Doggy day care centre in Cobham celebrates fourth birthday
9:00am Sunday 10th March 2013 in News By Laura Proto
Oh Benny: What are you doing in there?
As the old saying goes, dog is a man’s best friend, and this is certainly the case at Bruce’s Doggy Day Care centre.
The centre, in Cobham Road, Cobham, celebrated its fourth birthday on Wednesday, March 6, and hosted a party for its staff and four-legged friends alike.
Bruce Casalis, 28, set up the business in 2009 and has expanded vastly, with 220 clients now on the books, some of whom have two dogs.
Mr Casalis said: “I had an idea to take dogs somewhere rather than just walking them.
"Many people told me there was no chance of it working because of issues like health and safety, dog mess and so on.
“So I started walking dogs with the intention to open a day care centre.”
Twelve months later, Mr Casalis opened his day care centre and has never doubted his decision.
Owners who send their beloved pets to the centre must do so at least once a week, and this is something Mr Casalis believes is very important.
He said: “It means all the dogs know each other and the staff, and they all get on really well.”
Only social dogs are accepted, and this proved true during my visit to the day care centre for its birthday celebrations.
Along with client numbers expanding since the business started, the land used has also increased.
Starting with one field, the day care centre now has three secure fields available for dogs to freely run around and play with their furry friends.
This means the centre can now take up to 90 dogs a day, with a maximum of 30 dogs per fully-supervised field.
Four years after setting up his business, Mr Casalis said: “I am really proud. To go from people telling me I was slightly crazy to this now is really nice.
“The best thing about my job is the dogs and working outside because I don’t like the idea of being inside all day. The dogs, no matter what, cannot wait to see you. It’s hard to be in a bad mood when they are so happy to see you.
“The dogs enjoy it all the time without fail. It can be snowing, raining or cold but they still love it and are as happy on Friday as they were on the Monday.”
Bruce’s Doggy Day Care now employs 12 members of staff and has six bespoke vans used to pick up dogs from various locations across Elmbridge and south-west London.
For more information, visit brucesdoggydaycare.co.uk.
