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It all began when Taylor James adopted Zoey, a rescue dog that was shy and a little timid. To quell her fears of leaving her new best friend home alone, she enrolled Zoey in Dogtopia in Tysons, a dog day-care facility.
 James was so happy with the center she decided to quit her job at AOL and open a Dogtopia of her own.
"I was one of those annoying dog parents who would call to see how my dog was doing," James said. "Now I get those calls, and I don't find it annoying at all."
James, along with Art Prediger, another ex-AOLer, opened Dogtopia of Dulles April 26, just off U.S. 50 on Dulles South Court in Chantilly on the Loudoun/Fairfax border.
"Loudoun County has a thriving community of dog lovers and is in sore need of this type of service," James said. "With the high commute times in this area, many owners are out of the home for extended periods of time during the day. Dogtopia will offer them a safe, fun environment to leave their dogs for the day and give them peace of mind."
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Two former AOL employees are opening a new dog day care center at 3850 Dulles South Court in Chantilly.
The franchise will mark the fourth location in Virginia for Dogtopia, a full-service dog day care, spa and boarding facility. Another is slated to open in June in Woodbridge.
"We're excited to offer area dog owners an alternative to leaving their dogs at home alone or in a kennel environment," said Taylor James, who owns the Chantilly franchise with Art Pediger.
Dogtopia was founded in 2002 as Happy Tails, and changed its name in early 2007, according Amy Nichols, the company's president and chief executive. Along with the new store, Dogtopia is also located locally in Alexandria, Manassas, Vienna and Rockville.
The company began offering franchises in 2005, and anticipates 50 more stores to be in operation or in development by 2009. Currently, the Alexandria, Manassas, Chantilly and the future Woodbridge day cares are franchises. Several more Dogtopias are operating or about to open in other states across the country.
Franchisees pay between $180,000 to $400,000, depending on size and location, to start up the business, Nichols said. The average Dogtopia franchise investment nationally is about $250,000.
The typical store cares for between 50 to 80 dogs each day, with a ration of one caregiver per 10 to 15 dogs. Chantilly's Dogtopia is 6,500 square feet and includes a gymnasium, romper room and lounge.
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