Tamara Dickin had never taken Bella, a year-and-a-half old, to daycare, until the spring of 2018.

Both Dickin and Bella fell in love with the home-away-from-home environment. Now, she takes her shepherd-cross to daycare a few times a week.

Fella & Fetch in Regina is one of many dog-oriented businesses in the country, from dog-walking, grooming, and daycare services, to retail products like food, collars, and leashes.

Dogs are big business in Canada. According to Statistics Canada, the country spends about $4.8 billion on pets and pet food, and over $3.4 billion on vet bills and other services, representing the growing pet industry.

Doggy daycare franchises like Dogtopia have over 90 locations in North America, including stores in Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. But upscale doggy daycares and “hotels” have been relatively slow to catch on in Saskatchewan.

From the elegant exterior, to modern indoor decor, Fella & Fetch is not an ordinary dog kennel.

Entering the building, the front area offers a retail section, including freeze dried salmon and other natural dog foods on wooden shelves, with labels handwritten in chalk.

In the back, there are 44 individual “suites” for boarding dogs, each equipped with their own beds. The facility also includes an open indoor area which, during the day, can be separated into different sections with pull-out fences for different play groups. During the evening, the area opens for training.

Outside, there are three outdoor areas dogs can play in, including an area with play structures, and a long run where dogs can frolic and play fetch.

The original idea for the business did not include doggy daycare – it was going to strictly be a dog training facility, started by Jodi Berger and May Fischer, two Regina women with a passion for dog training.

But when it came to a business plan, they realized Fella & Fetch was not going to survive on training alone – which is where Miranda Michell, now manager, stepped in.

“It is 5,000 square feet, so unfortunately, just to do training alone, it was not going to survive,” she said.

Now, Fella & Fetch, which opened in April 2018, has become a “one-stop shop for canines,” offering daycare, boarding, grooming, and retail.

Boarding prices vary from $45 for one night, to $800 for an unlimited month, while daycare prices vary from $21 for a half day and $28 for a full day to $300 for unlimited half days a month, and $400 for unlimited full days a month.

The daycare is bustling with dogs but there is only room for a maximum of 60. According to Michell, daycare numbers vary on how many dogs are boarding.

For a dog to get into the daycare or boarding programs, they must go through an assessment process.

“We have taken things fairly slow, to make sure every dog coming into the facility is fully assessed. We want to eliminate the potential for any accidents,” Michell said.

“In this type of environment, working with dogs, accidents could happen easily. So, it is a fine line of managing growing the business but making sure you are managing the processes in the back as well.”

When a dog first comes in, a staff member is dedicated to it, letting it get a feel for the facility, and then determining what its play style is. From there, the staff can determine what play group would be the best fit.

“Every dog’s play style is a little bit different. We are trying to match them up into really good play groups they are going to thrive in,” Michell said.

But not every dog is accepted.

If there are any red flags, such as if a dog shows signs of aggression towards other dogs, Michell said they may suggest further training, and if they are making progress, the dog may go through another half day assessment.

If the dog is not making progress, or if they are not going to thrive in the daycare environment, Michell said the dog would not be let into the facility.

“It is honestly the best for their dog. If their dog is not going to be in a social atmosphere all day long, the last thing we want to do is have it sitting in a kennel all day,” she said.

Right now, Michell said their focus is to “make the best out of the facility that they can make it.” But there is a possibility of expanding in the future.

The boarding program only began in November, and it is one of the areas they would like to expand, Michell said. One of the unique things about the boarding program is that a staff member is on site 24 hours a day, so the dogs are never alone.

But, according to Michell, having someone looking after the dogs 24 hours a day was a bit of a risk.

“We have somebody here 24/7 whether there are two dogs staying here a night, or 40. So obviously, until the boarding side of the business grows, there’s a risk business-wise,” she said.

“I don’t believe there is another facility offering 24/7 care where the dogs are socializing all day long and somebody is there watching over them through the night as well,” Michell said. “We are trying to offer a totally different level of care to our clients.”