Hang out with your best friends. Play in climate-controlled comfort. Have a nice spa bath. Get lavished with attention.
Is this heaven? It certainly is. Dogtopia of Mechanicsburg is the Susquehanna region’s only Dogtopia franchise, where the family’s four-legged members enjoy day care, boarding, and spa services. It’s also a place devoted to doing good for people through the unbreakable bonds forged between humans and their canine companions.
General Manager Alicia Comer loves the transformation she sees, from the dogs that start off shy but, before long, run straight back to a custom-designed Dogtopia play room.
“They know exactly where they’re going,” says Alicia, who bubbles with enthusiasm about her work. “They start freaking out. We have a dog that hangs out the sunroof when they pull up. He’s a Great Dane, and all you see is his big head hanging over the sunroof.”
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Owner and dog lover Bob Campbell is a U.S. Navy veteran who, after retiring, started watching his neighbors walking their dogs and wondered what he could do for dogs. His journey to opening a Dogtopia in the Mechanicsburg area, there on Carlisle Pike in the heart of bustling Hampden Township, offered the chance to do good for dogs and to create 23 jobs.
“Dogtopia was my second love,” he jokes. “My first love is food.”
For Campbell, the Dogtopia Foundation made Dogtopia a perfect fit. The foundation’s motto, “To enable dogs to positively change our world,” encompasses its work to support service dogs for veterans, youth literacy, and employment initiatives for adults with autism.
Since opening in November 2021, Dogtopia of Mechanicsburg has already raised $6,000 for one service dog, and immediately started raising the next $6,000 for another. Co-owner and manager Timothy Fraley, a certified dog trainer, served in the Navy as a K-9 handler, so working at Dogtopia lets him continue the work.
“It means a lot to me,” he says. “I’ve seen what service dogs can do firsthand.”
The foundation’s youth literacy initiative focuses on reading to dogs, which encourages literacy by pairing children with friendly, nonjudgmental listeners.
“My son is in second grade, and reading to dogs helps him read because he’s not so nervous about it,” says Alicia.
Every day is different at Dogtopia, Alicia says, but the “dogma” never wavers. Dogtopia pledges to protect the safety of its four-legged clients with certified, highly trained canine coaches, dog-safe agility equipment, rubberized floors to protect paws and joints, and climate-controlled, frequently cleaned HVAC systems for fresh air without the kennel smell. Food allergies are carefully noted, and prescriptions are carefully administered. Webcams give pet parents a reassuring peek at their fur babies doing just fine without mom and dad.
Every new dog gets a “meet & greet,” assessing personality, sociability with other dogs, and responsiveness. A willingness to be touched by staff is a must, because every dog’s collar comes off for the day, and a Dogtopia breakaway collar goes on in its place.
Doggie day care offers the value of socialization. It also provides exercise that can save pet parents from taking the dog for a walk.
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“As soon as the dogs leave day care, they’re going to sleep the rest of the night, which the parents love,” says Tim. “By the time they get home, the dog is passed out.”
Dogs even get an education, learning how to behave while they interact with canine coaches and other dogs. One new client, Pipa, got high marks on her Dogtopia report card. “Observing others so she can pick up on good play behaviors,” wrote the coach.
“A lot of pet parents will take the report cards home and put them on the fridge,” says Alicia. “It’s so cute. Dogs are their kids.”
Regular events dreamed up by Dogtopia staff amp up the excitement for dogs and families. Tuesdays might offer fun with flavored bubbles or tennis balls. Special treats regularly raise funds for Dogtopia Foundation, such as the National Applesauce Day applesauce treat or the National Popsicle Day popsicle, each available for a $5 donation. Seasonally themed photoshoots, with props, might capture snaps of the doggos decked out in graduation gowns or baseball gear.
“For our prom photoshoot, they wore crowns,” says Alicia. “It was adorable.”
Staff get to know each dog by “their personality, their barks, every little thing,” she adds. Tim notes that COVID dogs are now starting to come in. Adopted during the pandemic, they’re now catching up on missed socialization.
“They’re doing well,” he says. “We’re really proud of the COVID dogs because they were isolated for so long at home and are learning to adapt.”
And as Alicia notes, Dogtopia care keeps dogs out of shelters by “helping people live their life and still be able to take care of their dog.”
Dogtopia
4900 Carlisle Pike, Suite 102 Mechanicsburg, PA 17050
717-660-0560
