NEW BUSINESS SP OTLIGHT : Camp Bow Wow
Posted on Sunday, October 5, 2008
BENTONVILLE — Dog lovers can view their pets playing via 14 live Web cameras at Camp Bow Wow. Some watch every day as the owners come to pick up their dogs or throughout the day.
Camp owners Linda Kosecki, 46, and Jeff Kosecki, 43, started the Camp Bow Wow franchise in Bentonville after looking for a place for their own pet. With Linda’s frequent travel on Wal-Mart business, she knew the importance of keeping their dog from destructive play while bored at home.
“We needed a solution. And if we needed a solution, then other people in Northwest Arkansas needed one too,” Linda said.
After seeing a Camp Bow Wow franchise in Springfield, Mo., the Koseckis realized the company’s practices met with their own expectations for dogs. Play is both indoors and outdoors. Water is accessible for the dog at all times.
Dogs can have their own schedule rather than being walked only twice a day. Safety and cleanliness are paramount.
The 7, 500-square-foot building was designed to meet the specifications of the Camp Bow Wow franchise and the Koseckis’ ideas. They added more shade from a roof overhang across part of the 3, 800-square-foot play areas. Each of the five play areas is separated by a high metal fence.
The Koseckis invested in a premium cleaning system they say was the first in an Arkansas dog-care facility. The system is made by Spray Master Technologies in Rogers. Its powerful sprays clean the cement floors and pea-gravel outdoor areas, piping out the used water.
There’s also a patented gate system to keep dogs in their assigned groups, mostly by size and energy levels. That grouping is determined at the interview required of each dog before becoming a camper.
The dog is placed in a room to see how it gets along with one dog at a time. The dog is monitored closely for at least three hours to see how it reacts with others in the play areas. Owners get a first-day report card on their dog’s behavior.
Jeff said 271 dogs had passed their interviews to be allowed to stay at Camp Bow Wow. Only five or six had behavioral problems that needed work, but they can return for a new interview after working with a trainer. Camp Bow Wow in Bentonville has three management leaders and seven part-time employees, called camp counselors. The camp maintains at least one counselor for every 15 dogs. Jeff tells potential employees that the job is 70 percent cleaning and only 30 percent playing with the dogs. Training includes videos, check-off sheets and the Poop Camp Manual. Counselors learn about dog behavior and animal safety, including the Red Cross method of CPR for pets. Each dog’s instructions regarding food, medicine, pickup times and other care notes are kept with the dog’s photo at the front of each cabin, where each dog has a locker for personal toys or objects from home to keep them comfortable. “That’s what we’re looking for — happy campers,” Linda said. If you recently opened a business or know of a new business in the area, please call Sue Morris at (479 ) 770-8468 or e-mail:
smorris@arkansasonline. com
DETAILS LOCATION: 1403 S. W. 14 th St., Bentonville; www. campbowwow. com / bentonville PHONE: (479 ) 268-4120 Hours: 6: 30 a. m. to 7 p. m. Monday-Friday; 7 a. m. to 7 p. m. Saturday; 7 to 10 a. m. and 4 to 7 p. m. Sundays and holidays OWNERS: Jeff and Linda Kosecki PRODUCTS / SERVICES: Dog day care and overnight boarding TYPE OF BUSINESS: Dog sitting START DATE: June 30 START-UP FUNDS: Almost $ 300, 000 FUNDING: Line of credit
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