Page 20 - The Peorian Vol 3 Issue 1 Winter

20 thePeorian.com
COME AND GET IT!
My Dog’s Bakery offers treats and much more
By Paul Gordon
Specialty Retail: Pets
“Dogs are not our whole life.
But they make our lives whole.”
T he above quote from the
late American wildlife
writer and photographer
Roger Caras conveys a belief
shared by Vicky Gardner, the
owner of My Dog’s Bakery Day-
care & Grooming in the Metro
Centre.
That’s why she gave up a
chance for a sweet income as
a chief financial officer for a
company in order to buy the
retail store five years ago. It’s a
decision she does not regret, she
said recently while kneeling in
her store to pet the two pups that
‘patrol’ it during the day.
“I love what I’m doing,” said
the native of Michigan who has
been in Peoria since 1979. “It’s
because of the dogs. I love the
dogs and I want all dogs to be
well cared for. We do that here.”
It is common to walk into
the store and immediately be
inundated by the sound of dogs
barking. A quick search for the
source brings you to a window
through which you can watch
any number and variety of dogs
frolicking in a large room. They
may be chasing balls, a variety
of toys or even each other while
playing.
These are the dogs that are
clients of the daycare at the store.
While it is fun to watch them,
an observer may be struck by
how well they seem to be getting
along with each other.
“Some are better behaved
than others, naturally. But that is
why we require all dogs be on a
leash when they come in to the
main part of the store,” Gardner
said. “But we really don’t have
any problems we can’t handle. It
hasn’t been an issue.”
The dogs also are required to
be vaccinated before they’ll be
accepted into the daycare.
Doggie daycare centers are a
growing trend, she said, largely
among young professionals and
empty nesters — people who
don’t need child daycare. “Those
are the people who seem to be
our niche, along with single
women. They are the people
who want their dog to go to a
daycare,” she said.
At her store daycare clients get
play time, activity time, treats
and are taken for walks outside.
They are supervised at all times,
Gardner said.
“It has become more
commonplace in the last 10 to 15
years and I think that’s largely
because of empty nesters that
may not have kids at home but
still have busy lifestyles,” she
said.
Shown are some of the treats that are baked at My Dog’s Bakery Daycare & Grooming in the Metro Centre.