Doggie day cares are growing Omaha area business trend

Omahan Nicholle Reisdorff worked for six years at what she called her dream job: a researcher for federal courts in Washington, D.C., with an office that overlooked the Capitol.

Three years ago, she moved to Nebraska and quit the dream job. She started her own business — something very different from anything she ever dreamed.

She owns a day care for dogs. And loves it.

Doggie day cares, which were rare in Omaha until the turn of the millennium, have been gaining momentum in the area, owners say. They knock on wood as they say that the business appears to be recession-proof. Many have seen their client numbers increase.

Doggie day care operations have much in common with the centers that cater to children. There are regular clients and personality differences. There are favorite toys and finicky eaters. Business models run the gamut — Omaha has privately owned centers, franchises and one associated with the Nebraska Humane Society.

The dogs get indoor and outdoor play and a chance to make new friends. Operators say that the centers give owners a dog that's calmer and more comfortable around other dogs. Some centers offer extras such as grooming, training and overnight stays. In Omaha, canine day cares generally charge about $20 a day, and dogs have to go through an application process to weed out those animals that could be dangerous to others.

Val Poulton, an animal behavior expert and registered dog trainer with the Nebraska Humane Society, said doggie day care isn't for everyone.

“Ultimately, the dog is going to tell you whether they're a day-care dog or not, depending on their behavior,” she said.

Poulton said some dogs are too aggressive for day care, and others simply don't enjoy the company of other dogs. But for the dogs that enjoy it, Poulton said, day care can be beneficial.

David Sipherd, owner of the day care associated with the Pets-R-Us store at 10913 Elm St., said people have to feel comfortable with the center where they leave their “children.” He said many of his customers live or work in the neighborhood and like knowing their pets are nearby.

His facility, beyond the day care, boasts treadmills and drug-sniffing training.

Reisdorff chose to open a branch of the franchise Dogtopia in La Vista. She said she had taken her pets to doggie day care centers in D.C. and saw the difference it made in them.

Dogtopia is one of the few franchise doggie day cares, and Reisdorff said using that model made sense for her.

“I didn't want to reinvent the wheel,” she said.

Doggie day care owners Rick and Nancy Wise also made a career change when they opened their center: Between the two, they have about 50 years of insurance experience. They've run Noah's Bark, at 3548 Center St., for the past four years.

“We have time to make fools of ourselves one time before retirement,” Rick Wise said.

Noah's Bark eschews toys and nap time, day care staples elsewhere. Toys, the Wises believe, lead to fighting, and they don't have the space to kennel every dog for sleep. The dogs seem content to play with one another and sleep on a couch in the main area, they said.

While the Wises are in synch on the no-toy rule, they can't agree on music. Nancy believes classical music calms the dogs; Rick thinks it's just music in general. He prefers rock.

Five years ago, Sue Wilke added a day care center to her grooming facility, Bark Avenue, 3731 N. 153rd St., and she's seen the business grow.

Wilke said 40 years of working with dogs helped her formulate a game plan for socialization of difficult dogs, and she said the transformation can be amazing.

“It's almost like watching them become a little butterfly,” she said.

Bone Jour, the day care center at the Humane Society, opened in 2000 and had a waiting list three months later. Like most others, the day care has separate areas for big and little dogs.

In the area for little dogs, Christina Ferency cleaned up as she talked about the dogs, including the newest one at the center.

“I'm so in love with him,” she said about Gus, a mastiff puppy.

That sentiment seems to unite everyone affiliated with doggie day cares.