This was a tough decision to make. For 15 years WOOFS! has been offering daycare at our Ballston location. There is where WOOFS! started. It was here, in 2002 that I was able to follow my dreams and jump from science to a career in dog training.
Since then I have learned a lot. I was able to fulfill a lot of what I dreamed about. A well run daycare where the behavior of the dogs was the most important thing. I have met so many great dogs and great owners, many of whom have given me the greatest honor by returning to WOOFS! with their next generation of dogs.
There has also been a lot of learning. Over the years I have come to realize that not all dogs love daycare. For even the most gregarious, being in daycare for 8 to 12 hours can be too much. Realistically, a 4 or 5 hour day is more than enough. We are working to create a daycare environment that meets the needs of dogs better.
I have also learned that finding good people to help manage all of the dogs who want to attend our daycare is probably the biggest challenge of all. While WOOFS! has had some AMAZING people work in our daycare through the years, the great people never stay long enough. Filling their boots is a constant struggle.
I am looking forward to doing more training and consolidating our daycare services in one location. We are hoping to take daycare and boarding to the next level with a smaller more personalized daycare and boarding service. I will be forever grateful to all of the WOOFS! Ballston clients who helped take my little dream and grow it into a career that I love.
Much love,
Laura Sharkey
