At the end of the day, dogs are tired at a new doggy daycare in Old Town.
After an extensive interior renovation of the second floor above The Dog Park at 705 King Street, the new owners have expanded their operations beyond pet supplies and grooming. The space was previously a bridal shop.
Markos Panas, Noelie Rickey, and Doug Abejde bought The Dog Park in 2022 with the idea of making the store a one-stop shop for dog owners in and around the city. They partnered with dog trainer Kyle Gilliam to create a structured work/rest/play program. Every day, Gilliam and his staff work with dogs on self-propelled treadmills, take them to local parks, and separate them into two kennel rooms.
“We do have a van that we can drive with the dogs down to Jones Point Park,” Gilliam said. “That’s just one example. Even just heading straight down King Street, you run into the waterfront. You go left, you’ve got Founders Park, you go right, and there’s Jones Point, and you get all those pockets and parks that are in between them as well.”
The new space can accommodate between 10 and 20 dogs and is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. It costs $80 for a half-day and $100 for a full day.
“It’s very experiential for the dogs,” Panas said. “These dogs are worn out by the end of the day. They’re happy. Our owners seem to know it immediately, and it’s one of the reasons why it’s catching.”
