These days, it’s common to bring your dog to work, but that wasn’t always the case for the husband-and-wife duo, Virginia Donahue and Mark Klaiman.
Both full-time workers with a 9-to-5 schedule, they dreamed of creating an environment for pets to get love and attention—even while their owners were busy working. In May 1997, they fulfilled their passion by opening Pet Camp, a pet daycare and overnight care facility in the Bayview.
With summer travel (and the resulting pet boarding) in full swing, we caught up with Klaiman to learn more about what it takes to care for over 100 dogs and cats in a given day.
What does it take to work at Pet Camp?
You gotta love dogs and cats. If you're not head over heels for them, then this isn’t the business for you. We work hard. There’s lots of cleaning [and] feeding that some might view as burdensome. To us, it’s great, and so are our clients.
Why the Bayview?
We wanted a large, affordable space, and this property met our needs and strict zoning requirements. We use 35,000 square feet, and it's hard to find that much space anywhere in the city.
What was the neighborhood like when you first opened?
There was homeless encampments everywhere; violence and prostitution. There wasn’t a T train, or many businesses along the corridor. Now that we have a voice, these issues have largely dissipated. More businesses have taken control of their destiny, and people seem invested in our community.
We are big on community engagement. We were involved in the Bayview Merchants Association (when it was active), the BRITE Alliance and EDoT. We are also involved in merchant groups outside of Bayview, such as the Potrero Hill/Dogpatch Association and the SF Chamber of Commerce, so that our issues are recognized throughout the city.
How are you able to successfully manage the behavior of so many dogs and cats?
We have a lot of flexibility. We work with over 100 dogs, at all ages and life stages. When dogs come in, it's like when you walk into a party and you don’t know anyone, so you may behave a certain way versus when you do know everyone. That’s how dogs are. You have to just have to let them take over, and make sure you're not forcing them to work in your environment, by creating one that works for them.
The cats are a little different, because most don’t play well together. We have a separate facility in Presidio Heights with a greenhouse attached, so that they can go outside. But we also have about 25 cats in Bayview.
What sets you apart from other animal care facilities?
We are one step beyond 24-hour care. We have 20,000 square feet of outdoor play space, a private dog park and field turf. We even have an indoor swimming pool with jets on one end, and we set up currents for them to swim against.
We have training, so that your dog can be a good urban citizen and enhance their socialization skills. We help them with obedience, so that they can walk down Third Street, not bark at other dogs or pick up foreign objects.
Each animal has different behavioral and medical needs, so we stick to what we know in that regard. We also do pickup/drop off in two large vans; we drive anywhere in the city, as well as the airport, East and North Bay.
Have you considered expanding to boarding birds?
Ha! No.
Learn more about Pet Camp by visiting its website.
