Hip Hounds • Pflugerville

Hip Hounds • Pflugerville

By Eric Pulsifer Friday, 05 September 2008

Before opening Hip Hounds, owner Melissa Todd worked in human resources. Today, Todd deals with a slightly more slobbery clientele at the dog daycare and boarding business she opened in 2006.

Todd found the inspiration for Hip Hounds from years of experience with other animal daycares and boarding kennels. While Austin-area daycares offered four-legged family members many options, large indoor play areas were not one of them.

Seeing a need for a daycare that offered an escape from the sweltering heat on summer days, Todd came up with the concepts that would later come to fruition in Hip Hounds. With 6,000 sq. ft. of climate-controlled indoor communal space where dogs can be pampered, play and socialize under careful supervision, Todd created her daycare with dogs’ desires in mind.

“There really is no place else that has playrooms of this size,” Todd said.

Outside, Hip Hounds features approximately 10,000 sq. ft. of play space with bone-shaped pools and shaded areas for keeping cool. The outdoor area is lined with sanitary pea gravel to keep paws from getting muddy and allow for easy clean up.

To ensure that dogs grouped together get along well, new clients’ canines are given a free assessment of their personalities. Each pup’s temperament, play style and size are taken into consideration as employees at Hip Hounds determine what other dogs it should mingle with in the play areas.

“We want dogs to be comfortable and not feel stressed out,” Todd said.

Part of that comfort comes from being partnered with positive pooches. Todd said exposure to a pack of well-behaved dogs reinforces good conduct.

“We’ve seen a lot of dogs that are able to come into this environment and become more sociable and better at interacting with other dogs,” she said. “The dogs learn to behave better around other dogs and people.”

Although it is not all fun and games, Todd said she is grateful to have a job caring for such friendly patrons.

“They’re just fun to be around,” she said. “They just give you so much unconditional love, and they’re always happy to see you.”

Daycare and boarding

Rather than dropping off dogs every day, Hip Hounds Founder Melissa Todd said most owners bring their pets by just a few times a week. A couple of days go a long way in providing the stimulation and exercise dogs need to keep calm and happy.

“It’s definitely a great alternative to a day alone at home or outside in the yard when it’s this hot,” Todd said. “And when you get home, you have a nice, tired dog. Dogs want that exercise that owners sometimes can’t give.”

Concerned owners can keep calm and happy, too, by peeking in on their dogs online via Hip Hounds’ webcams.

Daycare prices start at $23 per day for the first dog and $19 per day for the second, with discounts available for multi-dog families, Dell Inc. employees and for multiple play days. Boarded dogs participate in group daycare activities during day hours and “cageless doggie sleepovers” overnight.

Hip Hounds, 1912 B Picadilly Drive, 989-6767, www.hiphounds.com, 7 a.m.-7 p.m. daily