What do dogs do?

Doggie Day Care/Pet-Sitting

| 2016 Q1 | story by TARA TRENARY | photos by STEVEN HERTZOG

Home Sweet Home Dog Resort

It’s not difficult to figure out that Lawrencians really love their pets. Take a walk down Mass Street or a jog out by Clinton Lake, and see how many dogs you spot happily trotting along with their owners. East and West side alike, these college town folks know a thing or two about having pets.

In the United States, 65 percent of households own a pet, according to the 2015-2016 National Pet Owners Survey, conducted by the American Pet Products Association. Americans spent more than $60 billion on their pets last year alone. It’s no wonder there are so many businesses dedicated to this billion-dollar industry.

Whether you have to board your pet overnight while you go on a business trip, need a person to bathe her once a month or walk him once a day, or just want a place to drop your friend so he can get in some quality romp time, Lawrence has the perfect fit for you.

Home Sweet Home Dog Resort

Home Sweet Home Dog Resort

Anthony Barnett didn’t always know he wanted to work with animals. With a degree in business from Baker University in hand, Anthony only knew that he wanted to start a small business, and that doggie daycare was a growth industry. So in 2004, he bought Home Sweet Home Dog Resort with an eye toward developing a small business, and a passionate career working with dogs was launched.

Home Sweet Home Dog Resort

“I’ve always connected with people and with animals, but the passion really followed the choice,” he says.

When he first bought the Resort, Anthony depended on his staff’s knowledge and know-how when it came to the dogs. He spent hours upon hours researching and taking in every bit of information he could to better the business. What started as a drive to make the business the best it could be turned into a passion for the dogs themselves.

Home Sweet Home Dog Resort

But it was a personal bout with anxiety and a passion for helping abused dogs that led Anthony to found the Symbiotic Behavioral Treatment Center, a nonprofit dedicated to treating PTSD and stress and anxiety disorders using the human/canine bond. “Pit Bulls have connected me with people in a way I never knew they could,” he says.

Combining his work with animal cruelty survivors and veterans, while incorporating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) through the Treatment Center is one way Anthony’s passions began to manifest themselves. “I started seeing parallels between the dogs I was working with and the people I was volunteering with,” he explains. “What I really get from working with dogs and with veterans is I feel like those are two groups that make a commitment to me without asking anything in return.”

Home Sweet Home Dog Resort

Since buying Home Sweet Home, Anthony’s passion for dog training and care, and also this interaction between dogs and humans, has compounded. Along with founding the Symbiotic Behavioral Treatment Center, he completed the Triple Crown Dog Training Academy Distance Education Program; has served on the Lawrence Humane Society Board of Directors; advises the Board of Directors for Kansas City Pet Project; is founder of Game Dog Guardian (a nonprofit whose mission is outreach with the human/canine bond, working with human and canine trauma survivors, and therapy dog outreach); works with the Topeka VA Hospital with his two therapy dogs; conducts dog-safety education classes in schools; works with Kansas City Marching Cobras running a program that brings together kids and his therapy dogs; advises law enforcement on dog fighting and aggressive dog threats, developing tactics to reduce dog shootings by police; and consults cities and states on dangerous dog laws and best practices.

But his day-to-day commitment to Home Sweet Home and his dog packs remains his first priority. “A well-rounded offering can help provide a well-rounded life for dogs and humans,” he explains. “People aren’t the only ones suffering from a sedentary lifestyle.”

Home Sweet Home offers doggie day care, boarding and grooming, with a full training program in the works. Its focus is on providing dogs with mental and physical stimulation, as well as socialization—giving dogs a place to just be dogs. Its main goal is to make everyone happy, both dogs and their owners.

“Anthony’s vision for the day care is more than just a place for people to drop their dogs off,” says Laura Falkenstien, a manager at Home Sweet Home. “It’s a place that can impact the lives of dogs. Anthony desires to improve the mental health of these dogs through exercise, mental stimulation [and]canine and human interaction.”

A typical day at Home Sweet Home consists of caring for about 50 to 80 day care dogs at one time. Anthony’s 12 employees are well-trained and do everything from cleaning to grooming to managing play groups. They also fit in some training during the day as well as tours for prospective clients.

“Working at a dog day care is an extremely unique experience because there are very few other jobs that involve working with a pack of dogs,” explains Sage Dragen, also a manager at Home Sweet Home. “We know we are doing our job well when the dogs are excited for their time with us, and that’s an extremely rewarding aspect of the job.”

Though the industry itself is largely unregulated, Anthony’s standards are high, and he’s always trying to take his business to the next level. “I have to be good. I have to deliver,” he says. “We can’t cheat with a piece of paper. I have to be good at what I do.”

That next level for Home Sweet Home started with the hiring of a trainer and the goal of opening a new facility on the west side of Lawrence with full-time training available. “We have a unique expertise and longevity of experience,” Anthony explains. “I want this service to be available to as many as possible.”

Visit homesweethomedogresort.com for more information.



Lawrence Pet Friends

Lawrence Pet Friends

Denise Van Sickel has had an affinity for animals since she was a young child and always wanted to be a veterinarian. And though she didn’t actually follow her dream into that field, her passion and love of animals, and ultimately a really bad day at work, were the driving forces that pushed her to start her local pet-sitting business, Lawrence Pet Friends, in 2005.

Van Sickel’s background in the corporate world helped prepare her to run her own business, and her compassion and passion for animals from an early age is the force behind the success of her business. On top of that, she knew she couldn’t board her own dogs when she traveled. “My philosophy has always been that a love for animals and the ability to provide care as each client desires is the formula to succeed,” she explains. “Happy, well-cared-for animals equal happy clients.”

Van Sickel is self-taught, but her strong business and marketing background, along with her passion, have helped Lawrence Pet Friends succeed for 10 years. The company is a member of Professional Pet Sitters International, a support organization that helps hold pet-sitters accountable to the high expectations of clients and a is resource for the industry. Her objective is to provide a better alternative to boarding through in-home, stress-free care for pets. She believes pets fare better when they can stay in their own homes when their owner is away.

Lawrence Pet Friends started 11 years ago and was initially just Van Sickel visiting all of the pets, but now she employs 25 part-time pet-sitters and dog walkers. Her employees set their own schedules, allowing them the freedom of a job that fits into their lifestyles. Lawrence Pet Friends employs a wide range of people—working moms, college students, singles, married people with grown kids—to provide pet care to its more than 500 clients, many who have used the company for years and new clients who mostly learned about the company through word of mouth.

Lawrence Pet Friends

The company operates 365 days a year and customizes pet care for each client’s needs, including special needs pets and administering medications. The Lawrence Pet Friends team not only provides in-home pet-sitting, daily dog walks, potty breaks and assistance with puppy house/crate training at clients’ homes but also offers small things such as turning on/off lights, watering flowers, bringing in mail and packages, and even house-sitting services for clients without pets. About 30 percent of the clientele are commuters to either Topeka or Kansas City who can’t get home during the day to walk their dogs.

Lawrence Pet Friends supports the Lawrence Humane Society, where Van Sickel served on the board for many years. She was a member of the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce and is a graduate of Leadership Lawrence. Many of her staff also do volunteer work with nonprofit organizations relating to animals.

“To me, it’s not about getting a bunch of clients,” Van Sickel says. “It’s about providing the best care to the animals of Lawrence. Every single decision I make as owner of Lawrence Pet Friends is based on what is best for the pets of Lawrence and also for my loyal, awesome staff who feel the same way.”

Visit lawrencepetfriends.com for more information.



Wagmore Canine Enrichment

Wagmore Canine Enrichment

A “problem dog” eventually led Jerri Johnson to begin studying dog training and behavior modification, which ultimately blossomed into her company, Wagmore Canine Enrichment. Though she thought she wanted to be a veterinarian as a child, she realized there were many other ways she could work with animals.

In 2011, she and her business partner, Jeannene Loewenstein, started Wagmore primarily as a dog-training company. But within a short period of time, they realized their clients needed other services, as well. So they expanded their offerings to include walking, day care, boarding and sitting, as well.

“Our mission is to enrich the lives of canines by fostering understanding and respect through education, community service and providing high-quality, professional service,” she says.

Wagmore is committed to helping solve problems for owners, whether tending to daily needs such as walking or focusing on deeper issues such as behavior problems.

Wagmore Canine Enrichment

Johnson has a bachelor’s degree in organismal biology and a master’s degree in business. Loewenstein has a master’s degree in education. Both have vocational-technical certificates in dog training from the Animal Behavior College, as well as certificates as pet-care technicians from the Pet Care Services Association, formerly the American Boarding Kennel Association. They are Certified Professional Dog Trainers-Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) from the Certification Council for Professional Dog Training and complete continuing education credits, including seminars on animal behavior, health and husbandry, in order to stay current in their field and remain certified. They are also members of Heartland Positive Dog Training Alliance.

With two full-time and two part-time employees, in addition to the owners, Wagmore offers behavior problem-solving, group and private training, dog walking and day care, overnight boarding and pet-sitting. The company strives to “create a bond between pets and their families that is based on mutual respect.” They rely on nonaversive, science-based training methods that use reinforcement rather than punishments in both training and day care.

Wagmore Canine Enrichment

With 20 to 30 day care dogs per day as well as a few boarders, employees spend their days monitoring group play, going off-site for training appointments and covering walking and sitting assignments. Group classes are held in the evenings, and private, in-home training is also offered.

Visit wagmoreinc.com for more information.

These days, pets are a huge part of many of our everyday lives. They offer us the companionship we desire in return for little more than a walk or a cuddle. And as their companions, most of us are willing to spend the extra time and money necessary to make sure our friends are well taken care of. Whether it be day care, boarding, walking, sitting, training or just a friendly greeting here and there, Lawrence has a company that can help with all of your pets’ needs.