Dog daycare/boarding franchise with an ‘all-day play’ model opened Monday in Plainfield

A new boarding/daycare facility for dogs opened on Monday with 43 of its 54 time slots allotted for pet parents interviews already scheduled.

To John Quinn, that illustrates the need for Camp Bow Wow Joliet, a new, camp-style boarding and daycare facility, which opened on Monday in Plainfield.

Quinn is the owner and operator of the 8,000-square-foot facility, which has room for up to 90 dogs – Quinn calls the dogs “campers” – at one time.

“Dogs are just social creatures,” Quinn said. “They’re pack animals and they want to be together. They want to be around other dogs. This is a great environment for them.”

Features of Camp Bow Wow Joliet include indoor and outdoor areas for play and socialization, 74 cabins and suites for dogs who stay overnight and live web cams so “pet parents can check in on their dogs,” according to Camp Bow Wow in Joliet.

“Our model is all-day play,” Quinn said. “And what that means is, when you’re staying with us, you’re not put into a crate or into a kennel. During the day, you’re playing in the play yard.”

Quinn said Camp Bow Wow Joliet has four “very large” play yards to accommodate dogs of different sizes and temperaments. The cabins are also not the same size either. Some are larger so “dog families can stay together at night,” Quinn said,

“All of our cabins have cots and cozy fleece in them so campers are not lying on concrete floor,” Quinn said. “They’re lying on cotton and fleece. It’s very, very comfortable for them.”

Quinn said Camp Bow Wow also offers baths for its campers – but not nail trims or other grooming perks – so dogs don’t go home “all drooly” at the end of their stay.

Dogs can stay at Camp Bow Wow for an extended period of time or attend daycare on a full-time or part-time basis, Quinn said. In fact, Quinn said he prefers that dogs who are to be boarded spend some time in daycare first.

Camp Bow Wow Joliet might not be appropriate for senior dogs or dogs with medical needs, such as diabetic dogs who require daily insulin injections, Quinn said.

Nevertheless, Camp Bow Wow is prepared to act in a medical emergency when pet parents are away, either by taking the dog to a nearby animal hospital or contacting the dog’s own veterinarian if the issue isn’t urgent, Quinn said.

Camp Bow Wow will reach out to the dog’s emergency contact, too, if it can’t reach the pet parents, Quinn said.

A long-time active member of the Joliet area, Quinn said he wanted to open a business to give back to the community that blessed him. So Quinn drew from his own experiences to fill a need, he said. Too often when pet families must travel, they can’t find good accommodations for their pets, he said.

Quinn said he decided to become a Camp Bow Wow franchise owner due to its play model and strong safety profile for taking care of people’s “fur babies,” he said.

The staff of 20 includes its general manager Kate Mohundro and camp counselors trained in dog behavior and health, with a ratio of 1 counselor to 25 dogs, Quinn said.

Mohundro owned and operated Truth Restaurant in Joliet for 17 years and Quinn is happy she’s bringing her skills to Camp Bow Wow in Joliet, he said,

“Kate just brings so much experience when it comes to delivering service and pulling teams together for a common cause,” Quinn said. “She’s done an amazing job with our team.”

Camp Bow Wow Joliet is located at 2230 Illinois Rte. 59, Plainfield.

For more information, visit campbowwow.com/joliet.