ANIMAL lover Adele Moore is about to launch a new Coalville venture that will give dog owners – or 'parents' as she prefers to call them – peace of mind about their pets' happiness and welfare while they are at out at work or otherwise away from home for the day: a canine day centre.

 Adele gained the inspiration for her new centre – named Every Dog Has Its Daycare – when she started volunteering for pets charity the Cinnamon Trust in her native Cornwall.

At that time her working background was in editing newspapers, but she had always been hugely fond of keeping and looking after small mammals such as rabbits and hamsters.

 

However, her experience at the Cinnamon Trust, where volunteers look after dogs whose owners are no longer able to exercise or fully look after their pets through becoming elderly or through illness, proved to be a revelation.

She found that she formed a particularly special bond with a dog named Boris, so much so that she decided that from now on looking after dogs was what she wanted to do.

 

After Adele met Boris, she started volunteering regularly at a dog daycare centre near Truro and often chatted to a woman named Elaine who runs a smaller centre in Cornwall called Doggy Daycare.

Through these chats Adele realised that she would love to do something similar and a move to Leicestershire to join her fiancé Drew, living in Whitwick, provided the opportunity to make a life and career change.

 

With Elaine continuing to mentor her from Cornwall, Adele has formed her own special plans and ideas for a canine daycentre with lots of classes and activities to keep dogs and puppies engaged while also keeping things bright and cheerful for pet parents by incorporating her flair for colourful design and use of bright colours.

 

Now, having secured the necessary planning approvals from the local authority, construction of Adele's new centre at Broom Leys Farm, Broom Leys Road, is due to be completed at the end of July, with the concrete for the flooring and so on having been poured in the last few weeks.

Adele and Drew will then have around two months to 'rainbow it up' in their favoured design scheme before opening in September or October, depending on the Covid-19 situation and rules by that stage.

Adele will be keeping people up to date with the exact opening date through the local free ads.

 

Clients intending to bring their pets to the centre are required to go through a registration process, so they will need to contact Adele to obtain the necessary forms.

These help to ensure that pets are suitable to socialise with other dogs and puppies at the centre, and that pet parents can be contacted easily should any need arise. Adele has eight dogs enrolled already, even before the centre is finished and open.

 

So what will a typical day at Every Dog Has Its Daycare involve? Well, for a start there will be separate groups and classes for puppies and older dogs.

 

As regards puppies, it's worth noting that this is a hugely important stage in any dog's development which can help shape its life and behaviour in the future.

Adele's centre aims to help train puppies so they are ready and able to go to the groomers, the vet and to different living areas and scenarios around the home.

 

At the centre there will also be different toys available to keep the puppies entertained – such as chew toys.

As well as there being some relaxation times, there will also be interactive games and activities that the puppies can enjoy, while also keeping up training requirements such as obeying basic commands or other training meeting specific needs of pet parents.

 

As regards adult dogs visiting the centre, there will be an outdoor arena and activities to encourage them to get energetic, including a trampoline and climbing equipment plus a rainbow-coloured and fun 'caterpillar' tube that they can crawl through.

There will also be an agility centre to provide indoor activities for dogs when this is needed, plus areas where dogs can enjoy some 'down time' and go and have a nap.

 

Other imaginative and fun activities for the adult dogs include colourful pawprint making, water play and chasing bubbles – in short all sorts of activities that can help keep them engaged.

Another game Adele envisages being on offer is 'find it', where an object or lure is placed out of sight and then the dogs can use their noses to go and find where it is hidden.

There will also be a special area where they can go and play with other dogs.

 

In addition, leads should be provided by parents so dogs can be taken for a walk, or given training that stops them from pulling or biting on leads. Instead there will be different toys available that they can chew on, and another entertaining feature will be a paddling pool that they can go in when the weather gets hot.

 

As regards feeding of pets using the centre, adult dogs will not be fed during the day. But in the case of puppies, parents will need to bring them to the centre with a packed lunchbox of their preferred food. As regards pets which are on medication, Adele will need written instructions from the dog's parents on how to administer it appropriately.

 

When it comes to dogs with shaggy fur, the centre can carry out grooming but not the cutting of such coats. Pet parents should also let the centre know about any other special requirements they may have regarding their dog or puppy.

 

Opening times at Every Dog Has Its Daycare will be from 7am to 6pm, and it is policy that at the end of the day dogs must be collected by the parents before 6pm, because local authority licensing regulations stipulate that the centre should not have dogs on site after that time.

Therefore a late collection fee will be imposed if a dog is not collected by 6pm. The exact drop-off and collection times for each dog will need to be worked out beforehand between Adele and the parents, and there is plenty of on-site car parking available at the centre.

 

As regards obtaining qualifications for her new role, in preparation for opening Every Dog Has Its Daycare Adele has undertaken and studied for a large number of courses to ensure she has all the skills required. These have included:

•Canine first aid and CPR.

•Animal behaviour.

•Inside your dog's mind.

Providers of these courses have included Online Academy and Tutor Me, and to obtain her licence for the centre from the local authority Adele has also been diligent in completing a large raft of policy and procedure documentation governing staffing and visitors and volunteers using the site and so on.

 

Every Dog Has Its Daycare is situated close to the wonderful environment of the National Forest, a great place for dogs to exercise. If you are considering a career in dog care then contact Adele, as once the centre opens she will be on the lookout for volunteers who enjoy meeting dogs and helping to walk them and keep them entertained. You can email her at [email protected]

 

Other things that pet parents should note regarding the centre is that although every effort will be made to keep the dogs clean, it is possible that they may get a little messy after taking part in some of the activities at times. The aim is to keep up a happy atmosphere, and Adele hopes to run regular competitions in which rosettes are awarded for, say, Top Dog, though whether this will be on a weekly or monthly basis she has not yet decided.

 

Another fun service available that will use Adele's particular skills is dog photography, helping to capture for parents candid and relaxed shots of special moments when their pet is having fun or socialising. She also aims to write regular reports for each dog's parents, highlighting how their pet is getting on with certain activities and with any training or socialising skills they are undertaking at the centre.

 

As a special touch she has also teamed up with a very talented 'in-house artist' gifted at drawing and painting animals, so for an extra fee you could have a portrait done helping to capture the special and individual character of your pet.

 

Clearly Every Dog Has Its Daycare will be a wonderful place for dog parents to take their pets while they are at work. However, there are some special rules to bear in mind while the current Covid-19 restrictions are in force. First, when visiting the centre, please respect social distancing rules while other people are being dealt with in the reception area, and use the sanitiser provided. Also, if you have recently suffered from Covid please do not visit the centre.

 

In addition, some types of dog lead are believed to be more likely to potentially harbour the virus, namely those made of plastic or metal. Therefore if bringing a pet to the centre please use a fabric, material or soft lead.

 

Other health-related requirements are that male dogs over the age of one visiting the centre need to be neutered, and female dogs should be kept away from the centre when in season. Please note that the centre cannot take aggressive or under-socialised dogs, and also note that pet parents will need to bring their dogs to, and pick them up from, the centre at the start and end of the day.

 

It rather sounds as if the dogs will be raring to get there though, and that under the care of Adele and her team they will be having more fun during the day than their humans will!

For more information or to register your interest visit  Every Dog Daycare or [L]www.facebook.com/everydogdaycare/[L+] Every Dog Daycare Facebook Page