Sheila Irish has never met a stranger, human or canine. As owner of and customer service aficionado for The Paw Spa Pet Resort, she’ll meet her clients at the resort’s door with a boisterous laugh and personal greeting while exciting their dogs for the fun experience ahead.
“It’s all very personalized here,” Irish says. “I think that helps people feel comfortable when dropping their babies off.”
Any pet owner can attest, leaving a pet to go on vacation isn’t easy, and finding care that is trustworthy and nurturing can be even more difficult. The Paw Spa Pet Resort was established in 2012 because Irish couldn’t find a boarder she was comfortable with for her own dogs when going on vacation.
"I decided to buy this piece of land and build a boarding facility from scratch,” Irish recalls. “I traveled to different states’ facilities and chose the best bits and pieces from each one and put it all into this facility. I built this place with my full heart and soul; I wanted it to be the best place for dogs because they're our family.”
The result is a luxury dog resort offering daycare, boarding and grooming, as well as a gift shop carrying the latest dog toys and bakery offering all-natural treats and CBD for stress. The facility features 54-square-foot suites with Kuranda beds, an expansive indoor play area, a unique indoor bone-shaped pool for the doggy paddlers, as well as 6,000 square feet of outdoor play space. Dog parents can view their pets via webcam anytime on the resort’s website, thepawspapetresort.com.
In addition, Irish installed a state-of-the-art air exchanger on the facility’s roof to completely change out the resort’s air four times per hour.
“There are different airborne diseases dogs can get,” Irish explains. “We have had very, very few cases in the years I've been open.”
Another way Irish mitigates the transmission of disease is strict requirements for enrollment.
“We’ve turned people away because no dog can come here without every single shot,” she notes. “When someone makes an appointment, we call their vet to verify the dog’s health. I must protect the dogs that are here.”
Dogs in the resort’s care are treated with the TLC they’d receive at home, especially those four-legged friends with special needs.
“Dogs with special needs come in for a free day of daycare to ensure we can handle their needs,” Irish explains. “If we cannot, we’ll refer them to a vet for boarding. However, we accept dogs with many types of special needs. We administer medication for no extra charge, and we’ll follow special diets and feeding instructions.”
Because Irish wants to offer the best service, she personally chose each of her 23 employees.
“Everybody here loves dogs; they all own dogs, and they can bring their dogs to work for free,” she says. “My employees know every dog when they walk in and that makes a difference to a pet owner. We love these dogs up, which makes the dogs and owners feel good.”
The quality of Irish’s staff, each of whom is trained for two weeks before being left alone with dogs, ensures minimal problems with pets. But when a dog is naughty, Irish believes in talking about the issue immediately.
“I think when you pick up your kid from school and you’re handed a naughty report, it’s not very personal. I make sure we talk to the dog parents and let them know about the situation so we can handle it together,” she says.
Three full-time groomers and a bather who works three days per week ensure grooming appointments are easily made. In fact, the groomers will provide walk-in nail trims to clients.
“Like everything else, our grooming services are tailored to your dog,” Irish notes. “If your dog requires a one-hour groom, you're here for a one-hour appointment, or you pick up at the end of that hour. If your dog needs a two-hour groom, like the doodles and bigger dogs, then it's a two-hour groom, period.”
Irish’s dedication to personal experiences extends to her staff, whom she refers to as family. Each employee is offered a 401(k) plan.
“My high schoolers move on, go to college, but they come back to work in the summer and over holidays and can continue their 401(k), even though they're seasonal,” she explains.
Irish notes caring for her employees has helped with her business’s growth, as has Google, social media and word of mouth.
“I think the way we treat people, the way we treat their dogs, makes such a difference,” Irish says. “When someone walks in, I want them to feel like they and their dogs are a part of this family and know that I will go to the ends of the Earth for their animals.”
"I built this place with my heart and soul; I wanted it to be the best place for dogs because they're family.”
“When someone walks in, I want them to feel like they and their dogs are a part of this family and know that I will go to the ends of the Earth for their animals.”