New Dog Daycare, Spa Coming To Loudoun County

PURCELLVILLE, VA — Dogtopia, a dog daycare, boarding and spa facility, is opening a new location in Purcellville. The new facility, which opens July 27, aims to offer personalized care for dogs in a safe environment.

During their first visit, pet owners will get a detailed tour of the Purcellville facility while their dogs are evaluated for the type of open-play environment that suits them. Dogtopia uses webcam technology in each playroom that allows pet owners to check on their dogs from anywhere.

When it opens in late July, Dogtopia will be offering dog owners a Founder’s Offer, which includes two weeks of unlimited daycare at a discounted price of $129 from July 27 to Aug. 10. Additionally, all founding members will be entered to win a free month of daycare.

The offer, which is limited to the first 50 dogs, is not only a great deal for dog owners. It will help Dogtopia train its staff at the new Purcellville location. Dogtopia also is taking reservations now for boarding and daycare starting in August.

Founded in 2002, Dogtopia operates more than 135 locations across the United States and Canada. The Purcellville location will be Dogtopia's first facility in western Loudoun County. Northern Virginia has eight Dogtopia locations, including facilities in Dulles-Chantilly and Herndon.

The owners of the Purcellville Dogtopia, Tom and Leslie Payne, had always wanted to open a business of their own. Tom served in the Navy for 25 years prior to working in aerospace and defense.

He wanted to do something "that had a little more heart," Leslie Payne said of her husband.

Tom learned about Dogtopia and felt it would be a good fit in the next chapter of his career. He worked at the Dulles Dogtopia, including in its playrooms, and learned everything he could about managing and working with dogs.

Leslie Payne told Patch that Dogtopia of Purcellville will likely have between 10 and 20 employees, including canine coaches. They are hiring people who have worked in other dog daycare settings and have expertise in taking care of dogs.

"What differentiates Dogtopia from other dog daycares is the strong emphasis on safety and wellness," Payne said. "Our daycare has separate rooms with separate HVAC systems. Dogs within a room are not breathing the air of dogs throughout the facility. It's very easy to isolate if there is any health issues with animals."

Dogtopia maintains a cleaning program that uses pet-safe products that clean and disinfect. The playrooms are sanitized twice daily from top to bottom when the dogs are resting, and routine detail cleaning is performed throughout the day. Dogtopia also has specialized compressed rubberized floors that are easy to clean, prevent slipping and promote safer play. Additionally, collars and slip leads are disinfected before each use.

The daycare will offer an open layout where each playroom will cater to dogs of similar size and temperament. The facility has four playrooms totaling 6,000-square-feet of space, plus an outdoor play area. The facility will be able to easily handle 80 or more dogs per day for daycare and the same number for overnight boarding.

There's also about 800-square-feet of outside, fenced-in space where dogs can play and enjoy the outdoors. The outside area uses AstroTurf, which Dogtopia can easily clean throughout the day.

Dogtopia’s fees are all-inclusive, with meals prepared based on instructions from the pet owner. The spa services, which will include bathing and nail trims when the business opens and later will include grooming, will automatically be offered when owners sign up their dogs to become a "Dogtopia dog," Payne said.

Dogtopia of Purcelville also will be offering contact-free, curbside drop-off and pick-up services.

Payne said they were already beginning construction of the daycare center when the coronavirus pandemic hit in March. There were some minor supply chain delays in getting the construction finished, but nothing major to prevent the daycare from opening this year.

The Paynes had hoped to promote the new business at the many dog festivals in the area. But all the festivals were canceled due to the coronavirus. They've had to switch to social media and holding their own events to create buzz about the new business.

"We have less than two weeks to continue to ask people to come in and take advantage of the Founder's offer and take a close look at us," Payne said. "It's a chance for people to try us on, see how it works for them, see how it works for their pets, and support a small business that is trying really hard through the pandemic to get a good start."

Dogtopia of Purcellville, located at 201 N. Maple Avenue, will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. For more information, call 703-936-4121.