By elaine van develde
Staff Writer
CHRIS KELLY Buster, a German shepherd mix, was a featured animal in the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ pet adoption program, held Dec. 14 at Dogs on the Farm, Middletown.
MIDDLETOWN — A dog’s life is a pretty good life if you’re a dog, or any other animal staying at Dogs on the Farm.
The new doggie day-care and boarding facility, located on a 5-acre horse farm at 790 Kings Highway East, is meant to make life less "ruff" for animals while they’re away from home.
With its grand opening Saturday, owner/operator and animal lover Karen Leipzig looks forward to satisfying a need for an alternative to the typical kennel experience.
Dogs can come and stay for the day while owners are at work, or they can experience an extended stay, or sleep-overs, as Leipzig calls them.
CHRIS KELLY Lois Maloney, Interlaken, gives a cat, Little Red, who’s up for adoption, a little extra attention at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ dog and cat adoption outreach program at Dogs on the Farm, Middletown, on Dec. 14.
And the sleep-overs are one-of-a-kind.
"We try to make the accommodations as homey as possible so the pet will be more comfortable and have a more pleasant experience," Leipzig said.
In creating that unique boarding experience, Leipzig has created doggy hotel rooms and suites in addition to the standard 4-by-4-foot fenced standard kennels with fleece-lined beds. The cost to board a dog in the standard kennel is $35 a day.
All heated and air conditioned kennels and hotel rooms are in a converted indoor riding arena on the premises.
The 14 hotel rooms and one deluxe suite come equipped with beds, decorations and toys.
Seven horse stalls were converted into the 14 hotel rooms. The suite is one large stall.
A doggy hotel room is 6-by-10 feet and has a child-size bed with a mattress, wallpaper and even mini blinds. It also has a mailbox for letters from relatives and a toy box. Each room has a different theme.
"The clients can pick out which one their dog would like," said Leipzig. "One person wanted the Scooby Doo room because their dog liked the cartoon character." The hotel rooms cost $45 a day. Sheets are changed daily and rooms are cleaned, just like a hotel for humans.
The deluxe doggy suite is a 20-by-20-foot Dalmatian-themed room with a fire truck junior bed, a rocking sofa, a mock fireplace, and French doors with a view of the pasture and nearby horses. The suite has all the trimmings of a people’s hotel, including a bathroom with a shower.
Dogs who stay in the suite, which costs $65 a night, are treated to all the hotel amenities plus a nightly tuck-in, tooth brushings and showers. "It’s big enough for families," said Leipzig. "For each extra dog, there is a 20 percent discount."
And you don’t have to be a suite-dwelling dog to get special treatment, Leipzig noted.
The farm also provides message balls for all dogs. The ball is a play ball which records messages from owners. When the dog bats it around, the owner’s voice talks back. "That’s for the homesick," said Leipzig. The facility also pipes soothing music into the rooms and kennels at night to soothe those staying away from home.
There are Webcams in each room. If an owner wants to see how the dogs play when they’re away, they just pay $5 extra a day to log on to a remote computer and look. The service is included in the suite stay.
All dogs staying over also participate in outdoor doggy day-care activities.
To see it is to believe it.
At a glance from the street, the farm looks like a play time heaven gone to the dogs.
From one end to the other, what looks like a giant tot lot for dogs is comprised of horseback riding arenas filled with hay, play equipment and plenty of room to run.
"I really don’t believe any owners just want a place to keep a dog confined all day and night," said Leipzig. "We want our dogs to socialize and play with each other so they will be more at ease during their time with us."
The family-run business promises to give lots of love to all its furry clients.
Leipzig is keeping her business that’s gone to the dogs all in the family.
A relative, known only as Aunt Rhonda, will run the dog and day-care show with Leipzig.
The two will supervise a staff of seven part- and full-time day-care workers and teachers trained in animal care and safety, Leipzig said.
One person will be in charge of staying overnight to "keep an eye on everyone," Leipzig said.
The staff will perform extra special duties like tucking animals in and coordinating birthday parties for guests — anything to make the animals feel loved.
In addition to the deluxe stay-over accommodations and play areas, there is a beauty parlor and training camp/school which will teach dogs obedience and tricks of the dog trade from a puppy kindergarten on.
In the spring, a store, dubbed Penny’s Country Store, will feature canine and feline goodies and a porch for pooches and pets to sit on and lounge with their owners for leisurely dog day afternoons.
Features to howl over for the future include Tails-a-Wagon, a mini school bus that will pick up and deliver animals; spring pet fashion shows; and pet weddings.
Cats won’t be taken until the summer, Leipzig said, when the extra facilities and caretakers are available.
Dogs on the Farm hosted an open house and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ (SPCA) dog and cat adoption outreach Saturday, and a society horse show fund-raiser Sunday.
Such events are possibilities for the future.
Call (732) 872-7543 for more information on what a dog’s life is like and what it’ll cost you at Dogs on the Farm.