Originally designed for our beloved Prince Pepe le Pew, who inspired our desire to give all small dogs a place they can socialize safely, take nature walks & be treated like royalty! Thank you for taking a peek to see what makes Pepe's Palace the top dog boarding, daycare and basic training Palace exclusively for dogs 30lbs or less in Cincinnati! More specifically, in Blue Ash, OH because honestly
, it's where my belated dog, Pepe le Pew, wanted to live. He loved adventures, walks and chasing squirrels. He loved window watching, playing with his paw-pals and running freely whenever possible! So I did what a dog Mom who wants only the best for her fur-baby does. I bought him a home fit for a Prince and quickly turned it into Pepe's Palace! Our Palace has windows galore for squirrels, birds and chipmunk viewing, bringing a live version of Animal Planet right to our doorstep! There's a doggie door to allow for more fun, freedom and surprise squirrel chases. We have an open, ranch floor plan with fun areas p'awfect for pup chases. In the summer we open the french doors allowing the dogs to incorporate the yard and house as their playground after morning walks. We have a large, fenced-in back yard with a deck to watch the sunrise on or take an afternoon nap under the shade of our tree canopy. When entering and exiting the Palace there's a fenced in ‘safety zone’ to prevent any ‘Houdini’s’ from being able to escape accidentally. A 5 minute walk away is a large, private lake where all paws can explore nature's gifts and walk on natural terrain while escaping blacktop and traffic. I call it Pepe’s Paradise because it’s a slice of heaven perfect for stimulating every VIP's (Very Important Pet) senses. It's truly because of Pepe le Pew my home has become a Palace perfect for dogs under 30lbs and I wouldn’t have it any other way! Because of Pepe it's now my mission to make the standard dog daycare/boarding industry rollover by changing the model to one that fulfills every small dog's needs and lowers the risk of injuries and trauma, while fostering p'awsitive socialization! WHY OUR DOGS DON'T WANT TO LEAVE! I care about meeting ALL of your fur-baby's needs so much so that I hired a team of loving, experienced dog-lovers to help ensure each VIP gets the following daily:
1. Walked 1-2 miles a day. (Weather permitting, per each dog’s physical abilities.) Leashes are always locked in and tethered to our body and any 'flight risk' VIP's get a GPS tracker for additional safety.
2. Mental stimulation. From my lifelong studies of dog behavior/communication, fostering, volunteering at animal shelters and training dogs for fun I know physical exercise is not enough so we work on teaching them commands such as; focus, leave it, stay, down, come, sit, off, quiet and more, multiple times a day! Not only does this help us manage a small pack of dogs at once, it provides for healthier, more mentally balanced fur-babies.
3. All hired team members are trained on how to read and understand dog behavior/communication, so that each dog is above all else, SAFE and at ease! In addition, we help train and socialize shy, fearful or anxious dogs and overly playful pups too!
4. Rules, boundaries and limitations. Just like little humans, dogs do best with routines and boundaries. We don’t allow them to develop bad behaviors here and we ensure they get their much needed naps before getting cranky.
5. Play time! Everyday we play games like fetch, wrestle and tug-of-war with your dog between walks, socialization, naps and feedings. We’re always coming up with new and fun things to do, such as dancing or getting the hose out on those warm sunny days! Ask about our indoor bouncy play zone for wet & wintery days too!
6. Unlike large daycare/boarding centers we keep our packs small. Not just the size of our VIP's but the number of dogs visiting at once are kept small too! This makes it easy for us to give lots of tender, love and care to each visitor, each day. From cozy couch cuddle puddles with humans and paw-pals, individual lap time and infinite ear and belly rubs they’re always well-loved as if they're home.
7. Last but not least, SAFETY! We created a sometimes meticulous, but oh so worth it, p’awsitive introduction process for each new arrival. We customize our approach based on each dog’s body language, communication, confidence and more! We ease your dog into the pack in a way the prevents trauma and builds confidence instead of just throwing them into a large, strange pack like most facilities do. Bring your dog for a free tour to see our unique, risk-lowering, intro methods and learn more. This IS our special sauce to fostering life-long paw-pals at Pepe’s Palace! There’s seriously no end to how we care for our VIP clients because teaching dogs how to be dogs while getting all of their mental, social, physical and heart needs met when visiting IS our mission! (We even make our own toxic-free cleaning solutions so that VIP's stay healthy!)
We're open for drop-offs and pick-ups from 7am - 7pm weekdays and 8am-6pm weekends. (Flexible on times for an additional fee.) WHY OUR CLIENTS CHOOSE US OVER THE COMPETITION (besides the aforementions ;)
Now that you’ve heard how we meet all of your dog’s needs how about YOUR needs? As a dog parent I understand how hard it is to leave your dog with a stranger. So many worries pop into your head from what if they get loose to wondering if they are stressed the entire time you’re gone. This is why we incorporate multiple safety measures, such as separated/monitored feedings, AND send you as many videos/pictures as we can. I love the challenge of taking frame-worthy photos of VIP's so each boarding visitor will get photos you can use on social media or as your screen-saver and more! You’ll see how happy, cozy your dog is when visiting and any socialization progress their making, when applicable. As of this year, we only accept dogs that are 30lbs or under because small/medium sized dogs need a special place where they too can feel safe and not get overwhelmed! We used to accept slightly larger dogs in the past so these past-clients are Grand-Fathered in and are already vetted to do great with smaller dogs! When requested, I’ll provide you with tips and tools you can use at home to help your dog with separation (mild) or social anxiety and more! If we’re working to teach your dogs new tricks and correct unwanted behaviors they need to continue this while at home so that it sticks. This means you get more than a dog-sitter, you get a trainer who learned through the school of hard knocks and years of self-education just because I enjoy it! Essentially, you get a dog pyschologist who, when applicable, will advise you of any mental imbalances or behaviors that can be improved (and how) so that they can be their healthiest and happiest tails on Earth! Also, because we don't accept aggressive dogs and keep the number of visiting dogs low dogs aren't crated overnight unless you prefer we do so. They're allowed on the beds/furniture and will have plenty of soft, places to snuggle up for sweet puppy dreams. Our raving customers sum it up best as I repeatedly hear from them that:
1. “I never have to worry when I travel now because I know my dog is in good hands.”
2. “You have a first-class operation here that tells me you know what you’re doing.”
3. “I love all of your videos and pictures, you should be a photographer too!”
4.“You taught me more than my trainer has about dogs.”
5. "My dog is always so excited when we come here and obviously never wants to leave." You probably gathered by now that I'm serious about making the boarding and daycare industry rollover by changing the model to one that fulfills every dog's needs and lowers risk of injuries and trauma while fostering p'awsitive socialization. It starts here first, by making sure we produce the Happiest Tails on Earth! Come sniff us out by sending us a message with the BEST times/days you’re available to stop by for a free meet n’ greet with your Very Important Pet and we'll get back to you in two tail wags and a woof!
