It’s a dog’s life at daycare center for canines

A little over six years ago, when Michelle Borelli found four or five dogs abandoned by the side of the road over the course of a couple of months, she knew it was time to follow her heart and change careers.

Borelli, frustrated with her job in the software industry, was looking for a new career “that would mean something,” she said. When she found those abandoned pooches, everything became clear.

She “wanted to educate people, and help them realize how important it is to keep tags and leashes on dogs and to care for their animals, and what to do with their pets if they don’t want them anymore.”

Borelli found homes for those abandoned dogs, and soon after took a position at Gemini Dogs in Littleton as an office manager. Six years later, when former owner Carolyn Barney approached Borelli with an offer to sell the business, Borelli jumped at the chance.

“I’d done a lot there trying to make things better in the dog community, and I knew I’d never want to stop working there. Immediately I thought, ‘I want to do this,’” said Borelli.

Since she took ownership in July, Borelli has focused on growing all facets of Gemini Dogs.

“I’ve been trying to think of what more we could be doing, and then make it happen,” she said. “It’s been wonderful. I feel confident in what we’ve done, and I’m excited to put other offerings in place.”

Gemini offers an array of classes and other services for the local dog community.

Its Doggie Daycare hours have expanded, and now Gemini is available to watch your pet on any day of the week, 365 days a year.

The Doggie Daycare facility services dogs whose owners need a safe place for them run, play, and socialize with other dogs while mom and/or dad work. It is also open to dog owners who want to leave their dogs somewhere safe and fun occasionally while they do their shopping or go to visit relatives during the week or on the weekends.

“If you want to go out shopping or don’t want to bring your dog to grandma’s for the day, he can come and play with us,” said Borelli.

If you decide to go on a trip, Gemini also boards dogs overnight throughout the year, and always has a person on staff in the building where the dogs are boarded, even on Christmas Day, so your pet is never alone.

Gemini Dogs’ obedience, agility, and dog sport classes have grown dramatically. Obedience classes are designed to meet the needs of new puppies all the way through to dogs ready to compete on a competitive level. Class sizes are kept small to maximize learning.

“We keep a ratio of 5:1 in our training classes, with five dogs for every one trainer in a class,” said Borelli. Arrangements can be made for private consultations in a dog owner’s home, as well as private lessons, she added.

A person with a new puppy can partake in Gemini’s Puppy Well Visits, which are patterned after the well visits nurses make to the homes of parents who have just given birth.

“A dog trainer can come to your home and show you where to put your crate, what the puppy’s routine should be, and how to crate train,” said Borelli.

Or, the new dog owner might want to bring his puppy to Gemini’s new “Puppy Play School” which will begin in March. According to Borelli, in the Play School “puppies who are under 16 weeks and their owners can meet for dog socializing and to learn what to do when they get a puppy,” such as how to take care of the puppy’s teeth, trim its nails, and how to teach it to greet strangers properly.

Owners who want to keep their dogs fit and mentally challenged will enjoy participating in Gemini’s agility and dog sport classes. Gemini offers “five levels of agility training, all the way to competition level,” said Borelli, “and we get quite a bit of business from this, since these people tend to stay with it.” They also offer Rally-O classes, which are “timed courses with obedience exercises,” explained Borelli.

Dog sport classes include Flyball, which is a dog relay race, and Earthdog, which is a sport class for small dogs, like terriers and dachshunds, who were originally bred to tunnel and track prey. Freestyle, where dogs dance with their owners, is another new sport that will soon be launched at Gemini Dogs.

Borelli plans to educate the public about dog care with Gemini Dogs’ forthcoming Woof Seminar Series, which will cover pet health, dog anatomy, dog aggression, and pet safety in cars, as well as more intensive seminars for animal professionals.

Recently, the staff of 30 doggie daycare workers, administrative staff, and trainers put together a treat for the animals. On Valentine’s Day, Borelli and colleague Michelle Porter made themed goodie bags for special doggie daycare pals to exchange. Each cellophane bag was decorated with hearts and contained a heart-shaped dog cookie and a tennis ball.

Borelli and Porter filled out the valentines for their charges and handed them out to the dogs’ owners at pick-up time. They even had special alternate treats available for dogs with food allergies, so no one would miss out on the fun.

Borelli looks forward to the future and to making even more of an impact on the local dog community.

“It’s exciting to change how people deal with the animals,” said Borelli.

Interested dog owners can learn more about what Gemini Dogs has to offer at www.geminidogs.com.