For the Dog Lovers Out There...

Happy holidays everyone! I apologize for not posting here for a bit, as I was out of the country for Thanksgiving. Time to pack up the flip-flops for awhile now! It’s good to be home though - one of the best parts about my return was going to pick up my yellow lab, Pax. We boarded him at the Worcester Animal Rescue League, which has recently added a separate kennel wing that offers incredibly reasonable boarding rates. And the staff at WARL are outstanding! I’ve had nothing but great experiences with them since I first adopted a cat there in 2000.

Another really wonderful option for boarding that’s closer to home is Manilow’s Doggie Daycare in Leominster. (We’ve boarded Pax there before but had already booked WARL for our recent trip.) Doggie Daycare is run by a fabulous woman named Barbara who is clearly a true animal lover. Boarding is a relatively new offering through the center, but we’ve actually been eagerly taking advantage of daycare services for some time now as a special treat for Pax...and for us! Anyone out there with a lab or other similarly energetic dog can appreciate what I mean. They’re a lot of fun, but sometimes it’s nice to have them come home and just fall asleep! There’s no minimum number of visits, so it doesn’t have to be a costly investment.

I had heard about doggie daycare centers over the years, but I guess I always associated them with larger cities. Finding Manilow’s only a few miles away was a nice surprise! The facility is located just off routes 2 and 190 (near Target), making for simple drop-off and pick-up on my commute. The building includes a large indoor space for inclement weather days, a training room, a room filled with crates for napping, and an extensive array of outdoor fenced-in areas. Barbara takes the time to get to know each dog personally, even keeping files detailing each dog’s friends and enemies to ensure optimal playgroup arrangements. Manilow’s also offers some other great services, including bathing and nail clipping as well as a variety of training classes. I’m very grateful that Barbara chose to open her center in our area!