Have you met our pack leaders? Husband and wife team, Tony and Jamie Caruso are the proud owners of two Camp Bow Wow Franchises, one in Saint Clair Shores, Michigan and the other in Springfield, Missouri.
A man and his dog
The Caruso family Camp Bow Wow story all started in April of 2007. Tony’s Hungarian Vizsla, Abby, ignited Tony’s passion for dogs and drove his entrepreneurial spirit to invest in a Camp Bow Wow. As Tony worked to grow the Camp business, his personal pack also grew…by four.
Abby’s relationship with Tony crossed the “Man’s best friend” boundary into what he refers to as “jealous ex-girlfriend” territory. However, Abby has graciously learned to share the man in her life with three other women in his: Jamie – his wife, Ella – their adorable daughter (born in 2011), Bella – a Mastiff that thinks she is a lap dog, that the family adopted in 2012 and an Abyssinian cat (born in 2007), that thinks he’s a dog…named Louie. He is Ella’s partner in crime and often the victim to her fashion prowess. When Louie isn’t causing trouble with the dogs or meowing for attention, he can usually be seen in the season’s latest fashions (i.e. Ella’s accessories).
Ella is clearly the pride of the pack (shh, don’t tell Abby!) and has grown up in a house full of animals. She’s part dog trainer, part dancer and part fashionista. When she’s not performing her latest dance moves in front of a captive audience (i.e. Bella, Abby and Louie) you can find her accessorizing with tutus and glittery sneakers.
Growing Camp!
As dog lovers, the Caruso family love what they do. They were excited to grow their pack even more when the opportunity arose to take on a second location in Springfield, Missouri in March of 2015 . With a great team of Camp Counselors at both locations, they were able to make this expansion and bring their passion for dogs to Springfield!
They feel right at home in the Camp Bow Wow Franchise as they are both pet owners themselves. Being able to fetch peace of mind for pet parents is something they understand from both sides of the fence. The opportunity that Camp Bow Wow brings to foster and further the relationship between man and his best friend, is an opportunity that’s just too good to pass up.
Community Outreach
The family cares and loves being involved in their camp local communities. Tony and Jamie’s passion for animals allows them to help with charity fundraising and participation with multiple rescue groups in Saint Clair Shores and Springfield. They host bite prevention readings with the “Scout Says, Dogs Get Nervous Too” book at Ella’s school and other local elementary schools and libraries. They donate the use of their training center to a local rescue group to host adoption events on the weekends, and Tony also uses his Behavior Buddies knowledge and experience to train volunteers at our local rescues and work with the dogs on a one-on-one basis. You may even catch Tony dressed up in the Scout mascot suit at our events.
Outside of Camp
When Tony and Jamie aren’t busy scratching butts in the play yards at Camp you can usually find them in Downtown Detroit at a Lions or Tiger’s game, in Kansas City watching a Royals baseball game, or hitting the links for a game of golf (Jamie supervises the cart).
Next time you are at Camp, make sure to say hi to Tony and Jamie!