them on a dog’s birthday,” she said. She gives the dogs special Christmas gifts such as overnight bags with their names on them or blankets.
“They have a good time here. What’s good about it is that when the dogs are home in their crates they sleep all day. When the owner comes home and is tired, the dogs are ready to walk and play. Dogs in crates would be stressed out because they didn’t get enough exercise. This way they are playing all day long, and when they go home, they are ready to lay down, and everybody’s happy,” she said. “It makes for good owners, and for us, we enjoy having them,” said Diehl, who is assisted by Angie Hall, of Peace of Mind pet-sitting.
Warrior Run Petcare Center, at 2410 Eighth St. Drive, Watsontown, has offered doggie daycare since Yvonne Arnold founded it more than 30 years ago. The center also offers boarding and grooming.
The daycare is available for owners who want to bring their dog or cat there while company is visiting, work is being done at home or carpets are being cleaned.
They have individual play time with a dog where the pets are supervised and given attention. A fenced-in grass outdoor play yard is available. Each dog has a sleeping area with a raised bed that opens to an outside run.
A la carte daycare offered by Warrior Run Petcare, at 538-2393, includes VIP, spoil me, pamper me, geriatric care, fun and foot, custom playtimes, Krazy Kong with special treats, Pebble Beach with pool activities, popular pet movies, Saturday pizza, snack time, Frosty Paw, lap time and holiday meals.
