By Bruce Stapley

Puppy Proprietors in Stouffville; More than Just Clever Business Names

Day care centres may have become big business with the advent of the two income family a few decades back. But talk to any dog owner in Stouffville and she will tell you the first number on her speed dial is that of the person responsible for keeping her four legged friend  combed,  cared for  and cooperative.

Dog groomers, trainers and caregivers are thriving here in town. Walk into Groomingdale’s Pet Styling and Obedience Training in downtown Stouffville any weekday afternoon and you’ll see Kelli Gilliss and her able assistant Jennifer Sider hard at it with their clippers and hair dryers, deftly cutting and trimming a poodle or a lab while those pooches either waiting for their turn or ready to be picked up fill the cages that surround the grooming area.

Kelli, a certified groomer, has been grooming dogs professionally for 14 years. She takes pride in her ability to make the grooming experience pleasant for a potentially nervous pup. “We can look after all breeds of dogs and cats, and we specialize in aggressive, difficult to manage and special needs pets,” she said, attributing this skill to her 11 years as an obedience instructor. She’s also a member in good standing of CAPPDT (Canadian Association of Professional Pet Dog Trainers).

Across the street, Darlene Johnson and her staff  are busy tending to the daily needs of their charges at K9’s in Kahoots. Fresh from their precedent-setting court victory allowing them to continue to run a doggie daycare centre in Stouffville, Darlene and her assistants provide supervised play time, physical and mental stimulation, and yummy dog treats for the animals left in their care each weekday.

The dogs get to take naps in comfortable beds, are subject to fun training of the basics of good doggie behaviour, and are taught to make nice with the other dogs in the compound. Darlene is certified in Pet First Aid, and specializes in socialization and training of puppies, offering obedience, beginner, intermediate and trick classes. “Development of social skills is a very important part of what we do here,” insisted Darlene, who has 11 years of obedience training experience.

K9’s in Kahoots also includes a  retail doggie boutique including dog cookies with names like ‘Livericious’ and  ‘Benny Bully’s’, as well as suede bottomed Muttluks boots for dogs, and toys with names like ‘Zanies’. Our kids never had it this good!

Walk into Debbie Reynolds’ house and you’ll likely be greeted by Batman, a Great Dane the size of a small horse. With his name inspired by a marking on his chest that looks just like the Batman symbol,  this huge but docile animal  is one of two exotic dogs owned by Debbie, who owns Life’s Ruff Dog Training. Debbie, whose other dog is a Chinese Crested, has been putting Stouffville and Markham area dogs through their paces for 13 years.

Her list of credentials is as long as one of Batman’s legs: She’s a certified dog trainer and behaviour consultant and is also certified in Pet First Aid. She was recently awarded the Trainer of the Year award by PawsWay Pet Discovery Centre, and is a member of the St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog Program along with her two dogs. She was a 2004 Canadian Association of Professional Pet Dog Trainer co-chair nominee, is a Canadian Canine Good Neighbour Test Evaluator, a PawsWay on-site expert, and has made a Rogers TV Daytime guest appearance. She also finds time to be a contributor to Animal Wellness Magazine and was a feature expert trainer at ‘Woofstock’ 2006.

Nuff said!

So if you are looking  for someone to look after Rover when you’re at work, or want to have him trained, groomed or just plain indulged, you need look no further than your own back yard here in town. Because if it is indeed a dog’s life, it’s a good one to be sure in Stouffville!

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