Nick and Marcia Autry are the fantastic mother and son team that make Dogtopia of Munster special! The Autrys are lifelong residents of Munster. Marcia and husband Joe chose to raise their two sons, Nick, and his brother Mike, in the wonderful community.

Nick was born and raised in Munster, IN and is a graduate of Munster High School. After High School, he received his Undergraduate and Graduate Degrees from Indiana University in Bloomington. He has had the opportunity since then to live in Chicago, Colorado, and Florida, but is now again calling Munster his home.

Dogs have always been a natural part of the Autry's life and Nick initially introduced the idea of opening a dog daycare. Marcia was able to identify with the guilt of leaving a dog at home during the day, so she loved the idea of having a place where your dog could socialize and play without being caged or alone while their family is at work, school or on vacation. Nick had been a loving dad to a Chocolate Lab, Jessie, and knew the difficulty of leaving her when he left town for travel. He also loved the idea of providing the highest quality in dog care and giving owners peace of mind.

After researching many options for opening a pet care business, they both felt Dogtopia would be best for them. Their decision was set after visiting the Home Office in Maryland to meet with the management team and visit with Dogtopia owners.

They were particularly pleased to learn the core values of the Dogtopia franchise - Honesty and Integrity, Accountability and Responsibility, Passionate Enthusiasm Exceptional Customer Service and Active Community Service. They both volunteer with the Calumet Area Humane Society and feel giving back to the community is the natural extension of Dogtopia services; further uniting them with the local, national, and global community of dog lovers.

In addition to being mother to Nick, Marcia is mother to a beautiful, playful Border Collie/Lab mix named Sadie. Sadie was adopted from the Calumet Area Humane Society, as were Nick's two dogs, Emmy, a Shepherd mix, and Oscar, a Lab mix.