You have to really love animals to work at Pet Suites, owner Michele "Mickey" Rogers said. Training and experience are important, too, but love for the animals is the top criterion.
"Everybody that works here has a sincere love of animals," Rogers said. "They should treat the dogs with love and respect— let the dogs be dogs."
Rogers is admittedly a dog person, but these requirements go for the cats that board at Pet Suites, too. That's why, after two years in a large business condo off Airport Road, she's bought the lot next door and is planning an expansion that will triple her space.
"This is a good business, and we run it with love," she said of her staff. Her full-time staff includes manager Randy Lykins, daily troubleshooter and weekend manager Annelle Torres and groomer Shelanne Guevara. Then there are the "ambassadors," her basset hound Ralph and Torres' Pomeranian Ginger, who greet incoming dogs, escort them to quarters, play with them on the dog runs and accompany them to the "cuddle room"— Rogers' office.
"We all recognize that every dog is an individual. I've got four pugs back there right now, adorable, the same breed, and every one of them is different in temperament and personality from each other," Rogers said. "For instance, one loves to be cuddled, and another doesn't care about cuddling, but he loves to go for walks."
Torres, an experienced kennel technician, was working at another kennel when she quit a year ago to join Pet Suites, she said.
"I didn't like the way that other place was run," Torres said. "At this place here, the care is 99.9 percent better. The dogs get more individual attention, and they're more comfortable with the space. That's important to me."
Lykins has a business background, he said, and is usually found in the small gift shop and check-in station.
"One of the fascinating things about this business is that you meet the public, but the public you meet is always on its best behavior— because you're taking care of their babies," he said with a grin.
Pet Suites offers a range of services, from simple kennel boarding to doggie day care to grooming, in-home pet sitting and cleaning, Rogers said. Boarding is the largest segment of the business. She said her success in boarding animals is based on roomy suites— about 50 percent larger than the usual 4-by-6-foot size— and high standards of cleanliness.
"I'm a big fusser about that," she said. "Our suites and outside spaces get cleaned several times a day, which is why you don't get that 'kennel smell' here."
It's not just the humane way to keep animals, she added— it makes sense from a liability standpoint, too.
Cats at Pet Suites have their own segregated area in the 4,000-square-foot facility, as do toy-to-small dog breeds, in a separate "peanut gallery."
"We don't want anyone feeling intimidated," Rogers said, adding with a grin, "The small dogs can sometimes intimidate the big ones, too, you know."
Rogers, who has been around dogs most of her life, at one time bred Dalmatians until she decided the world has enough pets. Her kennel accepts any breed of dog, she said— except canines that haven't been neutered. "They're just too aggressive," she said.
Boarding prices at Pet Suites depend on the space a dog requires— which may have to do with size or may have to do with temperament— but are usually in the $25-$50 per day range.
Dogs must have proof of vaccinations for rabies (current within 36 months), DHL-P-P (within the last 12 months) and bordetella (within the last six months). Cats must show proof of rabies and FVRCP vaccinations current within one year. Veterinarians can fax the proofs to Pet Suites with previous notice. Any pets showing signs of fleas and/or ticks will be bathed and dipped at the owner's expense.
One area of care that has been consistently expanding is the "day care" program for dogs, Rogers said.
"Dogs are like little kids," she said. "If they get bored, they can get into trouble."
For $20 for six hours or $25 for the full 7:30 a.m.-to-5:30 p.m. day, the dogs can come to Pet Suites and play with other dogs, take naps in clean suites, be cuddled and fed and get treats— and be ready to go home with their two-legged friends at the end of the session.
Rogers said she is careful about which dogs get to play together at any given time. As usual, it's a matter of size and temperament. "The key is to match them up carefully," she said.
A growing slice of the day care customers are tourists, Rogers observed. People come to town and need a place to park Rover while they hit the museums and galleries. The motel room is not a good choice, and the car is a really bad option— afternoon temperatures can roast a dog in a car in a matter of minutes in the summer. Doggie day care is the much better choice.
Pet Suites
ADDRESS: 7502 Mallard Way (off Constellation)
PHONE: 424-7387
ONLINE: www.santafepetsuites.com
