If you’re searching for the perfect place to park your pup while on vacation, look no further than A Second Family Dog Lodge.
A Second Family Dog Lodge is owned and operated by Carlyle residents Deb and Blair Andrew. More than just a dog kennel, A Second Family Dog Lodge goes above and beyond when it comes to taking care of your pets.
“For us...we actually want the dogs to love to come to us like to come to our place. We want them to enjoy the time,” Deb Andrew said.
The idea for A Second Family Dog Lodge grew from the Andrews’ past experiences seeking care for their own dogs.
“It's hard to go away,” Andrew said. “You want a really good place to leave your dogs, but it's difficult because when your dogs are at home with you, there are different kinds of families.”
A Second Family Dog Lodge aims to provide a care experience suited to the needs of each dog, ensuring they feel safe and loved for the duration of their stay.
“We figure out ... which dogs are which and we kind of design their stay according to that,” Andrew said. “What we try to do is communicate with the owners to be able to (have) them give us things from home that make the dog feel comfortable.”
Andrew said there are three things she and the staff at A Second Family Dog Lodge prioritize in their work: caring for the dogs; effective communication with both dog owners and their dogs, as well as between staff members themselves; and finally maintaining a clean facility.
During their stay at A Second Family, dogs receive individualized attention from staff members, as well as socialized interaction with other dogs if appropriate.
“We have some times where we can have a group of 10 or 12 (dogs) together and they are just like one big happy family, and it's really phenomenal because they get a lot of social interaction,” Andrew said.
Founded in 2018, A Second Family Dog Lodge was such a success that they were forced to turn away families because their care services were so in demand. This popularity prompted the Andrews to update and expand their facilities, which now include 23 kennel rooms and nine outdoor dog runs.
A grand opening for A Second Family Dog Lodge was initially planned for spring 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Andrew said they are hoping to finally have a grand opening ceremony this fall.
A Second Family Dog Lodge is located about 1 1/2 kilometres west of Carlyle on Highway 13, on the north side of the road. More information can be found online at 2ndfamilydoglodge.ca or by visiting the kennel’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
