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Our Mission Is Simple...Happy Pets
At Doggie Daycare & Pet Motel, We Love Them Like You Do!
Doggie Daycare will work with every parent to give their pet the vacation he wants and deserves. One of the advantages of a smaller business is the freedom of being able to personalize your pets stay to include any or a combination of services we can provide. I have had some pretty odd requests over the last 3 decades but know the comfort it gives the parent/owner when we can say 'yes, we can do that'.
I believe there is a huge difference between all out 'free range' or in today's terminology 'cage less' boarding and structured peer group play. Dogs that have 24/7 in your face play or have been penned up for 23 out of 24 hours listening to their neighbor bark his head off typically don't fare as well as dogs that have structure to their day including play time and breaks from play and their buddies. Free range dogs may go home tired, but mental fatigue is very different from a healthy mentally stimulated dog. I think of it like going to a cocktail party; there is only so much conversation and meeting new people you want to do till you feel like you need some space to breathe and relax....and yes, be alone. Many people have the misconception that their dog wants or needs to go go go all day long. This is not true and can be detrimental to your dog's mental and physical well-being. Since domesticated dogs are on human created time schedules and in human created space, we, the human needs to step in and help them have a good play group with the appropriate amount of exercise paying constant attention to and making modifications to the ever changing pack. This is not always the case with true daycares that do not board overnight and have the same pack every day. I chose to have a boarding facility that included daycare for all boarders and to allow dogs for just the day back when dog daycare was not as popular as it is today. Most of my boarding clientele do not daycare their dogs so my pack changes each day. This makes socialization more of a challenge but it is worth the time it takes to introduce a new dog when that dog has sooo much fun!! The pack is an ever changing ever observed dynamic. I also do not know how your dog is going to be in any given group even if he has been here 100 times. Dogs too have bad days, get older, have aches and pains, have mood fluctuations, and pick up on the mood of their 'home pack' before coming to the facility. The unpredictable is challenging but rewarding when you get to the end of the day or the end of a dog's stay and everyone is happy and healthy.
A Message From Owner & Operator, CC McNeil
Doggie Daycare had been a dream of mine since 1984. I come from a long line of schoolteachers in my family and realized very early on that I definitely did NOT have what it takes to work with 2-legged children. I always had a special bond with animals and loved the idea of a classroom of dogs. My mom decided that was good enough and a new family tradition was started. I was raised back east and got my start on the Thoroughbred tracks exercising racehorses but mostly enjoyed caring for the trainers' dogs. Anxious to be out on my own, I headed for Montana with my 2 cats and a big dream. I finished my education at MSU in Psychology with an emphasis in Animal Behavior. My whole life I longed to be a vet. I used to watch commercials as a child about 'veterans' needing to call this number to get help and I was horrified that they were trying to get 'veterinarians' to quit their jobs. Obviously (in my child mind) I needed to become a vet and help all the animals in the world that were no longer going to have 'veterans'. Well I tried going the vet school route but was quickly disheartened after working for several vets and realizing it was not quite what I had thought growing up watching Dr. Doolittle. Pets were kept in cramped quarters and seeing first hand all the abuse and neglect some owners placed upon their pets just broke my heart. I give vets a lot of credit as it is a difficult job day in and day out to treat these animals only to possibly and eventually lose them. Getting an education in animal psychology was then my goal to still be able to take care of animals, but without all the hardships of seeing mostly sick animals. It is still very sad and hard to lose a long time client especially when these 4-legged loved ones only last a fraction of our time here. That is just the unfortunate part of loving these guys.
Doggie Daycare started out in my condo in Big Sky, Montana. I knew I needed to be in an area that was accessible to more people. Gallatin Gateway looked like a great central location. The business grew for many years to a size I was no longer happy with. I decided to down size and go back to the grass roots that made me turn this passion into a career so many years ago. I strongly believe in keeping it small in numbers of boarders so your pet will never be just a number. It is important for me to treat this as a 'private school' atmosphere instead of a 'public' one. I have had several offers from investors to franchise or at least expand. I could not enjoy this business if I could not connect with the pets and their parents.
I started training dogs to supplement my income and enjoyed that as I learned so much from each dog. Now I have decided to do consulting instead of training as I believe the owners really need to have the hands on experience.
I enjoy consulting with clients about behavior issues and loooove giving advice, sometimes too much maybe. Just know I am very passionate about our 4-leggeds and I eagerly and excitedly want to share the knowledge I am gaining every day. I never stop learning and read everything I can get my hands on. I cannot imagine doing anything else with my life than trying to live everyday improving our relationships with our pets and improving their health and mental well-being.
My first love is my daughter Taylor, who was born in 2002. She shares my passion for Doggie Daycare and is sure to be a pet whisperer someday. I am in dog group several hours of the day and cannot hear the phone to talk to you so please leave or message or better yet send me a text. I can get to that right away and get you started on the information you seek. I am always trying to make this a better place for our 4-legged kids, so any input or ideas from you, the parent, is always welcome. Thanks for your consideration in this facility. CC McNeil
" This is the true joy of life,...being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one;...being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish, little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.
I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can.
I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live. Life is no 'brief candle' to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations. "
- George Bernard Shaw
At Doggie Daycare & Motel, We believe that our love for animals is evident in everything that we do. You can count on our daycare staff to treat your pets with the care and attention that they deserve. Call to learn more about the cat and dog boarding services or to make a pet daycare reservation.
