Rob Wright (left) and his boy, Jack (right), opened The Wright Pet Daycamp and Boarding in Eastlake previously this year. A grand opening for the business happened March 10. (Marah Morrison — The News-Herald)
Early in 2015, Jack Wright approached his moms and dads in regard to beginning his own business.
Now, he is living out his enthusiasm through The Wright Pet Daycamp and Boarding, which just recently opened in Eastlake.
“For us to be able to help him work in something he’s passionate about is something special,” said Rob, Jack’s daddy and business supervisor for The Wright Pet, located at 34929 Curtis Blvd. “He’s a dog whisperer. The dogs love him and he’s got a sixth sense almost.”
Jack explains his function at The Wright Pet as not being a regular job which every day is a various day.
“I’ve never really been a people person,” he said. “I’ve constantly simply type of wished to be by myself and doing my own thing. I began in high school, so I’ve been doing this for 7 plus years. Since then, I’ve constantly wished to start my own business.
“It’s a different day every day because all dogs are different,” he included. “They have different personalities and energy levels. Some are sassy, quiet and some just want to play all day.”
For 25 years, Rob owned a production business in Cleveland. A number of years earlier, he offered it and retired. It was at that time that a business strategy was established for The Wright Pet.
“Jack approached my wife and I, and said, ‘I can’t do this on my own. Will you help me?’ ” Rob remembered. “We said absolutely, but we’re first going to write a business plan. We spent at least three to four months on that.”
In early October in 2015, the Wrights took the space on Curtis Boulevard and invested 3 months refurbishing it to make it ideal for their requirements.
“The daycare space hadn’t been occupied in over six years, so it needed quite a bit of work,” Rob said. “We pretty much emptied the place out. We did a soft opening about the second week of January. We wanted to make sure all the systems we had were working and that we were trained properly. Riley was our first camper.”
After spending about a month and a half ensuring whatever was running as it should, a grand opening happened March 10.
“In the meantime, we’ve been taking dogs,” Rob said. “We’ve had boarding dogs and day camp dogs. I would say that we’ve had 10 to 12 dogs. Riley is here every day. The boarders are here overnight. Chloe’s here for two weeks and then we’ve got some dogs that drop in a couple days a week. Some come for half days.”
For dogs that aren’t comfy in pack play, The Wright Place uses a day sit, which resembles boarding throughout the day, however they get individually attention and workout, Rob said.
“We want dog owners to understand that their dogs will be absolutely safe, secure and that they’re going to have fun while they’re here,” he said. “Those are the important things that are of significance to us.
Cleanliness is likewise a leading concern as the business is cleaned up each and every single night,” Rob said.
“Everybody who works here understands that you get to play with dogs, but you’re also cleaning,” he said.
Among the important things that make The Wright Pet special is the experience of its staff members.
“My son’s been doing this for an extensive amount of time in some reputable places similar to this,” Rob said. “The size — dogs are going to have a lot more space than they would in other places and the attention they’re going to get is unparalleled. We try to give as much personalized attention as possible.”
The family pet boarding business tends to be a bit seasonal.
“We have people who are already talking to us about spring break,” Rob said. “People will be starting to book summer vacations. There aren’t, because of our location, many places doing what we’re doing and there’s a need for these types of services, so people are always scrambling around looking for boarding because it gets booked up fast.”
Generally, individuals looking for to board their dogs are disappearing for the weekend in addition to trip travel.
“As far as day camp, day camps fill up fast,” Rob said. “People are getting associated with the day camp early. We anticipate that there are going to be individuals who are going to desire their dogs here routinely.
“Most people, particularly the Millennial generation, the largest dog-owning generation, want their dogs to socialize, be exercised and to be able to play,” he included. “That part of the business is driven by young professionals who want to drop their dog in the morning and pick them up at night.”
Adamant about determining the best individuals and doing whatever they can do to ensure they’re trained correctly, and ensure they’re comfy, success is determined by staff members, Rob said.
“It’s not for everybody, but we think there’s a good opportunity for younger people, which is the way my son started,” he said. “He started when he was going to Solon High School.”
Four staff members are presently on payroll and they work depending upon the number of dogs are at The Wright Place.
“We want the dog to feel as much at home as possible,” Rob said. “Bring blankets, pillows and the food they consume every day so there’s little modification in their regimen. We likewise provide a program where if you’re boarding and your dog is comfy with other dogs, we provide a package at half rate where that dog can board over night and spend the day in day camp with the other dogs.
“If you’re going on vacation for a week or two, then you know your dog’s going to be engaged, having fun and hopefully not noticing as much of a difference from being at home while being here.”
Once the lease is up after 5 years, Jack intends to build his own location and have it be the exact same size if not larger. Before services are broadened, Rob wishes to ensure the 2 base businesses, boarding and the day camp, are nailed.
“At that point, we’ll feel comfortable to offer bathing,” he said. “The outside expansion will happen as we get closer to the better months of the year. We want to be able to offer a nature walk, so we would transport the dog safely and walk them through the parks.”
Eventually, dog grooming and training opportunities are amongst the important things the Wrights want to have actually carried out in the business.
“At night, these large play areas aren’t used, so we are trying to identify trainers who might need space we could lease to them,” Rob said.
Day camp hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and boarding services are provided every day of the week.
“We are staffed here from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. for boarding,” Rob said, keeping in mind that there are electronic cameras throughout the business so the family pets have the ability to be kept track of. Owners are likewise able to see the backyard and the kennel 24/7 by downloading an app.
“These are their children,” Rob said. “The dog owners tell us when they get fed, how much they get fed, what medications they have, when those need to be applied, so we have all the information we need so the dog is maintaining the same routine.”
