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The place to be for a Dapper Dog

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Contributed by: Kristin Morin/YourHub.com on 7/30/2008

Long gone are the days of heading off for vacation and leaving a tearful Rover staring longingly from behind cage bars at the retreating family car.

The canine clients who stay at Dapper Dog Day Spa, 7960 Niwot Road, Ste. B12, get thrown more than a bone.

"We're basically an indoor, air-conditioned dog park," said Susan Carrington, Dapper Dog Day Spa owner.

Dapper Dog offers are variety of services to its more than 800 clients, including Day Play for daytime guests and longer term boarding. The facility houses a large play area with a liquid rubber floor that is easy on the paws and a nap and geriatrics room with dog beds, couches and chairs. An extra feature of the nap room is the Murphy bed hidden in the wall.

"I think what makes us unique is 24/7 supervision," Carrington said.

Dapper Dog allows up to seven overnight guests per evening and someone, usually Carrington, bunks down with the overnighters - all of who pile onto the mattress to sleep.

Carrington said she has the only business that operates out of public space and offers open boarding in the state of Colorado.

Since the dogs do not stay in cages and spend the majority of the day together, Dapper Dog has an extensive screening process for potential clients that include temperament tests, ownership history and medical history.

"You can't just throw a dog in this environment and expect this (cohesiveness) to happen," Carrington said.

Dapper Dog staff also goes through training to learn how to read the animals' behavior and body language.

Carla Urwiler, of Niwot, brings her dog, Newman, to Dapper Dog three days a week.

"Everybody there treats all the dogs as if they were their own," Urwiler said.

Dapper Dog also offers clients a chance to be pampered in the on-site grooming salon. Cuts range from $20 to $70 depending on the size of the dog and the type of grooming they require.

The grooming experience can be sensitive for animals and at Dapper Dog the groomers try to make the experience as soothing as possible, sometimes stopping mid-cut if the dog is too uncomfortable.

"It's not about the finished product, it's about building a trust with the dog," groomer Heidi Pedersen said.

By talking to the dogs before and during the grooming session, the animals usually allow the process to proceed, Carrington said.

When all is buzzed and done, each customer gets a new bandana and is sent to show their new hairdos off to the other dogs until their owner arrives.

Dapper Dog opened four years ago, and in 2007 moved to its current location, a space with 2,000 more square feet for hound housing.

"This is great stimulation for them, dogs like playing with other dogs," Carrington said.

Another stimulant for the pups is the music that plays softly overhead in the playroom. Over the years, Carrington has experimented and discovered that hip-hop makes the dogs crazy and they prefer country western to jazz. For the best results, however, Carrington knows just what genre to play.

"They seem to be very into classical," she said.

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