Brothers Ben and Andy Hedric opened The Wag Shack in 2020 with the idea of providing a comfortable, fun and safe place for dogs to stay for both day and overnight visits, giving pet owners peace of mind during busy times.
“We believe that dogs are family,” shared Ben. “We wanted to create a space where we know that the dogs are being taken care of to the level they deserve.”
The Wag Shack offers Playcare, a daytime program for dogs to enjoy supervised social time with other dogs. The structured setting ensures the dogs have positive experiences and interactions, which reduces negative reactions and behaviors both now and later.
“In our facility, how dogs meet other dogs is very controlled,” explained Ben. “Certain dogs are better than others at understanding social cues. So, when you bring your dog in, we can make sure it gets to interact with a socially intelligent dog who probably is not going to push too many boundaries in the wrong way.”
Bringing a new dog into the play pack begins during a required and free Playcheck visit, which lasts between two and four hours. The visit allows staff to get to know the dog’s personality, watch the dog interact with others, and slowly assimilate the dog into the pack. The Playcheck visit is not only helpful for the staff but highly beneficial for dogs, especially those who are shy or deal with separation anxiety.
Overnight boarding, called Sleepovers, is an extended version of Playcare where pets spend the night in addition to playing with the pack during the day.
“We've seen how boarding is done in a lot of places, and we want The Wag Shack to be more like a home, not a shelter or kennel,” said Ben. “It’s really important to us that dogs feel like they’re going into a home environment that is clean and slightly familiar. It’s also our goal that dogs are not in a kennel unless they want to be in their kennel. So, most of the dogs who come to stay with us, those boarding included, are out for the day running in a pack.”
The facility houses three yards where dogs have access to both inside and outside play areas. Staff monitors the dogs to ensure all is well by having frequent contact with them and reading the energy of the pack.
“We have a 15-minute rule. Everyone should be getting acknowledged, being pet, talked to, and played with by a staff member at least once every 15 minutes,” Ben explained. “Additionally, one of the things we've learned is that in order to control the energy, we have nap time every day, sometime between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
"We shut down the lights, it's quiet, and everyone goes back to their kennels for a break. We've noticed that if we make sure that happens, the afternoon goes a lot more smoothly with less conflicts.”
In addition to Playcare and Sleepovers, the Wag Shack offers grooming for furry friends. Providing all three services in one location reduces stress for both pets and their parents.
The Wag Shack is located at 308 FM 1830 Building #15 in Argyle. For more information, visit thewagshack.com or call 940-241-2111. Photos, hours of operation, and services can be found on The Wag Shack’s Facebook and Instagram.
“We wanted to create a space where we know that the dogs are being taken care of to the level they deserve.”