Hamilton daycare really goes to the dogs

MARK TAYLOR/ Waikato Times

DOG DAY AFTERNOONS: Yvonne at home with the dogs from the Chartwell Puppy Creche.

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It's a creche like no other – leashes hang in the lockers, fur-covered mattresses fill the sleep-room and teeth-punctured balls lie on the grass outside.

But manager Honor Wilson wouldn't have it any other way, Chartwell Puppy Creche is a daycare for dogs.

Mrs Wilson's mother, Yvonne, started the business five years ago in their family home in Chartwell with a council consent to look after two dogs.

Since then the business has grown and, after getting approval from their neighbours, they now have a consent for 14 dogs.

Doggy daycares are well-established in the United States, and it was obvious that there was a gap in the market for the same sort of service in Hamilton, she said.

"It was about the double income and no kids people who treat their dogs like their kids."

Originally they thought they would be catering to people with puppies but as the business grew the women realised owners would be reticent about leaving their dogs at home alone once they had been to the creche.

So now they take all ages and breeds and there have been very few complaints about barking.

"It is not like when you turn up to the SPCA and you will hear all of the barking. That is because the dogs cannot get out of their cages to each other and they cannot get to the humans," said Mrs Wilson.

"Whereas here, they are not caged and they are free to run around in the backyard so there is very little barking."

At a cost of $2 an hour the creche was an economical option for keeping loved dogs safe and satisfied, she said.

"The dogs that come here are treated like members of the family; their owners know they are well cared for," Mrs Wilson said.