For love of animals

A full-service pet care facility in Cranbrook is a labour of love

Karla Shalley, owner/operator of The Playpen Pet Boarding & Grooming, with one of her special "clients." —

Kris Lindblad photo

After a 16-year career as a police officer, Karla Shalley made a leap of faith by opening her own business, The Playpen Pet Boarding & Grooming in Cranbrook. It was a logical leap of faith, though. With four dogs of her own (three of them SPCA rescue animals), Shalley's love of animals is quickly apparent. Kootenay Business recently caught up with Shalley, who will celebrate her third year in business in May 2011.

What services do you offer at The Playpen?

We're the only full-service pet care facility in Cranbrook. Some do boarding and some do grooming, but we're the only one that offers both, including daycare. We're open 365 days a year for our kennel service, including pickup and drop-off, even on Christmas Day. Our groomer has 40 years of experience, and I'm a groomer also.

Tell us a bit about the grooming side of the business.

I'm quite proud of our grooming product, as far as how our clients look when they go out the door. We don't kennel dry. Our dogs go from the tub to the table and we blow-dry them by hand. It's less traumatic on the dog. We're not an assembly line. We spend a lot of one-on-one time to make sure our clients aren't stressed. We groom everything from chihuahuas to Newfoundlands and lots of Shih Tzus. Most of our grooming clients come in Monday to Friday. We have two to three grooming staff that work on any given day. We will also do grooming on weekends so that when you pick them up on a Monday, they're all fresh and groomed. We're not a crazy-busy shop; we work to create a calm environment.

And could you describe the boarding part of The Playpen's business?

It's all about our clients, making our kennel visitors as comfortable as possible, making it their home away from home. (For example), we always feed according to how the owner feeds at home. If the owner feeds (his or her pet) 10 times a day, we feed 10 times a day. We try to keep it as similar to their home as possible. Outdoor playtime is geared to the type of dog (its breed, its age) and, of course, the weather. Outdoor playtimes are generally four to eight times a day. We even have 'Yappy Hour,' with complimentary, all-natural pet treats. And our Cat Cottage is a must-see, a fully serviced, stand-alone cabin that offers a sanctuary for your cat's holiday.

What do you like most about your work?

The animals! I've always been the crazy dog lady. I've got four of my own, and really felt that Cranbrook needed a facility like this. We're high end, not in price, but high end in service.

What sets your business apart?

The quality of service, judging by the feedback I get from customers. We've actually had clients that run back into the kennels because they don't want to go home. That's a real good indicator that the client (the cat or dog) is happy.

How long has The Playpen been open?

It will be three years in May, and we've had over 1,000 clients. We cherish the clients that have stuck by us.

Describe your business philosophy.

We are all about customer service and making our clients happy. If a dog is happy to see us when they walk in the door, then we know we've done our job. When they jump up in our lap and are so happy to see us—it's all about that.

What is your proudest achievement?

I was happy that last year we got nominated for Business of the Year from the Cranbrook Chamber of Commerce. That was quite good for being not even two years old at the time. We also got Gold in the 2010 Kootenay Business Best of Business Awards (Pet Service category). That's an accomplishment for someone who was never a business owner before. And just having the dogs and the clients happy is a feat in itself.

What did you do before getting into the pet care business?

I moved to the East Kootenay about six years ago after a long-standing career as a police officer. I had a variety of jobs in Cranbrook since leaving my 16 years of policing, but the desire of my love of animals and being self-employed called me. With education in grooming, veterinarian assistant and pet care technician, I felt I was well on my way to see my vision become reality. I purchased one and a half beautifully treed acres within the city, and the dream of The Playpen Pet Boarding and Grooming began.

Do you have pets of your own? If so, tell us about them.

I have three dogs from the SPCA. I'm a big believer in rescue animals. They are big dogs, Husky/border collie/shepherd crosses—SPCA specials! My latest addition is an English cocker spaniel, formerly a client—she's a sweetheart.

Where do you hope to be five years from now?

We hope to add on to the building and create a small dog sanctuary, and we'd like to expand our daycare, most likely in the spring. We have already expanded. We added 5,000 square feet of run space. That was a nice addition after two years. It doesn't allow us to take on more clients, but it does give us more play space.