My wife Isel and I moved from Illinois to Florida four years ago. We brought along our two "furkids"- our Miniature Pinscher, Nina, and our Boston Terrier Mix, Pancho. At the time, we lived in St. Pete and worked doing outside sales for the same company while traveling to Naples, and occasionally Orlando, on a weekly basis. Isel and I had no family in town and we constantly had to juggle our work travel schedules to accommodate the dogs. While one of us traveled, the other would stay home and vice versa which meant many nights spent apart. We then began researching doggie daycares and boarding facilities throughout the west coast of Florida and Orlando. We visited a few, but only one made us feel like our dogs were truly loved and would provide a safe place they could play while we were gone. Nina and Pancho loved going to daycare and would wag their tails as we approached the facility. When we would pick them up, they would fall asleep instantly, exhausted from all the fun that had that day. This behavior eased our feelings of guilt and even allowed us to go on vacations without remorse.
Isel and I had always talked about one day having our own business. Everyday we visited the doggie daycare, we spoke of how wonderful it would be to own a similar facility. Back in Chicago, we had been able to dog sit from time to time and loved caring for other people’s dogs while they were away. One day, a family friend, a veterinarian from New York, suggested we look into starting a Camp Bow Wow franchise.
It all began with an informational conference call in which the founder, Heidi Ganahl, passionately described how she started her company. At Camp Bow Wow, we discovered a family owned and operated franchise system in which all members treated each other as friends and extended family. Isel and I knew we had found what we were looking for. As franchisees, we all attend corporate training, we all share stories, dog behavioral techniques, best cleaning practices, security measures, etc. The strength of our network makes us better every day. The only thing we don’t have to learn is how to love the dogs- that is the easy part, it comes naturally to us!
Come by our camp and take a look for yourself. I hope we can exceed your expectations and assure you that your doggy (or doggies) will be loved, pampered and safe while under our care!
I look forward to your visit!
