Alpha K9 U, located on Hague Road east of Ritchey Woods, offers a different spin on dog care.
The business, which opened in December 2011, launched after eight years as Dock Side Promotions, a company that focused on dock-diving competitions for dogs. For those unfamiliar with the sport, dogs run and jump off of a dock, catching an object and safely landing in water. Competitions are typically divided into three competitions that include vertical leap and retrieval.
Staff member Elizabeth Haywood said the business, owned by Kelli Andrea, became a one-stop-shop for a long list of canine care needs, including: suite-style boarding, day care, HydraCare – physical therapy for dogs, grooming, obedience training, customizable personal training and dock-diving lessons that can be set up as private sessions.
Haywood said some clients set up dock-diving lessons for fun and some take their pups out to competitions. Training classes typically have anywhere from eight to 15 dogs involved.
Six trainers and a group of staff members run the facility that includes a 40 by 100 foot mock field, a swimming pool, 19 suites for boarding, a grooming and bath area and more.
“I’ve seen a lot of really cool success stories with clients who we’ve taken on as private training clients,” Haywood said. “If you’ve taken what is a struggle for somebody that’s really just affecting their day-to-day and they’re frustrated and not sure where to go to and [you see]them bringing home a family pet that’s manageable and they can take anywhere, that’s really rewarding.”