Doggy daycares help dogs socialize and burn off energy while their owners are at work—and finding the right place, and the right people, to look after your dog just got a little easier. At the end of September, Jane Seath, owner and operator of Tender Touch Dog Grooming in Île-des-Chênes, partnered with Tammy Thomson and Lauris Kleben to operate the Tender Touch Doggy Daycare, attached to the grooming salon.

“I called Jane to see if she needed any help with the daycare and she said, ‘How about you two operate it?’” Thomson says of the opportunity to take over the daycare.

For Thomson, having grown up on a farm, this was the opportunity she was looking for to get back to working with animals.

Located at 449 Main Street, Tender Touch Doggy Daycare has clients from throughout Ritchot and South Winnipeg, and it’s easy to see why. The moment you walk through the door with your fur baby, the daycare has the feel of a second home. Each dog gets a personalized basket for their leash and food, and the main daycare room is warm, clean, and has couches and little dog beds along the walls. Thomson and Kleben, and their dog Daniel, greet new arrivals with enthusiasm, welcoming their charges as if they were their own.

Upon arrival, dogs are automatically taken outside to a secure, fenced-in courtyard covered in a few inches of gravel that Kleben rakes daily. Mats and chairs in the courtyard are there for the dogs to explore before and after they’ve taken care of business, which is instantly cleaned up by staff. The dogs are then brought back into the main room where they play with each other, toys, and staff, run through tunnels, and sometimes catch a nap from all the fun.

I took my own dog, Ebby, to check out the facilities. She isn’t very sociable with other dogs, but she and Daniel got along right away. It didn’t take long before Ebby was leaving me behind as she ran around, exploring and begging Kleben for attention, which he was more than happy to give. In the year and a half that I’ve had Ebby, this is the most independent I’ve seen her outside our home.

For the moment, Tender Touch Doggy Daycare is only open two days a week. Tuesdays are for little dogs and Wednesdays are for big dogs. Thomson and Kleben are planning to open on Thursdays to middle-sized dogs, and possibly Fridays for another little dog day, depending on demand. They can take up to 30 little dogs and 12 big dogs.

At $24 for a single day, $115 for a five-day pass, or $200 for a ten-day pass, their rates are comparable to most other daycares. Open from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Tender Touch’s hours are perfect for the working dog-parent to drop their baby off and pick up a tired and happy pup at the end of the day, knowing that they’ve received care and attention all day, including cuddles and brushing.

Tender Touch has a strict no-aggression policy and all dogs are evaluated by Thomson and Kleben before they are allowed to attend daycare.