WestFetch vs. Other Tampa Dog Day Cares…..The Difference

Dog love tampaBeing a lifetime dog owner (minus a few years in college), the love and relationship I’ve always had with dogs has been an important part of my life.  It’s a big reason why we started WestFetch and certainly the reason why we have developed the services we offer.  We know how important furry family members are.

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Our day care doggies get all the attention

It started with our pet sitting service.  We tackled the professionalism and responsiveness that was missing in other pet sitting companies in the area, including ones we utilized (or tried to utilize) prior to starting WestFetch.  After that, we added in-home, cage free dog boarding.  Again, we noticed there were no true in-home boarding options after we adopted our Dante as a puppy (and the ones that were advertised as so, lets just say false advertising and we left shortly after arriving……YUCK!!).  And now, right at 10 years after the beginnings of WestFetch in 2005, we purchased a property to expand our services to include doggie day care.  An exciting and scary endeavor indeed.  Once again, as dog lovers, we noticed a few things that we–personally–felt should be a part of a day care service.

So What IS Different about WestFetch Dog Day Care??

We’re glad you asked!   Here’s a few ways WestFetch differs from other doggie daycare centers in Tampa:

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LOTS of green space!

  • Over 1 acre of land with lots outdoor, natural play space.  Your dog(s) can run, sniff and enjoy the real grass and trees on our property, opening the exploring instincts that dogs love.  The outdoors and yards alone are a haven of enrichment for your dog(s).  The natural surface is also much easier on your dogs body vs playing all day on a concrete or hard surface.
  • Much quieter, natural environment vs. the industrial buildings many day cares reside in.  Reduces stress and anxiety of going to an unfamiliar place.
  • Professional care.   Our employees have experience and knowledge in dog behavior and care.   With a combined experience of over 25 years in day care (and a few years at vets) to go along with one certified dog trainer, your dog(s) are in the hands of a professional.   Our handlers are so much more than just a human with limited training monitoring a group of dogs.
  • Natural outdoors for all dogs to do their “business” (really…….some daycares don’t have an outdoor potty area!).  Keeps consistent with training, especially for puppies, and lends to a much cleaner environment.  Would you like to play in an area that is constantly being soiled or treated with harsh chemicals?
  • Low attendant to dog ratio, aimed at 10 dogs per attendant, max.  Always ask this of any day care!  We’ve seen 30-50 dogs, if not more, with only one attendant.  This is a very dangerous situation waiting to happen.
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    Comfy areas to relax

    Customized exercise sessions.  Play times are not set in stone.  When the dogs are ready to play, we go outside for the high energy play and fun.  When they start to temper down, we’ll bring them into the shaded areas outside, the covered patio or back inside to play at a lower pace or to relax.

  • NO sleep time in crates!  Most day cares put the dogs in crates for rest time of usually two hours.  We allow them to get comfy on the floor, dog beds, couch, wherever they want to relax.  The whole reason some dogs go to day care is to get OUT of the crate.   (In cases such as puppies or dogs that still want to play during break times, we will separate those as necessary)
  • WestFetch is aimed at smaller groups for a more personal experience and tighter bonds.  We are geared towards local, repeat customers and will only accept those looking for long term help (ie, we don’t accept one-day drop offs).  Since our groups are consistent, the tension and anxiety is greatly reduced, not to mention reduces the possibility of illness.

    Our day care shuttle brings convenience to your door

    Our day care shuttle brings convenience to your door

  • FREE shuttle service for your dogs to/from our property.  No worries about fighting traffic to/from the daycare, we take care of all of that for you.  Also, a hair and drool free vehicle for you!  🙂
  • We give back!   A portion of all of our revenue is donated back to local rescue groups and animal shelters.  We started a memorial fund in 2014 after our beloved Dante passed.   He was a rescue saved by Lost Angels Animal Rescue and our current dogs, Zeus & Lila, are from the Tampa Humane Society and Suncoast Animal League.  Please adopt and don’t shop!

We hope you’ll take the opportunity to come see us.  We’d love to have you by to see for yourselves how we’ve set ourselves apart from…..well……the pack.   Feel free to contact us anytime for more info or to schedule an appointment to stop by.

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