Yellow Dog's Barn gives customers run for their money

[TribalRats]

Yellow Dog's Barn gives customers run for their money

By AMANDA DUMOND
Democrat Staff Writer
adumond@fosters.com
Picture

JoAnne Miller of The Yellow Dog's Barn walks around the playground with some of the "guests" on a recent afternoon.
(Aaron Leclerc/Democrat Photo)
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BARRINGTON — After a couple years of pet sitting and dog walking jobs, Holly Grant decided that there had to be a better way for pet owners to ensure their canine companions were getting the attention they needed.

Armed with a degree in animal science and a love of dogs, Grant opened the Yellow Dog's Barn off Route 4 just over a year ago where owners can enroll their dogs in a day care program or receive training and grooming.

Serving as the inspiration and mascot of the business is her 6 1⁄2-year-old yellow Labrador Madison.

"She gets along with every dog," Grant said. "She screens them all" before the dogs begin attending the day care.

Acquaintances teased Grant about the "doggie day care," but some have since been won over by the concept.

Both Grant, of Kittery, Maine, and co-owner JoAnne Miller of Nottingham said dog day care is a sign of the times, and they wanted to capitalize on that trend.

Picture

Tucker, an Australian shepherd, walks around the playground at The Yellow Dog's Barn. The business offers many services including dog training, grooming, day care, and a pet 'taxi' service.
(Aaron Leclerc/Democrat Photo)
* Order a print of this photo
With more people spending long hours at the office and having to commute great distances to work, they've come to rely on such businesses as the Yellow Dog's Barn. Grant added that people today treat their pets more like a member of the family and are more likely to dote on them.

The renovated barn structure used to be a children's day care, and Grant and Miller have kept some of the features of that business, including the cubby holes. Instead of holding children's coats and mittens, the cubbies are filled with leashes.

A newly renovated space in one wing off the barn now houses the office and a grooming space, a service that began around Christmas.

Outside there are several large fenced-in play areas where most of the pets enjoy digging around the large tires sticking out of the dirt or running in the snow. Grant said by far their favorite activity, however, is playing in the swimming pools during the summer.

Puppies as young as 10 weeks old can attend the day care — provided they've been immunized — but they are kept in a separate kennel away from the older dogs.

Once they are old enough, the younger dogs are encouraged to interact with the older dogs because Grant and Miller said that is how most of the pets learn how to behave properly around each other and humans.

If an owner requests further training, such as teaching a dog not to jump, then Grant and Miller intervene.

The business has built up a client base of 100 dog owners and their pets, but most days the Yellow Dog's Barn houses between 20 and 25 dogs. While the majority of their clients live close by, there are some who drop off their dogs while commuting from other towns to the coast.

While Grant had hoped to locate the business on the Seacoast, she said that setting up shop off Route 4 in Barrington has been just as beneficial because of the high volume of traffic.

The business is about a mile west of the Lee Traffic Circle.

Miller, who gave up her 16-year career in the circuit board industry to join Grant, said people often do a double take while they are waiting for traffic to move because they see the dogs frolicking in the front play area.

Miller and Grant hope to some day include a boarding service and agility training for dogs on the 2 1⁄2 acres behind the business. Grant added that several of their clients have already asked if they provide boarding for the dogs.

Clients have told the owners they love the personal touch of the business, that Grant and Miller know each customer and take the time to post pictures daily of the dogs on the business' website.

Grant says she enjoys knowing the dogs go home tired because they get what they need, to be social and get some exercise, while Miller said she most loves it when the dogs start to trust them.

"It's that moment when you can see it in their face," Miller added. "It's one of the highlights of this job."

The Yellow Dog's Barn is open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Grooming is available Saturdays by appointment, while training is also available Tuesday nights and Saturday mornings. Prices for the dog day care vary from $20 a day to $95 for five days. For more information, call 868-DOGS (3647) or visit www.theyellowdogsbarn.com.