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Santa Monica Daily Press
Santa Monica's trusted source of essential news for 22 years
The popular dog daycare center Animal Kingdom at 300 Pico Blvd faces imminent closure at the end of this week if an agreement cannot be reached with their landlords. Owner Christine Najera is running a massive clearance sale to shift remaining inventory and a GoFundMe appeal has been set up by customers to save the community canine club.
“Despite clawing our way out of Covid and increased operational expenses, the sudden decrease in business related to the Canine Virus (luckily, none of our visitors were affected) has pushed our frail business over the edge,” the page reads.
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Animal Kingdom, as dog daycare center, has been in business for over 13 years, but it first started life as a store that sold exotic animals. After the economic uncertainty that followed the Great Recession, it faced financial difficulties for the first time and Najera invested what little money she had to turn it into what it is now.
“I didn’t want to see the store go,” she told the Daily Press. “I was already living in the community and it’s big dog community and owning a dog changed my life for the better, so I thought ‘wow, this is fantastic, this is where I want to be.’”
Najera says that she’s invested in the business at every opportunity. Consequently, when the chance came to extend the operation into an adjacent space, she pounced on the chance. Sadly, only a year or so later, the Pandemic arrived and changed just about everything and she’s been struggling to recoup the costs of that expansion ever since.
“Whatever money I’ve made, I put back into the business. And that was a very big, very big investment, the first time I’ve ever borrowed money. And I don’t know, maybe not even a year after Covid, that all but wiped out daycare,” she said, struggling to contain her obvious emotion.
Moreover, what became known as the canine respiratory virus that received substantial coverage towards the end of last year was exaggerated, but that didn’t stop it from having a detrimental effect on her business.
“There were a few deaths and that was tragic, but unfortunately we learned now that it was all hyped up … Obviously, we want the health and safety of our pets to always be our first priority, but that just felt like Covid all over again,” she said.
The Animal Kingdom center is clearly Najera’s raison d’être and she’s had to deal with all manner of problems, not just financial, during the time she’s been there, including, but not limited to, being trapped in the center by a homeless individual wielding a makeshift weapon.
“We’re constantly fighting the homelessness situation. I’ve been locked in my store with a man who was threatening me with a sewer fixture,” she says. “[That was] maybe a year or so ago and then we started having an encampment right across the street by the bowling alley, because that’s been deserted and vacant.”
At the time of going to press, the GoFundMe appeal had raised a little over $8,000 but that’s still less than half the target amount.
“Since I announced that I was closing, a few customers suggested a GoFundMe, but it’s not in my nature to take handouts. I built this place on my own without anybody’s help. And it’s hard to ask for that kind of help,” Najera said.
She explained that one of her co-workers was attempting to get a business license in an attempt to save the center and that’s how the raised funds will be used. She said that she had a meeting with her landlord later today (Wednesday) and she’d have a better idea of how things might unfold after that. But time is running out.
scott.snowden@smdp.com
The price of your membership is up to you — you decide how much and how often. Our pledge is to keep original, authoritative journalism for Santa Monicans accessible to all, regardless of their means. Your membership helps accomplish that, and powers journalism focused on solutions to improve the city we share.
Your contribution is appreciated.
Prefer to give a one-time contribution? Click here.
Scott fell in love with Santa Monica when he was much younger and now, after living and working in five different countries, he has returned. He's written for the likes of the FT, NBC, the BBC and CNN. More by Scott Snowden
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