There’s a new hangout in town - Hound’s Hangout. The name says it all.
Campbell River’s first commercially run doggy daycare is finally here and dog owners are thrilled to have this new resource available to them.
Owner-Operators Ryan Pickard and Kimberly Dorrington had to jump through hoops to acquire the appropriate zoning for such an operation as the city did not have a definition for “Pet Services” which would allow a doggy daycare to open within the city. “We have been working on this since September of 2012,” Pickard says. “we are thrilled to finally be open.”
Doggy daycares are a very popular service in urban areas and have been gaining momentum in the past decade.
Dog owners are often unable to meet their dog’s needs both physically and mentally due to busy lifestyles. This can often lead to behaviour problems in dogs who are pent up and frustrated, Dorrington says.
“Dogs are very social animals. They need interaction with other dogs and people as well as exercise to remain happy and social animals,” says Dorrington who has been a professional dog trainer for a decade. “This city was in desperate need of a doggy daycare. I cannot count how many training clients that could have benefited from this over the years. Now, the void has been filled. Hound’s Hangout offers doggy daycare and training classes in a great indoor/outdoor facility. I couldn’t be more excited!”
It’s been a long process to get the daycare off and running. Council in January turned down inserting pet services as an acceptable use in commercial and industrial zonings, which quashed Pickard and Dorrington’s doggy daycare proposal. But just weeks later, Mayor Walter Jakeway said there had been some confusion when council made its decision and he used a section of the Community Charter to turn back the clock and allow council to reconsider. After a second public hearing, council agreed to insert pet services as a legal use in Commercial-2, Commercial-4 and Industrial-1 city zonings, which allowed Dorrington and Pickard to move forward and find a suitable location for their business.
Hound’s Hangout is located at 1620 14th Avenue in Campbellton. For more information visit the website www.houndshangout.ca or call/text 250-204-0036.