by Mike Copeland, Tribune-Herald business editor

Doggie day care to open in Waco

Call it Dogtopia, and consider it utopia for dogs who don't have to stay at home by themselves all day.

The full name is Dogtopia Daycare & Spa. Sisters Kim and Amy Nichols are betting at least $35,000 it will succeed at pampering pooches and relieving guilt in dog owners.

What more could a canine ask for?

Pets will get petted and hang out with their buddies all day. They also will get nap time when they grow weary of frolicking ‹ and if they get cranky, they may get a massage.

The price? About $27 a day for one-day drop-ins; $21 a day for owners who leave their pets at Dogtopia up to five days a week.

"It's not inexpensive," says Kim Nichols, adding: "It's really for those people who realize that socialization and exercise for dogs is very important."

From a price standpoint, the cost to keep Rover at Dogtopia is comparable to keeping pre-school youngsters in day care. In fact, day care is available all over town for less than $100 a week.

"At the end of the day, you're picking up a child," says Kim Nichols. "A very tired, four-legged child."

Kim and Amy are leasing the former Kidzville space in Lake Air Center, Bosque Boulevard and Wooded Acres Drive.

They are remodeling it into Dogtopia and hope to have it open for packs of pups early next year. They also have access to outdoor space so their clients won't get cabin fever.

"A facility this size, gosh, could handle 80 to 100 dogs or more. We would love to get to that stage," Kim Nichols said.

Dogs will be separated by size and temperament, and, yes, they will be given personality tests before they "enroll" at Dogtopia.

They will get baths, play time, human attention and naps when they need them, said Amy Nichols, adding: "Web cameras will allow owners to log in during the day to check on Fluffy playing with her friends."

Overnight and weekend stays will be offered, but the Nichols sisters emphasize that Dogtopia is not simply a boarding kennel.

Tracy Dulock, a certified massage therapist for dogs, said she's "thrilled" by what she's hearing of Dogtopia. She works mostly at the South Bosque Veterinary Clinic, but she hopes to get an invitation from Kim and Amy Nichols to work her magic at their shop.

"Dogs do develop anxiety problems from being left alone," Dulock said. "Dogtopia will give them a chance to run off some stress, socialize and have a really good time."

The Nichols sisters, who operate the local branch of Cherry Creek Mortgage, love their own dogs. Kim has a Komondor dog named Bonnie Bell and a mixed-breed stray named Dixie. Amy's "kids" include a Komondor named Kodi and a Sheltie-mix named Lady.

But they can't claim credit for Dogtopia.

Coincidentally, another Amy Nichols, in Virginia, started the company and now is trying to franchise the concept nationwide.

She is doing so with help from a Waco company called the Findley Group, which works with people wanting to take business ideas nationally. Founder Gary Findley started his own company after leaving Curves International, a Waco-based fitness company that has grown to more than 10,000 franchises worldwide.

"I met Gary at the International Franchise Expo in Washington, D.C., in 2006," said company founder Amy Nichols. "That's how Kim (in Waco) heard about us. She knows folks at the Findley Group."

Dogtopia has awarded 21 franchises. Five have opened and another 16 are in what Nichols described as the "development stage."

Nichols said she opened her first spa in 2002 in Northern Virginia. Like many dog owners, she "felt kind of bad" leaving her pets at home by themselves 10 or 12 hours a day.

"Dogs are social animals, and if they could choose what to do all day, they would hang with their buddies, get fed and get petted," said Nichols, adding that dropping beloved pets off at Dogtopia each day "relieves guilt" among pet owners who hate leaving those sad eyes.

Nichols help franchisees with instruction she gives at her headquarters in Maryland and at their places of business.

For that ‹ and the Dogtopia name ‹ she gets a $35,000 franchise fee and 7 percent of weekly gross sales.

A small shop that sold fancy treats for pets, including birthday cakes for dogs and cats, did not last long in Waco. But a lot of dog lovers are pulling for the Nichols sisters and their venture.

"This is something Waco's been lacking for some time," said Pat Turnage, a local dog trainer. "So many dogs in this town, this city, are left for many hours because everybody works. This might be their only chance to get some fun and socialization."

© The Waco Tribune-Herald 2007