Ohio -- For many people, dogs are part of our family -- and part of our pocketbooks.
It’s estimated that more than $72 billion will be spent in the United States this year on the pet industry, according to the American Pet Products Association, and for many, a chunk of that goes towards boarding animals.
- Owners can drop off or pick up their dogs 24/7
- 24 Hours of pet sitting costs $40
- Co-owner Amy Forrester says she created the business after finding a lack of dog boarding place that accommodated her atypical work hours
But scheduling your dog’s vacation can sometimes be as hectic as scheduling your own.
That was the case for pitbull Donny Bag O'Donuts' human, Amy Forrester.
No matter what, she couldn't exhaust his energy supply.
“I was looking for some place I could take my dog to get him socialization, get him just a ton of exercise, and really work that energy out," she said.
A natural answer was doggy daycare. But she worked primarily afternoon and evening shifts in her manufacturing job, and found it hard to find somewhere to board the dog while she worked. She said most places are open until only 7 p.m., and that didn't fit her schedule.
“I thought to myself, ‘there’s got to be a better way,'" she said. "And not just for me, not just for second shifters or people who wait tables or nurses and doctors, not for the broad variety of people who work off-shift. But just regular people. If you work nine-to-five, sometimes you want to go to the grocery store, or the gym, or happy hour, but you have to go wherever your dog is first, take them home first, and take care of all of that. And once you're home, you don't want to go anywhere else."
And with that, the ball was rolling on what eventually became Stay Dog Daycare.
Forrester immersed herself in the dog boarding business, attending national expos on the topic and getting certified in dog CPR. She later left the manufacturing industry and now works at Stay full time.
The business is located in Cleveland's Gordon Square neighborhood, where owners can drop off or pick up their dogs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
That flexibility is vital for Forrester and her co-owner, Sara, a Cleveland firefighter who also has an off-beat schedule.
“That was one of the main things my business partner Sara and I wanted to do, was provide that service for people, because that service wasn’t available for us when we needed it," she said.
A 24-hour stay at the daycare costs $40, and the space offers other smaller blocks of time for various prices.