In February of this past year, Guy and I had a dilemma. We were going to be having our bathroom remodeled, and it would take four or five days to complete. So, not only would we have to rely on what Guy calls "whore baths" to get clean, but we had to worry about what to do with Lily while the contractors were here. At this point, she still stayed in her crate all day while we were at work, and we knew it would drive her batty to be in there with all the noise and ruckus of three men tearing apart the room directly next to her. But we also knew we couldn't just allow her to stay out of her crate while they were here since she'd surely get in their way and most likely destroy something in the house at the same time. That's when we found Camp Bow Wow.
I had looked at doggy day camps prior to our remodeling extravaganza, but I never followed through because we were tight on cash and none of them were very close to our house. After contacting a few of the daycares in the area and discussing our situation, we decided to go with Camp Bow Wow Pittsburgh South on Killarney Drive in Castle Shannon. They responded the quickest to our inquiries and seemed the most understanding of our situation. In order to qualify your dog for camp, CBW requires what they call an "interview." It's really just a free day of day care where they observe your dog to see how she behaves at camp. I felt like I was taking my baby to her first day of school when I dropped her off. We were confident she would do well, but also nervous that she would be confused or miss us. Boy, we we wrong! Lily was in doggy heaven! She is a very active dog who loves to play, and since we live in a townhouse with no fenced backyard, she rarely has the chance to run off-leash. She met lots of new friends and ran to her little heart's content. Camp allows you to leave your dog there for as long as you'd like on their first visit, but it must be at least three hours for them to get a good analysis of your dog's behavior. We were back in the front door almost exactly three hours after we had dropped Lily off because we couldn't bear to be without her. We hadn't tasted freedom in over six months, so being without a dog to be responsible for was a new feeling (but one we'd soon re-learn to enjoy). Lily came home that day complete with a photo of her on her first day, a cute report card telling us how she had done while we were gone, and a glazed-over look in her eyes that told us she would sleep sound that night.
And that's how our relationship with Camp Bow Wow Pittsburgh South began. After the icky old tub had been replaced with a deep-soak one and the vinyl tile had been replaced with genuine ceramic, we continued to take Lily to camp usually about one day per week. It's a great opportunity for her to release some of her energy and run free, like a dog should.
To sum up our Camp Bow Wow experience, here are some pros and cons:
Pros: Caring staff that treats your dog like their own, long hours (they open at 6:30 and close at 7:00, plus they're open on holidays), well-supervised play (there are counselors in the back with the dogs to ensure play doesn't get too rough), webcams so you can watch what your pup is doing all day
Cons: Price -- though $24 for a full day doesn't break down to much per hour, it can really add up if you plan on taking your dog there often. They do offer discount packages if you buy daycare days in bulk, however.
Risk of injury/sickness -- any time lots of dogs are running and playing together, there's a chance of them getting hurt or passing around a sickness. Lily has gotten mildly injured a few times she's been there, but the staff has always called us promptly and taken good care of her until we arrived.
*One side note -- Camp Bow Wow is a franchise, so although there are multiple locations in the Pittsburgh area, each is owned and operated by private owners and therefore may provide a different daycare experience. I would highly recommend the Pittsburgh South location, as Guy and I and everyone else we know that takes their dog there has been very pleased with their services.
To see if Camp Bow Wow is right for you and your dog, check out their website at www.campbowwow.com/us/pa/pittsburgh2.
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