Dogs don\u2019t sit idle here. The social atmosphere at this Mission Hills doggy day care allows the mutts to play with others to release their energy and feel a sense of belonging. And the employees who stay in the room \u2014 free of cages and full of dog beds \u2014 do not \u201cwork\u201d overnight. Instead they relax, watch TV, work on a laptop, and settle down for the evening, just like their owners would do at home, in an effort to reduce separation anxiety. The furry guests are \u201cpeople dogs.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is Camp Run-A-Mutt (CRAM), designed by three friends with an undying passion for dogs. Founders Dennis Quaglia, Mikel Ross and Severn Crow used their friendship and dream of this \u201cDisneyland\u201d of doggy day care to create an unstoppable business venture at the beginning of the recession. Now, 10 years later, CRAM has seven San Diego locations, and others in Los Angeles; Phoenix, Arizona; Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada; Houston, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia and Charlotte, North Carolina.<\/p>\n This trio of dog lovers \u2014 who are opening the 20th location soon \u2014 never thought they would have more than one. CRAM nearly doubled in size in the past year. Among an abundancy of local and national awards, Inc Magazine selected CRAM on its list of the top 5,000 fastest growing business in 2017.<\/p>\n \u201cIt started out as just a doggy day care, but with research we found that there was nothing available for what we had in mind,\u201d Quaglia said. \u201cWe started to work on a doggy day care that was different, not putting a dog in a cage, not walking in as a customer and the place smelling of urine, and dogs barking. It had to be transparent and a place where the dog wants to be. Basically, it had to be a place where we would take our own dogs.\u201d<\/p>\n To manage to volume of dogs staying at the boarding facilities, Ross said that they (and employees) become the alpha, known as pack boarding.<\/p>\n \u201cOne dog lays down, then the rest will follow,\u201d Ross said. \u201cIt\u2019s the natural way that dogs work. We try to be the alphas, we take the responsibility off the dogs, and they get to go play and just be a dog. And the other dogs teach the younger dogs.\u201d<\/p>\n Ross said that they launched their company in the beginning of the recession, which never hit this business model.<\/p>\n \u201cWe grew continuously from the time we opened the door,\u201d Ross said. \u201cAfter the first year and a half, we were up to full capacity. We stopped taking new customers and we had a waiting list to get in.\u201d<\/p>\n At that point, the owners decided they needed to open a second location, even though they had no intention of growing past the first. All three of them were already working seven days a week, so they went to a friend who helped them with franchising.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s where things really began starting,\u201d Ross said.<\/p>\n But it was the high standards of care and passion for dogs of this dream job that made it such a success, unlike any other dog care and boarding facility.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know that our dogs are special to us and that other people\u2019s dogs are just as special to them,\u201d Quaglia said.<\/p>\n Quaglia said CRAM filled in a lot of the voids that are missing in most dog care facilities.<\/p>\n \u201cNow people come to us,\u201d he said. \u201cThings are happening. [Our company] moving out of state really got the ball rolling as people saw us differently than just a regional business. It\u2019s avalanching now. People are giving up their livelihoods to become part of [the franchise].\u201d<\/p>\n Crow is the technology guy. He does all the artwork, website, software and mutt cams. He joined the CRAM team while he was working for USA Today and began helping with the business part-time to start. One day Crow woke up and realized he loved this job as much as he did while working for USA Today, so he joined the team on a full-time basis.<\/p>\n As far as the recession, Crow said they knew it was a risk, but they were confident because they weren\u2019t just pulling from one economic group.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had doctors and lawyers. Waitresses and busboys would pay for the service using their tips. People will do without themselves to do something good for their dogs,\u201d Crow said.<\/p>\n Quaglia agreed, adding that it takes just as much personal attention and passion for dogs in order to care for them in a professional setting.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery decision we make across the board, it all comes down to the same thing. What\u2019s best for the dog?\u201d Ross said. \u201cThat makes it really easy. It allows you to take your emotions out of the decision-making process.\u201d<\/p>\n Ross said that they have turned down many applicants who were only in it for the money. CRAM a trust-based business.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to keep and maintain your customers and gain their trust and keep it,\u201d Ross said. \u201cWhen we evaluate a business [for franchise], it\u2019s not can you write a check for a franchise fee or can they run a business, but they need to win the customer\u2019s trust and we need the right kind of people that can do that. You have to have the passion for dogs. You can fool people for a short period of time, but you can\u2019t fool the dogs.\u201d<\/p>\n Ross said that they are constantly working on updating the technology side of the business, while also maintaining a certain level of hands-on attention and direct communication with the customers.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are not just a name or a number,\u201d Ross said. \u201cWe know every dog\u2019s name. We don\u2019t always remember the parent\u2019s name, but that\u2019s not important to the clients. If you are Rocco\u2019s dad, that\u2019s the most important thing.\u201d<\/p>\n CRAM trains their employees to pay close attention to the dogs and to document everything \u2014 which all comes down to knowing each dog.<\/p>\n \u201cYou are taking care of their kids,\u201d Quaglia said. You notice what is going on with each dog, it is all documented, so whatever happens, we let the parents know about it. We often spot medical problems with the dogs before the parents do and we let them know.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are going to know their dog very quickly as well as they know their dog. We are going to see that dog every day and will notice any differences in health or behavior and we will report this to the parents,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n Ross said all of this aligns with their vision in treating all of the dogs as if they were their own. Often, with extended stays and the parent\u2019s permission, Ross will take a dog on extended boarding to his own home at night. Many times they become part of the family \u2014 it all comes from the love of dogs.<\/p>\n Quaglia said that every location is like that.<\/p>\n \u201cIt sounds hard, but you have a hundred dogs out there, you get to know all of their names. It\u2019s actually not difficult, that\u2019s where the passion comes in. Every dog is unique, you see a dog and its personality. It\u2019s really very easy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Camp Run-A-Mutt offers cage-free daycare and boarding, grooming services, and obedience classes. For more information about locations, services and franchise opportunities, visit camprunamutt.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/me_mikel_dennis_at_camp.jpg\")
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