Every dog has his daycare

Given our demanding work schedules and generally busy lives, it's tough to fulfill your doggie's dreams each day. How many times have you felt guilty for working late, and for keeping your canine companion waiting for that much-needed walk?

Thankfully, there are now several reasons for tails to wag and pet owners to breathe a sigh of relief, as free-range doggie daycare and kennel-free boarding businesses are popping up in and around Seattle. With fees comparable to those of most indoor daycare or kennel facilities, these free-range facilities offer lots of open acreage and space to run. Dogs return to their owners dog-tired and happy, and their masters can relax knowing that their pooch has had a busy day, too.

If free-range fun isn't enough, some outfits even offer pick-up and drop-off services, as well as grooming, massage, prepared meals and obedience training. To find the option that's best for you and your four-legged friend, consider the following:

Bone-A-Fide Dog Ranch
Bone-A-Fide Dog Ranch is a bonafide pet paradise offering just about everything a dog (or dog owner) could dream of, from day camp (daycare) and vacation stays (boarding) to grooming and obedience training—on acres of indoor and outdoor off-leash property in Snohomish.

Bone-a-Fide started with a love for dogs and an open mind for open space. "We had four dogs ourselves that we would take to the off-leash parks, and then we started taking our friends' and neighbors' dogs as well," explains dog care specialist Gordon Smith. "Then we recognized the need, began our own business in 1996, and obtained the property in 2000."

Bone-A Fide's vans will venture into Seattle neighborhoods (and as far as Woodinville) picking up dogs for day and overnight stays. "The dogs are very well-behaved and mellow" during the drive, says Smith. "Until, of course, we round the last corner to the ranch. Then they start barking and wagging their tails like crazy—they know where they're going."

Once they arrive at the ranch, dogs have their choice of hangouts, including a 4,100 square-foot heated indoor play space, a "dog house" with spacious bedrooms for overnight guests and five fenced-in acres of free-range roaming space. There's even extra space for extra pups during busy periods at the Disco Dog Ranch annex, just a few miles up the road.

In addition to the fine, four-paw accommodations, dogs can be also be given a spa bath and groom, get a massage by a licensed massage practitioner, or take obedience training classes with canine behaviorist Stephen Paul Pinkston -- all per owner request. All told, it could well be the perfect pup experience — being picked up in the morning, run, fed, trained and groomed by afternoon, then dropped off dog-tired and ready for bed by nightfall.

"It's a great way to get dogs out of the house, give them some much-needed exercise, and socialize them," explains Smith. "And then, owners come home to a healthy, happy, mellow dog at the end of the day."

Service Areas: Seattle proper and North of Seattle (Ballard, Queen Anne, Fremont, Greenwood, University District, Magnolia, Wallingford, Greenwood, Green Lake, Lake City, Northgate, Wedgewood, Edmonds, Lake Forest Park, Kenmore, Bothell, Mill Creek, Woodinville and Clearview).

Services: Pick-up/drop-off, daycare, kennel-free boarding, grooming, massage, obedience training.

• Rates:
• Daycare: $25/day with multiple-day and multiple dog discounts.
• Overnight: $30/night with multiple-day and multiple dog discounts.
• Grooming: Spa bath including all-natural shampoo conditioning $20 (small dogs), $30 (medium dogs), $40 (large dogs); brushing/dematting $20 per 1/2 hour; nail clip $10.
• Massage: 30 minutes/$35, 60 minutes/$60.
• Obedience training: Free initial consultation; $27/session; $22/session for 5 or more sessions.

Super Fun Happy Dog
Super Fun Happy Dog is best known for its big white school bus (and smaller white vans) that transports loads of happy dogs from their homes in the South and Southwest Seattle area to the company's fenced, 7.5-acre doggie fun farm in Ravensdale.

LORI HINTON

Super Fun Happy Dog Bus and super happy 4-legged passenger.

Offering doggie daycare (on Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and kennel-free boarding (daily), the company preaches "Super Fun Happy Dog World Domination," a tagline owners Tiffany and Robert Berry thought up while pondering, "If everybody had a super fun happy dog, wouldn't the world be great?"

The two began their business with dog walks and visits to off-leash parks. But when their waiting list continued to grow, they recognized a growing need and wanted to offer a chance for dogs to be outdoors, running free while their owners were at work. Their idea was to pick up and drop off the dogs (for the ultimate owner convenience), and bring them to their own fenced property, where dogs could have four hours of play on a typical day (instead of one) in a controlled atmosphere with other pre-screened dogs (unlike the dog parks).

And the best way to transport so many soon-to-be-happy dogs proved to be by school bus. The seats were taken out and turned into puppy pens that fit three to five dogs each. The process of loading the bus is much like parents getting their kids ready to go to school.

"When a lot of dogs board the bus for the first time, you'll see parents taking pictures, and even some tears of joy," says Tiffany. "Many people equate their pets with having kids, and this is like their first day of school."

Super Fun Happy Dog will also pick up and drop off your dog if you've already left for the day—an added convenience that's especially helpful whether your dog is just going to daycare, or if you're busy packing to get out of town.

"We know our clients well and are entrusted with house keys and alarm codes so we can let ourselves in to get the dogs while owners are away," Tiffany says.

Once the dogs are loaded up, they head out to an old farm in Ravensdale. The couple converted the farm's outdoor portion into a daytime play area, while the indoor area has been transformed into a boarding house that's complete with radiant floor heating and a big family room with sofas where dogs can stay up and play as late as their owners do.

"When it comes to boarding, it's like having a dog stay with a family friend," says Tiffany. "Only instead of one dog, we have 20 to 30 — and much more space."

Service areas: Burien, Normandy Park, West Seattle, and Downtown.

Services: Pick-up/drop-off, daycare, kennel-free boarding, and grooming.

• Rates:
• Daycare: $23/day with multiple-day and multiple dog discounts.
• Overnight: $30/night with weekend stay and multiple dog discounts.
• Grooming: Nail trim & file $10; Ear cleaning $5; wash/dry/brush $10 (small dog), $15 (large dog).

Camp Happy Paws
Camp Happy Paws is primarily a kennel-free boarding facility that also does doggie day camp. "It's where dogs stay and play while you're away," says Becky Buchanan, who runs Camp Happy Paws with her husband Scott. "We are very homey—a small family-oriented place where your dog will feel comfy bunking for the night."

Camp Happy Paws is located in Bothell on five fenced acres of trails and fields where the dogs can have supervised play and personal attention all day. In the evening, after a day full of fun, socializing and exercising, the dogs retire to a cabin to stay the night.

And while Camp Happy Paws does not include a dog pick-up and drop-off service in its daily rates, for an additional charge you can use a dog chauffeur service called "A-Dashing We Will Go."

Service Areas: Mill Creek, Bothell, Bellevue, Kirkland, Lynnwood, and Everett.

Services: Daycare and kennel-free boarding.

• Rates:
• Daycare: $20/day with multiple-day and multiple dog discounts.
• Overnight: $30/night with multiple-day and multiple dog discounts.

Doggie Haven Resort
Doggy Haven Resort is, in a word, fancy. Inside, dogs romp around a rubber-floored playroom. Outside, they have free reign of Doggy Haven's "hide n' seek" structures and outdoor play areas. It's nothing short of an extended doggie recess, and it all happens under the watchful eye of trained canine companions.

And when the day is done, the worn-out tail-waggers retire to one of the 48 climate-controlled suites complete with fleece beds and light music, not to mention the options of massage and wholesome, specially-prepared cuisine.

Daycare guests are generally required to bring their own dogs, as no drop-off and pick-up services are included in the resort's fees. But if you're really strapped for time and transportation, Doggy Haven will refer you to "Fun Pet Rides", a doggie-driving fleet of chauffeured vans.

Service Areas: Doggy Haven refers dog pick-up and drop-off to Fun Pet Rides which services as far north as Mill Creek (approx. 164th St. SW), as far east as Duvall, and as far south as I-90. See the website for a helpful map: www.funpetrides.com.

Services: Daycare, kennel-free boarding, massage and dog cuisine.

• Rates:
• Daycare: $25/day with multiple-day and multiple dog discounts.
• Overnight: $30-32/night depending on deluxe suites vs. doubles; multiple-day and multiple dog discounts.
• Massage: $5/15-minute increment
• Prepared meals: Small (1/2 cup) $1.50; medium (1 cup) $2.75; large (2 cups) $4.75.