Daycare Benefits for Dogs and Their Owners

Doggone Fun! Doggy Daycare Center offers many benefits for dogs and their owners. Statistics show that people are becoming more aware of their pet’s welfare including their health and well-being. Pet owners want quality care for their pets that they are unable to give due to their busy schedules. Doggone Fun! is committed to offering pet owners experienced and caring animal care specialists, a safe, clean and supervised play arena and innovative enrichment options for a full day of fun. Our main goal is to provide dogs with a stimulating, enriching, caring, clean and safe environment.

Provides Social Interaction

Allowing dogs the opportunity to socialize with other dogs is probably the most important gift you can give yourself and your dog. Dogs, by nature, are highly social animals. They form strong social bonds, which is one of the reasons we form such long-lasing relationships with dogs. The majority of dog behavior can be traced back to their identity as predators that are programmed to be constantly around other dogs to survive. Regular play with other dogs builds your dog’s confidence and improves their ability to communicate and interact. The more dogs your dog interacts with the better their social skills become. Soon your dog will be a “social butterfly” coaxing worried or antisocial dogs to play, appeasing tough dogs and defusing potential fights with subtle body language.

Reduces Problem Behaviors

Many behavior problems occur when pet owners are away from home and their dogs are left alone. These behavior problems include: barking, whining, howling, destruction of property and increased frequency of urination and defecation. This happens due to the dog’s increased stress level when isolated. Daycare for your dog is one of the best ways to teach your dog good socialization skills and eliminate owner absent behavior problems.

Provides Exercise and Stimulation

Many dogs are severely under challenged in their day to day life. Doggone Fun! provides your dog with a stimulating and enriching environment. We fulfill your dog’s social, mental and physical needs through social interaction with other dogs, plenty of physical exercise in our large play arena, practicing and reinforcing basic behaviors such as; sit, name recognition and recalls, and many innovative and creative toys and games to keep your dog’s mind sharp and active. Providing this type of stimulation on a regular basis is a pet owner’s first defense against unwanted behavioral problems.

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Facility Overview

Doggone Fun! Doggy Daycare Center offers a 2200 square foot, bright, indoor, air conditioned play arena for your dog to enjoy supervised play with other dogs. The play arena floors are covered with firm rubber matting for your dogs comfort, health and safety. Rest areas are available and equipped with comfortable dog beds for those dogs that need extra rest and solitude. The facility is ventilated with continual air turnover to reduce humidity and maintain a healthy environment.

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Meet the Owner – Cinthia Alia Mitchell

Doggone Fun! Doggy Daycare Center is owned and managed by Cinthia Alia Mitchell.  Cinthia received her Bachelor of Arts degree in biology from the University of Puget Sound in 1989. She has been working in the animal care and training business since 1983. Starting her career as a Staff Biologist for the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma, Washington she trained various species of birds and marine mammals for educational demonstrations. In 1990 she moved to Chicago, Illinois to work as an animal care specialist training marine mammals for the Shedd Aquarium. In 1992 she moved to Newport, Oregon where she held a Senior Mammalogist position with the Oregon Coast Aquarium. It was there that she had the honor to work with Keiko the famous killer whale.  In 1999 Cinthia opened Doggone Fun!, one of the first dog daycares in the Portland area. She offers her years of animal care, training and enrichment experience to help give pet owners an enriching alternative to leaving their dogs home alone while they work.  Cinthia is also a published author.  She co-authored the book, “Beyond Squeaky Toys: Innovative ideas for eliminating problem behaviors and enriching the lives of dogs and cats”.  It is the first book of it’s kind on the subject of environmental enrichment for pet animals.  Cinthia has developed and managed animal husbandry, training and enrichment programs for marine mammals, birds and land mammals. She is a professional member of the International Marine Animal Trainers Association (IMATA),  the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT) and the Animal Behavior Management Alliance (ABMA). She also acts as regional reporter for IMATA and has published and presented several papers concerning animal husbandry, training and enrichment methods.

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Ruff-Eree Motto

“We are benevolent leaders.”  

“We use positive reinforcement to redirect and reward behavior.”   

“We are committed to offering our furry friends a safe, clean, enriching environment full of love and affection.”

 

 

 

Meet the staff –

Doggone Fun! Doggy Daycare Staff are Animal CPR & First Aid certified.  Each staff member receives extensive training in animal husbandry, behavior, training, and enrichment.   Our staff  has a wealth of experience and knowledge of dog social behavior to ensure quality care and encourage safe, positive interactions.  

 

Nakita Johnson ABC-CPDT- LEAD DOG TRAINER / DAYCARE ATTENDANT

Hi! My name is Nakita Johnson and I am so excited to work with you and your dogs as part of the Doggone Fun! family.  I’ve spent the last seven years studying and working with dog packs in daycare facilities from coast to coast.  In 2019 I completed my formal education at Animal Behavior College, which included an internship training dogs for adoption at the local Humane Society.  I then went on to direct the training program at a large daycare and boarding facility in St. Petersburg, Florida.  I am also AKC certified to teach and evaluate STAR Puppy and Canine Good Citizen courses. 

I am a balanced trainer who emphasizes compassionate leadership, positive reinforcement, and setting dogs up for success. Just like us, our pups are much more likely to do something if they’re having a good time doing it. The good news is, DOG TRAINING IS FUN!  It’s one of the most enriching and rewarding aspects of life with our canine friends, and I firmly believe we can work together to make training more than just another chore.  I will design programs that are fun and rewarding.  We will work together for positive outcomes for you and your precious pups.   Happy Tails! 

 

Miya Trujillo – DAYCARE ATTENDANT

Miya with Hazel

“I couldn’t ask for a better place to be, working at Doggone Fun!   I’m always looking forward to spending time with the dogs, learning their behaviors, and building connections with each of them!  I feel the most comfortable working with animals, and I’m lucky to have the opportunity to meet so many every time I come in!

Daphne Schafroth- LEAD DAYCARE  ATTENDANT

Daphne with Charlie

“I love working at Doggone Fun! because of the connections I’m making with all the dogs. It is so fun to get to know each of them individually and watch them become more confident. I look forward to work every day!”

Indi Jacobs – DAYCARE ATTENDANT

Indi with Hazel

“As a life long dog lover I find it incredibly rewarding to work in an environment where I get to give the animals under my care the best experience possible by keeping them happy and healthy.  I’m interested in animal behavior (It’s what I majored in!) and working at Doggone Fun! gives me the opportunity to observe, to learn about and to understand more about dogs’ pack behaviors.“

Mark Heinrich – DAYCARE ATTENDANT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mark and Tony

“My love for dogs started when I was just a pup myself! My first word was ‘dog’ and my nickname ‘Mark Bark’ says it all!”

 

 

 

Maddy Vezinet – LEAD DAYCARE ATTENDANT

Maddy with Tucker

“I’ve always been passionate about working with animals and Doggone Fun! has given me a great opportunity to learn more about dogs and make connections with them. It’s always fun to see them every day and learn more about each dog’s personality.”