Beloved city pets will be offered days out in the lap of luxury thanks to the opening of a new doggy daycare.
Norwich-based Tom and Toto dog walking company currently has 160 city dogs on its client list.
But after eight years of four-legged dun the company is now opening a doggy daycare in the heart of Sprowston - complete with agility courses, playrooms and even a pool in summer.
Sarah Wright is behind the successful company but hasn't always worked with house pets - her background is in looking after big cats.
The founder said: “I wanted to provide something where dogs are free to exhibit natural behaviour and be able to play freely, how they should.”
And the journey to finding the pooch heaven hasn't been easy, with Sarah and her team searching for the perfect place for the last four years.
The place the company has chosen is a very large farmhouse that has half an acre of mature gardens outside at the White House Farm site.
“We will be able to do agility training, there will be trees, a sand pit, tunnels and more,” explained Sarah.
The landlord is currently renovating the farmhouse into two very large playrooms for the dogs and then the designers will get in to decorate and fit custom non-slip flooring for the pets.
Once completed, the farmhouse will house 20 dogs and will open in January.
And looking to the future the plans are to build a log cabin at the bottom of the garden that will be for the puppies to visit.
Sarah thinks that dogs who attend doggy daycare have a high level of mental and physical enrichment.
They work to build the dogs confidence as well as their training skills.
Sarah said: “After many people have had to work from home a daycare can help to reduce separation anxiety for the dog when you return to work.”
She added: “It will also help the owners to know their dog is safe, secure and has had all the exercise it needs for the day.”
Through all the play dogs will be able to do rest assured that Sarah is a canine first aid instructor and takes all of her team through their qualification.
Each dog’s first session is free so that they can be assessed to ensure it is a good fit for them.
The waiting list for the daycare centre is currently open get in touch via info@tomandtoto.co.uk or call 01603 927272 to register your interest.
What will a day at Tom and Toto doggy daycare look like for a pampered pooch?
Dogs will be dropped off at the centre between 8am and 9am.
They would spend the morning mostly outside playing with friends, enjoying the equipment and in the summer, they can even swim in the pool.
“The morning is really focussed on socialisation and energy,” said Sarah.
At lunchtime all of the dogs will have a quiet hour where they will rest or have a nap.
Sarah said: “It’s a long day so we do this to ensure they don’t go home wired.”
The afternoon is much calmer, the staff take time to introduce low-key activities.
“We can offer them scent based trails, some training and 'find it' games. there are lots of lower energy activities for them to enjoy," she added.
Dogs would have had their fill and will be asked to be picked up between 5pm and 6pm.
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