After several years of working in corporate America, Kim Campbell is living her dream.  She owns a pet care facility in Northern Virginia.

Located on two wooded acres, The Dog Eaze Inn has 90 runs and two large outdoor, fenced-in play areas for canine guests.  In 2009, The Dog Eaze Inn won the Small Business of the Year Award from the Prince William County Regional Chamber of Commerce.  

"After graduating from the University of Maryland with an accounting degree, I worked as a CPA in a large accounting firm, then moved on to hold a management position in a large software company," Kim said.  "My work was mostly impersonal and the relationships were business-to-business." 

"Today, I love my work because I touch people's lives every day," she continued.  "Pet care is a tangible profession.  I touch and feel the dogs and cats that visit us.  I plan and market; I supervise my staff and create friendships every day with both our canine and human customers."

As a child, Kim and her three sisters grew up in a family that included pets.  "My family always had at least one or two large dogs and several cats, most of them adopted from shelters.  When I got married, my husband Kelly and I both wanted dogs so we got a Weimaraner puppy.  Because we were both working, we hired a dog walker for Lucy."

A few years later, when the Campbells started their family, Kim left the software company and became a business consultant for small companies so she could work out of her home.  Her first foray into the pet care business happened when her dog-walking professional became a client.    

"I helped my dog walking/sitting company grow into one of the largest operations of its kind in Northern Virginia.  Through this experience, I saw the hands-on aspects of the operation.  I began to think about getting into the pet care business someday." 

A few years later, Kim and Kelly went out to dinner and noticed a For Sale sign on a dilapidated, run-down pet facility right across the street from the restaurant. 

"It was on prime real estate, just off Intestate 95 near the huge Potomac Mills Mall.  The lot was wooded and seemed like a small oasis in the middle of the highways, box stores, motels and restaurants nearby," she said.        

Both Kim and Kelly are fix-it people.  Although the facility was obviously in need of much work, they saw it as an opportunity to get into the business that Kim had dreamed about. 

The old kennel had been built in 1968 out of cinderblock and chain link fencing.  The Campbells spoke to a realtor and made an offer, but when they couldn't reach an agreement on the terms, it was sold to someone else.

"We put our plans on hold for awhile, but then fate stepped in," Kim explained.  "We saw an ad for the same facility we had looked at before.  The new owners couldn't do what they wanted to do with the property and were looking to lease or sell it.  We made the new owners and offer and were successful this time."

"In the middle of all these negotiations, I was pregnant with my third child.  My husband was concerned about all the stress and asked if I really wanted to go forward at this crucial time.  My response was, "No, but in five years I'll regret it if we don't buy it now!"

The Campbells bought the old place and haven't looked back since.  

Kim and Kelly bought the old Prince William Kennels in February of 2004.  Their first move was to shut it down so they could do major repairs.  To say it was rundown was an understatement. 

"We walked through our new venture on a rainy weekend and found out that the ceiling leaked in many places, not just drip, drip, but cascades of water were pouring through the roof," Kim said.  "Buckets of water were everywhere; crates had been left uncleaned from the prior holiday season.  It smelled of mold and animal waste.  The yard had been used as a dumping ground, so that was a mess too."

Luckily, Kelly was handy and jumped on the reconstruction with help from a few friends.  He pulled off the old roof and rebuilt it.  The Campbells installed a new HVAC system and replaced 30-year old doggie doors with brand new Plexiglass doors.  The outdoor run gates were all re-welded and a 7-foot high security fence was installed surrounding the property. 

"While my husband and friends were busy making the repairs, I was busy generating a client list from old manual client records.  Because of the reputation of the old kennel, we had to change everyone?s perception of our new operation.  We re-named it The Dog Eaze Inn and got a cute logo made with three smiling dogs.  We put up a new sign."

Kim visited local pet business owners, veterinarians and shelters to talk about her business one-on-one.  She developed flyers and press releases about her new business. 

On April 1, 2004, The Dog Eaze Inn officially opened.  There were difficulties at first.  Juggling a new business while raising two young boys, and bringing home a new baby girl was not easy.  There were extensive and seemingly endless renovations, with many hours spent in personal visits to local businesses.  More hours were required to develop a computer base and programs to run an efficient modern business. 

Despite all this, today Kim is delighted with their decision to get into the pet care industry.  "I don't regret a moment of trying to juggle my babies at home and my business "baby" out near the mall. We worked hard, but we are realizing the success that hard work often brings."

In 2007, the Campbells purchased an adjacent one-acre parcel of land and Kim got a Special Use Permit from the county to expand her facility.  The old property was grandfathered in because it had been a kennel for several decades, but in order to expand the operation onto the new property, additional permitting was required. 

"It took awhile because we needed to negotiate with adjacent property owners," Kim said.  "Originally, we wanted to tear down the old buildings and create a new, much larger facility.  With the down turn in the economy, we decided to make additions and corrections to the existing buildings and property instead.  We demolished an old abandoned house on the property because we needed that land to make new outdoor play areas for our guests."

In 2009, the Campbells decided to completely renovate their existing facility.  The walls and the new roof of the building were kept intact, but new concrete floors were poured and new drains were installed.  It was also time for new runs.

"I got in touch with Bill Pelfrey at Houndquarters in Arizona," Kim said.  "We worked out a deal to get new runs through him for the whole building.  He was great to work with and our new runs not only look great, but they're easy to maintain." 

The new updated Dog Eaze Inn now includes two separate buildings.  One building houses the main check-in and check-out lobby area, the administrative offices, the grooming center and indoor doggie daycare.  The second building has 40 indoor/outdoor runs.  The outdoor runs are 3.5 feet by 15 feet long, and dogs are allowed outside much of the day in nice weather.

The configuration of new interior runs allows for a 3-foot-by-4-foot run for small doggie guests and 5-foot-by-6-foot runs for larger dogs or family dogs who want to stay together. 

Outside, The Dog Eaze Inn has two 50-foot-by-50-foot grassy play yards for guests.  Located under large trees, these fenced-in play areas provide an exercise area for guests and a place for doggie day care visitors to play and romp.  The entire complex is surrounded by a 7-foot chain link fence for additional security and protection. 

"In the future we may go forward with a more extensive expansion, but right now, we are happy with our 'brand new' facility," said Kim.

All pet guests must present shot records (Bordatella/Rabies/DHLPP) and are then evaluated for any health concerns. Daycare dogs must be spayed or neutered and must pass both an evaluation and trial day to be admitted for regular daycare.  Cats must be immunized for rabies, feline leukemia, and FVRCP.         

The majority of clients come for overnight boarding.  The basic rate for dogs includes bedding, play toys, daily housekeeping, and natural food from Canine Caterers.  

A La Carte Amenities allow clients to customize their pet's stay.  The most popular amenity package--Dog Eaze Out & About--includes one morning walk, one evening walk and a supervised group playtime with three to four other guests.  Also included are toys, a 'bones appétit snack' and homemade doggie cookies.

Another popular package is Bed and Breakfast which offers a one-on-one play session with an innkeeper, an extra thick comforter to sleep on, bottled water and morning room service that includes biscuits and gravy.  The Dreamy Delight Package gives the dog one evening walk, a cozy heated blanket and a homemade bedtime treat.  In the Tender Loving Care package, the dog will have a one-on-one play session with an innkeeper that includes cuddling, belly rubs, friendly chatting and playing, homemade cookies followed by a brushing session.

On the last day of a visit, a client can arrange for a bath, blow dry, brush out, nail trim and a splash of doggie cologne for their pet. 

Kim is the president and responsible for the overall business operations.  Her Pet Care Manager, Melissa Monaghan, is responsible for daily pet care operations.  In addition, Kim employs six full-time pet care technicians and one part-time technician.  During the busy season (holidays and summer months), extra part-time help is called in. 

"Consistency of staff is huge with us," Kim explained.  "We instruct our employees to refer to dogs and clients by name.  We want our clients to see the same faces each time they visit us.  We want them to develop a relationship with our staff." 

When an employee is hired, there is a first standard interview, then a working interview where the potential employee is evaluated while working and handling dogs and cats.  If they are hired, they undergo a 30-day probationary period. 

Before an employee is allowed to work independently, they must spend five days in the boarding building and five days in the office.  During this time, they shadow a senior employee. 

All staff members are trained according to Pet Care Services Association standards. 

Overall operations are managed by both Kim and Melissa.  Three supervisors oversee one of two daily shifts.  Each employee has a detailed task list.  When the shift is over, the employee must sign off and then the task list is reviewed by a supervisor. 

Keeping employees happy is a big factor in a successful pet care operation.  The Dog Eaze Inn has an Employee of the Quarter who receives a gift card.  There's a holiday Christmas Party each December.  This year, the employees will be going to a minor league baseball game. 

During the stressful holiday periods and the summer months when the boarding facility is filled to overflowing, Kim makes sure she thanks the staff and goes one step further by providing occasional lunches and other treats. 

When The Dog Eaze Inn first opened, Kim used an existing client list from the previous boarding facility with approximately 200 names on it to begin her marketing campaign.  Because the former business did not have a good reputation in the community, Kim needed to let everyone know that new owners were making positive changes from staff to structure.   

Since then, The Dog Eaze Inn has grown to more 1,500 clients through very limited marketing efforts.  Revenues have grown by almost 20 percent each year and even in the down market of 2009, revenues grew by 15 percent.  "Basically, word of mouth has grown our business," Kim explained.  "Satisfied clients tell others about us and the business grows exponentially."

The Dog Eaze Inn tries to create the feeling of a bed and breakfast for dogs, so the pet care technicians are referred to as Innkeepers, the dogs are 'guests' and the outdoor runs are 'patios'.  Baths and brushing are called 'spa treatments'.   

Current marketing efforts include a monthly personalized newsletter, a direct mail campaign with Money Mailer, large ads in a magazine called NOVA Dog Magazine, that is specifically devoted to the Northern Virginia Dog Community. 

The Dog Eaze Inn website is a huge part of its success.  It is user-friendly with several photos of their doggie guests and information about boarding and day care services.  The web pages include discounts for referrals, surveys and information about pet-friendly events in the local community. 

A quality control call is made to each new client after a stay.  Repeat clients receive these calls, but less frequently.  Client satisfaction surveys are regularly elicited. 

"One important component of our success is membership in the Pet Care Services Association," Kim said.  "We found our bank (Vine Street/BB&T) through the Industry Suppliers portion of the website and they provided our initial funding.  I have gained invaluable advice from many of the members of the PCSA and have participated in almost every convention and regional meeting since I joined.  Walt Morris of Morris Animal Inn and Kurt and Audrey Reinhardt of Dogwood Acres all reviewed my initial plans and gave me much-needed advice." 

"I enjoy all the many interactions that are part of owning a kennel.  I interact with dogs and cats, with clients and staff," said Kim.  "Because our facility is old, I need to be a constant problem-solver, but I enjoy doing that."

"Our goal is to be the destination pet resort of Northern Virginia.  We want to be a household name and build a community of pet owners that enjoy our environment and interact with each other."

Coming to the aid of clients in a crisis provides that extra level of care that The Dog Eaze Inn is cultivating.  During last winter's blizzards, Kim provided hotel rooms near to the business for her employees.

"I wanted my staff there through the storm.  I didn't want our clients worried about their pets experiencing any lack of services because of the blizzard."   

In the future, Kim would very much like to have enough space to provide a dog park and 'Rest Stop of Pets' for travelers up and down the east coast on Route 95.  She would like to schedule social hours in their fenced-in open spaces where people in the community could come with their dogs. 

She hopes that her three children will one day help out at The Dog Eaze Inn and learn what it means to care for animals that are part of someone else's family. 

"There are many good lessons to be learned here," she said, "lessons of responsibility, of kindness and caring.  After all, our motto is 'No Glitz, No Glam..Just a Whole Lot of Love." 

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Elsa Bonstein is a life-long free-lance writer who resides in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. 

After years of writing for various newspapers and magazines (anything from restaurant reviews to business articles to children's stories) in the New Jersey area, she has morphed into a golf writer on the Carolina coast.  She is an award-winning golf columnist for the Brunswick Beacon and does articles on assignment for them and other publications.  She is married to Gene who (like her) is an avid golfer.  They have four daughters (one who owns Dog Eaze Inn) and nine grandchildren.   

To read more about The Dog Eaze Inn, visit dogeazeinn.com.