An Imperial couple is set to open a dog-care service in their area.
Krista and Randy Green plan to open Ruff Adventures LLC, 5124 Warren Road, on May 18.
Krista, 46, said the couple is opening the facility to provide a dog daycare and boarding option that was lost when a fire destroyed A Howlin’ Good Time Doggie Daycare, Hotel and Grooming, 1595 Miller Road, in Imperial.
“I was a customer for 10 years,” Krista said of A Howlin’ Good Time. “I grew accustomed to a certain level of care for my own dogs. I know what I expect, and I think I know what the community expects when bringing back a center to the same area that A Howlin’ Good Time was in.
“My plan is to mirror the care that A Howlin’ Good Time gave to families and to even increase some of the personalization and communication with the families.”
Krista said she is a self-employed occupational therapist, and Randy, 51, is a math teacher and head baseball coach at Windsor High School.
She said they both plan to continue their current careers, and while they do not have experience operating a dog-care facility, she is experienced at running her own business.
“This will be my first time with employees, but I am familiar with owning and operating an LLC,” Krista said. “We will both continue working our current jobs. I can fluctuate my hours of availability. I will move into part-time for now with the hopes of retiring from OT in the next five to 10 years.”
Krista said the couple had sent two Great Danes, Baron and Nina, to A Howlin’ Good Time for more than 10 years.
She said that experience provided her with a good understanding about what she and others want from a dog-care facility.
“I understand the need to have a safe and fun place to take your dog,” she said. “Whether it is when you are at work or when you go out of town for a vacation, it is really nice to know that your dog is in good hands. We are going to continue to offer the cage-free boarding that A Howlin’ Good Time offered. All dogs being boarded will participate in the daycare program during the day.
“I think families appreciate knowing that their dogs are active and get to run and play, so they are not just sitting by themselves all day.”
Krista said Ruff Adventures will have three separate play areas inside and outside its building to divide dogs into small, medium and large breeds.
She said there are no strict guidelines dictating how many dogs can be in the daycare program at a time.
However, she will limit the number of dogs to the number of employees who can be at the facility at the same time.
“Our goal would be to have 50 to 60 dogs to come and play at any given time,” she said.
Krista also said the number of dogs that may be in the boarding program will depend on how many clients need to use that service at the same time.
She said Ruff Adventures will have suites that may either be used by a single dog or multiple dogs from the same household.
“It will depend on who is signed up for boarding as far as how many we can keep,” she said. “I would never take more than staff can handle. It will depend on the number and size of the dogs.”
Krista said all dogs will have to pass temperament test before being allowed into Ruff Adventures.
“The key is for dogs to come here and run, play and have fun, but they must do it safely,” she said.
Krista said the daycare program will be available from 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. She said the building will be staffed 24 hours a day to watch the dogs in the boarding program.
Krista said Ruff Adventures will offer per-day and monthly rates for the daycare program, which will cost between $25 to $33 per day. She said the boarding program will cost $58 per day.
Krista said there will be discounts for families who enroll multiple dogs in the daycare or have multiple dogs in the boarding program.
“I am hoping to be affordable for families,” she said.
Ruff Adventures also will feature grooming and training services.
Krista said Eva Koch of All To Well Puppy Pawler LLC will offer grooming services for dogs and cats at Ruff Adventures.
“I’m super excited to have Eva join our team,” Krista said. “She is coming in with 18 years of experience. She is going to be awesome. She has a lot of tolerance and patience to work with higher anxiety dogs and to help dogs who may have more difficulty when it is time to get their nails trimmed and things like that.”
Krista said Tory Barnes, who owns Star Bright K9 Solutions, will offer training classes at Ruff Adventures. Krista said Barnes is certified through the Academy of Pet Careers as a dog trainer.
“(Barnes) is a fantastic trainer for e-collar training for anyone who wants their dog to be off-leash trained,” Krista said. “She will offer individual and group lessons.”
Krista said Ruff Adventures will have at least eight full-time employees and will have seven or more part-time employees.
She said she has had some former A Howlin’ Good Times staff members, and her and husband’s children – Alayna, 22; Sydney, 20; and Brody, 17 – also will pitch in at Ruff Adventures.
“They are all eager to be in the building and help out,” Krista said.
Krista said her family has three dogs. Along with Baron, who is 10, they have a 2-year-old bloodhound, Gus, and a 12-year-old miniature dachshund, Holly. Nina died a couple of years ago.
“We always loved going to day care,” Krista said. “It is so fun to see your dog excited to be somewhere else. It made you feel good to drop them off, knowing they were going to run around and play instead of being stuck at home by themselves.”
Krista said she plans to hold a grand opening event before Ruff Adventures starts operating. She said the event will be announced on the company’s Facebook page, Ruff Adventures LLC.
Along with the Facebook page, Ruff Adventures may be contacted by email at ruffadventures.mo.org or by calling 636-275-6833.