Hattie's Doggie Day Care & Boarding

More than Another Cleveland Dog Kennel

Part business and part job placement program, the Hattie's Doggie Day Care & Boarding launched as a way to teach people with developmental disabilities valuable job skills.

It 's a win-win for everyone involved: People with developmental disabilities learn rewarding job skills and the pooches are happy because they get so much love and affection not typically found at a dog kennel.

Shifts for employees with developmental disabilities are usually four to five hours long. It 's just enough time to soak in valuable information without becoming burned out and overwhelmed. The average day starts with dog walking. After which, it's meal time. Employees follow strict instructions from owners on how much and when to feed each dog. Hattie's Doggie Day Care & Boarding can accommodate even the strictest dietary needs.

In fact, employees are even trained to take care of dogs with special needs. Blind dogs and four-legged friends with disabilities have been guests for dog day care and overnight services. Hattie's Doggie Day Care & Boarding can provide day care, overnight and grooming services for dogs in the greater Cleveland, Akron and Canton metropolitan areas.

The ultimate goal of the doggie day care--what sets it apart from typical dog kennels--is that workers with developmental disabilities use the vocational program as the building blocks for future careers.

Hattie's Doggie Day Care & Boarding employees with developmental disabilities have gone on to take animal care classes at local universities, leading to jobs as veterinarian assistants at vets throughout Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. Without the opportunity and confidence created by working at the Hattie's Doggie Day Care & Boarding, these employees with disabilities would have never realized their dreams.

Hattie's Doggie Day Care & Boarding: so much more than just a dog kennel.

More Information

Special thanks to John Warmus and Warmus Building Inc. for their support in the construction and opening of the Hattie's Doggie Day Care & Boarding in North Canton, near the Akron-Canton Airport. The County of Summit Department of Community and Economic Development awarded Hattie's Doggie Day Care & Boarding a $100,000 Community Development Block Grant to cover labor and construction costs associated with the Twinsburg facility. The Akron Community Foundation awarded the doggie day care a $20,000 grant to provide vocational training and employment to adults with disabilities. The Home Depot also provided Hattie's Doggie Day Care & Boarding with a $10,000 gift card for the organization to use at its stores. The Twinsburg Hattie's Doggie Day Care & Boarding was painted by volunteers from The Home Depot and Edgepark Medical Supplies.

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