Customer
Interview with Susan LaDue
What do you do at The Doggie Den?
We help busy pet owners keep their dogs looking and feeling their very best. Our services include supervised daily exercise; socialization; baths; haircuts; manicures; massages; tooth brushing; obedience classes; and behavioral consultations either at home or at The Doggie Den.
How much does it cost?
The salon services, like baths, haircuts and tooth brushing, are priced according to the work involved. Call us at 508-393-6970, describe your dog, and we’ll give you an estimate.
Our play care and exercise services cost $25/day for dogs up to 30lbs; dogs 31 lbs and over cost $30/day. The fee includes supervised play; hourly potty breaks in our fenced-in yard; and lots of attention from our staff. Dogs are never restrained or crated during play time, except if they need a 5-minute time-out. You can reduce the daily fee by prepaying blocks of visits: see "Rates" page, under "Services".
Our obedience classes cost $175.00 for 6 one-hour weekly sessions. Obedience classes meet once a week for an hour for eight weeks in the evening. Behavioral consultations can take place during the day or in the early evening, depending on your needs.
Who will handle my pet, and how did they get qualified to do this work?
In the morning Jennifer Fay supervises the daycare pups and Susan takes over in the afternoon. Kelly Ramsdell, an Algonquin High School student, helps out after school. We're all trained and experienced in handling dogs in packs. Susan has owned The Doggie Den for 10 years, and is a Certified Canine Specialist, as well as an active member of the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters.
Maria Santos manages our grooming shop, and also grooms pets herself. Maria worked as a grooming assistance in our shop for 6 months and then got her Professional Pet Stylist Certificate from PetSmart Grooming School. She groomed dogs at PetSmart and at Especially for Pets in Acton before joining The Doggie Den in January of 2008.
Janet Dexter, our lead trainer, is a Certified Pet Dog Trainer with the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, as well as an experienced canine behaviorist. She has been training dogs professionally for nine years, and her specialty is clicker training. She loves to take her own pups, Lily (Boston Terrier) and Eliot (Miniature Poodle) to agility trials where they have won many prizes. We plan to have Janet teach an agility class at The Doggie Den soon.
Are you a pet store?
No. We provide services that support your family’s relationship with your dog: supervised exercise, salon care, massage, and training. As a courtesy to our clients, we also offer premium dog and cat foods and the very best in collars and leashes.
We go away a couple of times a year, and we can’t take our dog. Will you board him for us?
We don’t board or kennel pets for the general public. At The Doggie Den, dogs play together during the day in bright, spacious, indoor areas; they have to know each other well and get along. On the other hand, dogs who are regularly enrolled in our play care and exercise program are eligible for boarding services since they’re already well known to other members of The Doggie Den family.
Why don’t you board dogs or sell pet store stuff?
At The Doggie Den, we’re about building relationships. We see all of our four-legged clients (and their people) on a regular basis. That’s what I love most about my job. If a pet or her owner have been ill, we care about it, and we’ll adjust our services accordingly. We know every pet’s issues. In fact, our only goal is to enhance your family’s relationship with your pet.
How did you get into the dog services business?