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Barbara Lee has been running
a Doggie Day Care in Northern California since 1999. She lives
in the country at the end of a quiet winding lane. As her
business grew her neighbors began to mention the increase
in traffic. So Barbara began to meet her doggie clientele
in town. It became the Doggie Bus and owners brought their
dogs to the meeting place each morning.
In a given day, Barbara
has about 20 dogs in her Doggie Day Care Center. She has two
fenced areas. One is for the big dogs who she refers to as
the "run, chase and bash crowd" and another for
the smaller dogs which she affectionately calls the "Rat
People." Even when she gets puppies that are eager to
join the "run, chase and bash crowd" they can't
go play with the big guys until they are seven months or so
and their bones are strong enough and they are big enough
to hold their own.
The dogs love her but
when they arrive it is really about being with their friends.
They play hide and seek as they run through their tubes, play
in the wading pools and engage in mouthing games. But like
any children who have played hard at 11 AM Barbara calls a
halt and lets them know it is time for their naps. Some dogs
sleep in crates, some in the living room, some on the bed,
but all 20 dogs take a nap until about 2PM. Then they are
up and at it again.
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