Buffalo Rising Online

Oct 15th, 12:37am By queenseyes

Downtown workers and residents will be happy to know that a doggie daycare in the Ellicott business district has officially opened. The Puppy Playpen has transformed adjoining abandoned storefronts into a lively center for our four-legged friends. Many of the dogs are being acclimated to urban living… a lifestyle that co-owner Rosanne Higgins (pictured with her Great Dane named Sally) told me comes quite naturally for most of them. “Seeing the dogs in this downtown setting is interesting,” she told me. “The dogs like the action… they like going for walks in the neighborhood. Walking them is the first thing we do when they get here. Then we let them play with each other inside – there is a place for small dogs and another for large dogs. We have a capacity for twenty to thirty dogs a day, and by next summer we’ll have the backyard fixed up so that the dogs will be able to be outside without a leash.”

Rosanne and her husband Bob have been working on the interior of the building non-stop, ever since I posted about their opening early summer. So far, most of the clients are owners of loft-conversions. There are also plenty of business people who drop off their dogs on the way to work. I asked Rosanne what sort of training is offered at The Puppy Playpen and she explained it the following way. “We try to teach the dogs basic obedience using vocal and hand (signal) training. We like to think that we’re turning ‘pet people’ into ‘dog people’…to be able to make a living doing this is a blessing. We feel that these dogs are part of our family – we’ll clip their nails (for free) and work on things like of leash aggression. We have good relationships with the three vets in the neighborhood as well as Elmwood Pet Supply and Animal Outfitters. We’re also involved with animal rescue organizations, the Buffalo Companion Animal Network (helps elderly people hold onto their pets) and Animeals (provides adequate food for the pets of Meals on Wheels’ clients).”

There is a convenient load and unload zone for drop-offs and pick-ups. That means that people can literally swing on by before work to drop off their friends for the afternoon. And knowing that the dogs are in good hands is a piece of mind that’s worth all of the dog biscuits in the world.

The Puppy Playpen is located at 431 Ellicott. 716.447.9699