GLENVILLE — As Marie Apholz, the supervisor of the The Dog Chateau, tossed the ball inside the backyard of the doggy day care, a group of dogs raced after it as 2 others playfully battled.
The Dog Chateau was opened in January 2020 by Markie Blackburn after she invested a year remodeling the worn out building situated at 4057 Amsterdam Road.
Blackburn, who owns 2 dogs — an 11-year-old Mastiff called Rowshi and a 3-year-old husky/Labrador retriever mix called Ulanii — is from the West Coast where she worked for around 12 years assisting rescue and fix up dogs.
“It was really tough work and really hard because you can’t help every dog,” she said. “So, I really wanted to open a place where it wasn’t so serious, it was more playful.”
Two months after opening the COVID pandemic hit, triggering Blackburn to need to run the business on her own. But she said she was still able to grow her business and it’s still growing.
One obstacle she continues to deal with is discovering staff members that fit well into the business.
Blackburn, a canine behaviorist, said she trains all her staff members.
“The people I choose to employ have to have natural ability with animals and leadership skills,” she said.
The doggy day care and boarding business rests on 11 acres of land, allowing the dogs to have lots of space to play.
Blackburn said they take dogs on walks the property, consisting of along a little path that she cleared. Dogs have space inside the 5,000-square-foot center to play and take a snooze too, with the business supplying toys and beds.
“But I always tell people you’re welcome to bring whatever you think your dog will feel most comfortable with,” she said. “So, people will bring t-shirts or beds or their own dog toys.”
It costs $36 a day for the day care and $65 a day for boarding. Blackburn said unlike some day cares, they don’t charge additional for individually time with animals.
“It’s a pleasure for us to pet your dogs — thanks for bringing them so we can pet your dogs,” she said.
She likewise said they will provide dogs a bath and do their nails for a bit additional if asked for.
While the center permits 40 dogs, Blackburn said they are selective about what dogs they take due to the fact that it’s not constantly a fantastic suitable for the dog.
“We have to turn away a lot of dogs so we can keep it a safe, healthy environment,” she said.
Part of the assessment takes a look at a dog’s personality. Blackburn said the day care is not truly a suitable for high-drive working dogs due to the fact that they require more structure.
Blackburn said beyond the self-centered factors of simply getting to be with dogs every day, her preferred part is when she sees enhancements in dogs, such as shy dogs getting more self-confidence.
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