New businesses tap into pet-care niches

Some would say you’d have to be barking mad to build your business around dogs, but area locals are taking advantage of niches in the pet industry and are catering to man’s best friend.

“People really love their pets,” said Suzanne Johnson, co-founder of the new Walk Your Dog Club in Kalispell. “When you’re stressed, research shows that you cling to those things that make you happy, and time with pets releases endorphins.”

Johnson and her business partner, Robbi Christopherson, opened the Walk Your Dog Club as an indoor work-out area for people and their four-legged companions.

“It’s been hard to explain to people, like our insurance company, what we’re doing,” Johnson said. “There’s nothing else like it in the country.”

The two partners spent the last six months renovating a building on Idaho Street into a state-of-the-art doggie gym. A 12-foot-wide track is located on the second floor, which also hosts some workout equipment for humans, a filtered water station and agility training equipment for both people and dogs.

The first floor hosts a social area for dogs and their two-legged companions, with a coffee station provided by Montana Coffee Trader, fresh daily grab-and-go meals by John’s Angels Catering and a retail center for organic dog and people food items provided by Withey’s Health Foods. The area also houses a refrigerator and microwave oven so patrons can bring food to eat breakfast or lunch while working with their dog.

And that’s not all. The facility hosts a local masseuse, so people can get a rub-down after a workout.

“Our masseuse is currently in training to become a certified dog masseuse as well,” Johnson said excitedly. “So both you and your dog can enjoy a massage.”

The Walk Your Dog Club also will serve as a daily doggie daycare center. Johnson specified that they are not an overnight facility, but people can leave their dogs during the day for socializing or care.

Johnson said they’ve had a wave of responses so far. When people see their business sign or Facebook page, they have stopped in to take a look. Several people have signed up for monthly or yearly memberships.

They will operate Wednesday through Sunday in October, and will be open seven days a week in November. Business hours are 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weeknights, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends.

The business is located at 111 W. Idaho Street. For more information, visit their website at www.walkyourdogclub.com, find them on Facebook, or call 890-2220.

Doggie-based companies have started popping up across the Flathead Valley.

Erica Gerber married what she loved to do with what she was trained to do.

Gerber recently founded Barks and Rec., an exercise-based boarding facility for pets that specializes in dogs, cats and horses. As a trained veterinary technician and a self-proclaimed animal-lover, Gerber created the company as a way for pets to get exercise when their owners are unable to do it themselves.

“I know owners feel bad when they come home from a day of work, and they’re exhausted, and may not have the energy to exercise their pets,” Gerber said. “This way, they can erase that guilt, and know their pet is healthy.”

Gerber boards dogs and horses at her ranch in the Lower Valley, either for a few hours a day, or long-term while pet owners are on vacation. She is also able to visit homes to care for animals such as cats. She also uses her veterinarian technician training to care for the animals, be it grooming, medication administration or other types of special attention.

Her favorite way to get the animals out and about is getting them into nature.

“I really want to tap into the hiking market,” she said. “It’s a beautiful area, and getting out with the dogs is a great way for them to exercise.”

Several times each week, Gerber takes her regular clients for hikes across the valley. She alters the hike length and terrain to fit the dog’s fitness level and the owner’s goals for their pet. She even offers 3-mile runs for pets needing to loose a few pounds.

Gerber started the company in July after she moved to the valley last year. She had worked for a similar company when she and her husband, Mike, lived in Las Vegas for three years. The company boarded and exercised animals for out-of-town visitors or locals on vacation. During that time, Gerber trained as a veterinary assistant for two years, and practiced as a veterinary technician for a year.

Last year, her husband was relocated for work, so Gerber moved to the Flathead Valley. She said her company is modeled on a company the couple used when they lived in Missoula a few years ago. Her husband is the strength and conditioning coach for the University of Montana Grizzlies football team, and the couple would often have to leave on weekends for out-of-town games, which left her dog, Boone, home alone.

“It was a great service for us to use at that time,” Gerber said. “[Boone] needed to get out during the day, and not be cooped up, so that was a great, healthy way for him to do it.”

Gerber said during her time working in a veterinary clinic, the biggest health problem they saw was pet obesity, which can lead to serious behavioral problems. She said dogs such as shepherds or Huskies have the need to run in their genetic makeup, and if they aren’t able to get out, they develop behavioral problems or health issues.

So far, Gerber said her business has taken off. Boarding spaces are beginning to fill up, and she’s looking forward to the coming season when she can take the pets out in the snow while she cross-country skis with them.

For more information or to book an appointment, call Gerber at 471-0471, or visit online at www.barksandrecofflatheadvalley.com

Reporter Brianna Loper may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at bloper@dailyinterlake.com.