by John Arundel

Dog City has a new place for mutts. The city nationally recognized for being friendly to Fido, with its pet parks, gourmet dog bakeries and yappy happy hours, has a new luxe day care for doggies. Dogtopia, a $500,000 cageless facility in the works since 2003, opened Saturday at 3121 Colvin St. on the West End. Local canines and connoisseurs of everything dog stopped by to sniff the place out.

Jeff Lutton of McLean, the owner, quit his job in telcom sales to start the day care because he got "tired of the corporate life." Lutton, the owner of a golden retriever named "Josie," the day care's mascot and VP of dog resources, said, "I'd pick Josie up after work and she¹d be so happy. ...I wanted a place I could hang out with her all day long."

Dogtopia features easy-on-the-joints Tuflex flooring, 1,000 square feet of outdoor play area, and a two-level spa grooming area for warm showers, blow drys and "paw-dicures." There are also open playgroups and overnight boarding, alternatives to traditional kennels.

Joining forces in the venture is Old Town¹s Kristina Robertson, owner of Barkley Square Gourmet Dog Bakery & Boutique, which sells hard-to-find treats, gifts and furnishings for man's best friend. "Jeff and I have a major thing in common: We both like to spoil dogs," she said.

© The Alexandria Times 2007