Dogtopia in USA Today
Dogtopia founder, Amy Nichols, was recently interviewed for a business focus article in USA Today. It focuses on her beginnings with Tysons Corner and how the company has grown! Be sure to check out the slide show of happy pup clients!
By Garrett Hubbard, USA TODAY
TYSON’S CORNER, Va. — When Amy Nichols worked as a sales representative for Verizon, she often found herself hanging around pet stores on weekends, gazing longingly at the puppies.
A longtime pet lover, she yearned to start a business that involved dogs but wasn’t interested in selling them. She didn’t want to start a kennel, either.
Her inspiration came from her Boston terrier, Griffin. Nichols worked long hours and felt guilty about leaving her dog alone all day. She found a couple of dog day care centers in Washington, D.C., but none near her workplace in Northern Virginia.
So in 2001, she left her job and started looking for a place to launch her own center. A year later, she opened Happy Tails Dog Spa in an industrial park in Tysons Corner, Va.
The center, since renamed Dogtopia, is in a cavernous building that previously housed a telecommunications company. Dogs spend the day in one of four playrooms, ranging in size from 600 to 2,000 square feet. Older and laid-back dogs can spend the day in the lounge; active pups are accommodated in the largest room, known as the gym. Dog owners who suffer from separation anxiety can go to Dogtopia’s website and watch their pups on a webcam.
Click here to check the rest out and some very fun customer pics!
Tags: Dog daycare Virginia
