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Central Aroostook dog owners have a new home away from home for their four-legged family members.
Paws and Play Kennels opened recently in Fort Fairfield when owner Michele Clark combined her love of dogs and her desire to be home when her kids return from school.
The only business of its kind in Fort Fairfield, the facility offers grooming and boarding, either on weekdays or when families are away. The workday arrangement has proven to be a major draw for local residents. Just like parents need child care when they go to work, pet parents need a place where their dogs can socialize and expend energy, Clark said.
“I wanted to do doggy day care because it wasn’t really a thing around here,” Clark said. “It’s kind of like regular child care, but for your pups.”
Clark was living in Ohio, but returned home to Fort Fairfield a few years ago. Though there are other kennels in the area, she talked with residents and discovered they were often full, and more people needed a place to take their pets during working hours, she said.
She started planning the business in August 2023, seeking startup help with grant funding through the Northern Maine Development Commission in Caribou. Securing that funding, which required applications, was the hard part, she said.
The work paid off when she was awarded a $10,000 Maine Jobs and Recovery grant and a $15,000 Community Development Block Grant for microenterprise, which helped pay for construction, supplies and other costs like state licensing.
Kennels must be licensed by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Division of Animal and Plant Health, and licenses must be renewed each year, according to Maine law.
Clark’s fiance, Joseph McMann, and her father planned the building, she said. After the foundation was poured, McMann did the major construction and an Amish company crafted the roof.
Clark first opened her doors on Oct. 21, intending to focus on dog boarding. But a chance phone call allowed her to expand her business right away.
“I have a groomer, Addison Trombley, working with me. She happened to see that I had started a business,” Clark said. “She reached out to me about [offering] her grooming services, and I got her on board.”
Two stations allow both Clark and Trombley to work on dogs in the main shop area. Dogs can relax in the kennel room, while three separate, fenced-in dog runs let them expend their energy.
Clients Jennifer Wortman and Karl Malagon have both ends of the spectrum with Dallas, an 11-year-old Labrador mix who likes time to relax, and Journey, an energetic 2-year-old tree walker coon hound. Both attend Clark’s doggy day care.
“Dallas looks for a break from her silly sister and has all the other dogs to keep Journey company,” Wortman said. “Journey needs entertainment and a way to burn some energy when Dallas can’t keep up. It’s a win-win for them both.”
It can be challenging to find someone trustworthy to watch pets when you have to work, and Wortman appreciates having Clark’s business in town. So do the dogs — when someone mentions “day care” they jump up with tails wagging, she said.
She also appreciates that Clark regularly updates her on how the pets are doing, and that bathing, ear cleaning and nail trimming can be done at the same place.
Day care is $15 a day, boarding starts at $25 a night per dog and grooming rates start at $40, Clark said.
So far, Paws and Play has nine regular day care dogs from Fort Fairfield and the surrounding area. Other dogs stay for an extended period when their owners go on vacation.
That’s the case for Duke, a brown brindle Great Dane mix that’s spending his third and final week at the kennel while his family members are away for the holidays. The large, friendly dog seemed happy to pose for pictures Monday as Clark brushed his fur.
What’s surprised Clark the most is how easily the dogs play together. They all have good temperaments and get along well for the most part, she said.
The community has been supportive, and residents tell her how good it is to have a new business in town, Clark said. For her, it’s the culmination of a longtime dream — and one in which the entire family, including sons Kaiden, 12, and Karter, 9, can be involved.
“I enjoy being around dogs, and it’s something my children can help me with,” she said. “And I can be home for them.”
Correction: The story has been amended to clarify that other local kennels offer dog day care.