New Business Profile: Yappy Days Dog Daycare

Leah and Vinton Burgess had a doggone good idea. They then added a catchy name to go along with the idea, and the Yappy Days Dog Daycare & Pet Hotel was created.

Yep, a pet hotel, complete with swanky accommodations and yummy treats.
"It's like going to grandma's house," Leah said with a laugh. "They get a lot of snacks!"
A year ago the Burgesses, who have four dogs of their own - two English bulldogs, and two French bulldogs - began talking seriously about opening a daycare facility for dogs.
"I always said I wanted to be a stay-at-home dog mom," Leah said.
Last November they started making plans. In January they began remodeling the facility at 1795 North 120th Road.
"She wanted a place that we would want to take our own dogs," Vinton said. "Not just confined to a pen, but a real place for dogs to have fun. So we made really large kennels and a couple of dog hotels."
The indoor area for the dogs is quite large, with spacious kennels. The outdoor area, with a castle and pirate ship for the dogs to play in, is over 3,000 square feet.
"And it's artificial turf," Vinton added. "So there's no mud. No stickers."
Vinton built it all himself.
"The really hard part was laying down the artificial turf," Leah said. "That stuff is heavy. We used skid steers."
And the name: Yappy Days?
"I tried to think of something that would be fun," Leah said. "I Googled a lot of things."
The facility is open for boarding now, and they take calls 24/7. The dog daycare will open in about a month. The state has already licensed the Burgesses to board up to 15 dogs.
"We already have bookings for Christmas," Leah said.
There's also an introductory session called Yappy Hour. "It's kind of a litmus test for the dog," Leah said. "We let the dogs be together and make sure they get along with each other."
All pets brought to the facility must be vaccinated per state requirements. Yappy Days will even take puppies.
The new business venture is a family affair, with the Burgesses' three children - daughters Ryan and Laila, and son Henry - all involved.
"It's fun," Laila said. "We get to run around and play with all the dogs." Any downside to having so many dogs around? "We have to pick up all the poop. And you get slobbered on a lot."
In the near future, the Burgesses hope to expand their facility and will have no trouble finding enough employees. "We already have people offering to work for us," Leah said. "There's a lot of dog lovers out there."
With a motto of: 'We will love your pet like it's our own', Leah admits that when a pet leaves their care, she gets a little emotional. "You kind of get attached, you know. For a few days afterward I really miss them and wonder how they're doing. I always hope they'll come back."
The Burgesses will hold an Open House on Saturday, April 24, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Their hours of operation for dog daycare will be Mondays and Tuesdays from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Thursdays and Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Boarding for dogs is available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
Yappy Days Dog Daycare & Pet Hotel is located at 1795 N. 120th Road. The phone number is 785-643-5921. You can follow them on Facebook@Yappy Days.