We took some of the lessons we learned from our previous location and implemented changes to make this the safest, cleanest, and most efficient dog care facility in Maine. What makes us stand out above all the rest?
We built our original facility using a comfortable rubber floor in our indoor yards and a cleaner-than-dirt base in our outdoor yards. We learned that a rubber flooring system was difficult to maintain and even when treated with industry sealants and cleaned thoroughly, can still hold odor. The rocks were by far our biggest issue; designed to keep the dogs from getting dirty, we learned that some dogs have an affinity for eating them, and other pads became irritated. This is the case with any loose surface cover: gravel, rock, pea stone, or wood chips. We replaced the rock with pea stone, an industry standard, only to find the same issues still existed but the rocks then turned over more easily and pulled soil from below making our dirt-free facility only “mostly” dirt-free.
We have solved these issues by installing a top-of-the line, “designed for dogs,” pet artificial turf product. The unique feature of this product is its rapid drainage quality that allows liquid to immediately pass through it. We’ve installed this product in both our indoor and outdoor yards for the truly cleanest, freshest-smelling, bacteria-free facility in Maine.
Mutty Paws has always aspired to provide a kennel system that we have aptly named our “suites”. Our standard has been one of providing a sleep area that is free of chain-link fences and barriers with inevitable imperfections in the metal that can cut tender paw pads. We’ve always provided privacy panels so that dogs can hear and smell their bunkmates in the area giving them a sense of community but are not able to make eye contact (which can cause barrier frustration and distress). Our original location offered our homemade brand, but our new facility will boast the Suite 2.0 – a sophisticated top-of-the-line brand of kennels that are durable and guaranteed to be the safest and cleanest space for your dog to rest when away from home. We are also in a bed bug-free environment.
What happens when you combine 20 healthy people in a tiny room with re-circulated airflow and someone sneezes? You got it – germs for everyone. The same situation happens with dogs. Pups in a boarding room are susceptible to all the germs, colds, flus, and kennel coughs of their boarding friends unless there is sufficient air circulation.
That’s why we have installed a brand new HVAC system. This system changes the air in our boarding rooms and all other indoor only dog spaces TEN TIMES PER HOUR. This was a significant investment for our facility and brings nothing but clean air and health to your dog. In addition, we have a separate sick bay for any pet who may exhibit signs of sickness. This pet will enjoy the same luxury suites as in the standard boarding room until he or she can have a parent pick-up.
We have put a lot of time and effort into examining floors – everywhere we go. Does this floor feel good on our feet? Would it be too slippery when wet? Will it be rough on those delicate pads of our furry friends? How will our employees feel standing on it all day? Will it stain? Can it be cleaned? What we have determined is we needed to turn to experts in the industry and have a pet-friendly flooring product shipped in to be sure we had the best product in our facility. Our contractor is an expert in pet facility installations. The resinous flooring product that we have selected has the buoyancy that will keep our pups and staff comfortable combined with the slip-resistant non-porous smooth texture that will protect the pads of the fluffy-footed. The continuous flooring leaves no seams within which dirt and bacteria can collect and it releases the day’s grime with a simple pass of our cleaning system.
Cleaning has always been a large part of the Mutty Paws Academy process…it’s inevitable…it’s necessary. With our first location, we used building materials that one might see in most any commercial space – regular paints, standard flooring, wood trim. What we now know is that the typical materials that we once thought would work are not durable enough to stand up to the day to day rigors of all the pups. Our facility has been designed with a pet facility specific central wet/dry vac system installed throughout. This system dispenses high quality and ultra-safe cleaning products followed by a clear-water rinse. This powerful vacuum system assures that any dirt is removed and not just pushed into drains left to collect germs and bacteria.
We have continued our philosophy of small group sizes in our new facility. There will only be 12 dogs per play area. This equates to over 110 sq ft of indoor/outdoor play space per dog! To be able to house so many playful pups we have 5 play yards.
Our partitions between play yards are not “fences” they are durable walls. Constructed of easy to clean engineered plastic provides germ-free areas for your pups to play and exercise in. This provides a barrier between the yards that prevents dogs from knowing that another group is at play on the other side and allows the dogs to focus on their playmates without the distraction or irritation of another group.
