
DATE: Wednesday, November 26, 1997          TAG: 9711260105
SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY PAM STARR 

        STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:  151 lines

DAY CARE GOES TO THE DOGS HOLLY RIDGE MANOR IN VIRGINIA BEACH CATERS TO CANINES WHOSE OWNERS WORK

TINA SUTTON drops off her 7-month-old at day care two days a week.

It's the only way she can get any work done teaching crafts and selling rubber stamps out of her Virginia Beach home.

And Ginger, her ``baby,'' loves it. The field springer spaniel pup enjoys spending time at Holly Ridge Manor Doggie Day Care in Pungo. It's the only place in South Hampton Roads that caters to the remorseful working owners of hyper canines.

A day care for dogs. Who would have guessed?

``The first night she came home, she fell asleep in my arms,'' says Sutton. ``She's never done that before. This has been a lifesaver for me.''

Not long ago, dogs were just dogs.

They ate dog food. They stayed outside. They slept on the floor.

But dogs aren't treated like dogs anymore. They eat people food. They wear clothes. They sleep on the bed. They're treated like children.

So why not day care, too?

Kathryn Eddy, assistant executive director of the American Boarding Kennels Association in Colorado Springs, Colo., says that interest in doggie day care has soared in the past five years. She says it reflects owners' changing attitudes toward their pets.

``Doggie day care is an additional service that a lot of kennels are offering because of the working people,'' says Eddy. ``It's especially popular with those in apartments and cold climates.

``I think there's increased interest because people are taking better care of their pets and themselves.''

That's what Holly Ridge Manor owner Debbie Burroughs is banking on. She meets owners from all walks of life and all stages of anxiety about their pets. Holly Ridge Manor, formerly a veterinary center, also has a pet hotel and a Your

Pet's Activity Center, which includes agility and basic training.

``People feel guilty leaving their dogs at home all day long,'' says Burroughs, who owns a Great Dane named Pickles and Chrissy, a Lhasa apso. ``This is really filling a need.''

Other kennels offer daily care of dogs, but none has the structured day care setting like her facility. Burroughs started the program in August after her veterinarian decided to retire and after she visited Doggie World Day Care in Philadelphia. She had seen the business featured on ``Animal Planet.''

``Doggie World is in the worst part of the city, but once inside, it's beautiful,'' she says.

That may be Burroughs' one drawback - location. She knows that most folks consider her facility to be way out in the boondocks and, therefore, unreachable. But she thinks the location is grand.

``We've got the military and the oceanfront right down the road,'' she says, pointing north. Holly Ridge Manor sits on 60 rural acres off Seaboard Road, which connects to Princess Anne Road, which in turn leads to General Booth Boulevard.

``People will drive the distance for good care,'' Burroughs says.

Burroughs' doggie day care mirrors a children's setting as much as possible.

Dogs have their own cubbies, where owners place their things.

Bears-and-balloons wallpaper, Mickey and Minnie Mouse wallpaper and pastel colors decorate the walls. A fenced-in yard features a Playskool slide, throw toys and a small swimming pool (now drained for the winter).

Every animal's shots must be up-to-date, including the bordatella vaccine, which prevents kennel cough.

Dogs that haven't been around other dogs are socialized (introduced to other dogs slowly) for two weeks before joining the group. The dogs are separated by size, however, because small dogs are easily traumatized by their large counterparts, Burroughs says.

``A lot of people think the dogs are going to fight with each other, but that doesn't happen,'' she says. ``But I wouldn't put this big group in a small area. They need the room.''

They get that space in the football field-size indoor arena, where Burroughs lets them run free and play with each other in the soft dirt.

Large dogs nap in the television lounge, usually in their crates. The smaller dogs nap in an upstairs lounge in playpens or crates. All of the lucky critters are doted upon by loving ``grandparents'' (senior volunteers) who walk them and feed them homemade treats everyday.

Once a week, they bob for slices of hot dogs in a big barrel.

It's canine nirvana, for just $12 a day. Fifteen dollars if the dog stays overnight.

And the program is as structured as a children's day care center. The daily schedule goes something like this:

7 a.m. - Social walks for all dogs.

8 a.m. - Breakfast and social time in the TV room

10 a.m. - Free play in the indoor arena.

Noon - Dogs get either a cookie or a scoop of ice cream before nap time.

3 p.m. - Indoor soccer, more social walks, free play in the yard.

5-6 p.m. - Owners pick up their exhausted animals.

None of the seven dogs that attend Burroughs' day care comes every day. Jim and Tammy Malkin bring their three dogs once every two weeks, as a special treat. Shadow, a black cocker spaniel; Ozzie, a mixed breed; and T.C., a Pembroke Welsh corgi, hate to leave when their owners arrive. They live 10 minutes down the road.

``The last time my wife got them, T.C. wouldn't get in the car,'' says Jim Malkin with a laugh, holding on to Ozzie as T.C. and Shadow dance around him. ``They love it.''

Ginger the field spaniel runs like lightning through the indoor arena, playfully challenging a Jack Russell terrier named Tin Tin.

Tin Tin leaps after the agile female and nips her tail. They chase each other until both are panting heavily. Ginger gulps cold water from a large metal bowl, then lopes after Ozzie. The rest of the pack explore the old horse barn, sniffing under pieces of wood and in the dark crevices.

It's getting close to quitting time, so Burroughs and her assistant, Alicia Abaca, round up the dogs. All come willingly except Tin Tin. Each time they try to put a leash around his neck he dashes off, kicking mounds of dirt in the air.

``Tin Tin! Want cookies?'' Burroughs asks in a falsetto voice, ignoring the wagging tails of the other dogs. ``C'mon, Tin Tin! I have cookies!''

The bribe doesn't work.

Finally, Burroughs chases him to the far corner of the arena and picks him up. Tin Tin relaxes in her arms and allows Burroughs to carry him outside and into the main building.

Sue Current, Tin Tin's ``mother,'' is waiting for her little darling to notice her arrival, but he barely glances her way. She brings him the two days a week that she works longer hours, because she doesn't want to leave him in the garage.

``Look, he doesn't even care that I'm here!'' Current exclaims. ``He's very friendly with other dogs. It never entered my mind to put him in a doggie day care. This place is great.''

Competition from other kennels is probably around the corner, concedes Burroughs, but she isn't worried. She says there are more than enough guilty parents with bored dogs to go around for everybody. Besides, Burroughs is going to add more things, such as paw painting and a VCR that plays doggie videos continuously. She also hopes to have a bus within the next few months to pick up dogs, especially in the Great Neck area.

``There are a lot of owners that are waiting for me to pick up,'' she says. ``I just hope and pray that other kennels pick up on this, because it's so needed.''

Eddy of the national kennel group says that doggie day care will continue to grow.

``Doggie day care is where things are headed for the future,'' says Eddy. ``The public will demand more services. I think it's really great.'' MEMO: For more information on Holly Ridge Manor Doggie Day Care, call

426-6100 or 426-5459. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]

L. TODD SPENCER

The Virginian-Pilot

The resident cat at Holly Ridge Doggie Day Care in Pungo doesn't

seem to mind that pooches get all the attention.

Right: Debbis Burroughs, owner of the day care, with her Great Dane,

Pickles.

L. TODD SPENCER

Dogs visiting Holly Ridge Manor Doggie Day Care, like Posedon, a

Boxer, enjoy a play room.