{"id":109555,"date":"2020-02-24T17:02:05","date_gmt":"2020-02-24T17:02:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.microsoft.com\/?p=436327"},"modified":"2020-02-24T17:02:05","modified_gmt":"2020-02-24T17:02:05","slug":"for-the-love-of-dog-dogtopia-unleashes-swift-growth-by-treating-every-pup-like-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2020\/02\/24\/for-the-love-of-dog-dogtopia-unleashes-swift-growth-by-treating-every-pup-like-family\/","title":{"rendered":"For the love of dog: Dogtopia unleashes swift growth by treating every pup like family"},"content":{"rendered":"

Harper entered the lobby in silence while her body language screamed: \u201cGet me outta here!\u201d<\/p>\n

The owner of the Colorado daycare center had seen that kind of shyness before. She gently coaxed Harper toward a room filled with brightly colored climbing toys and a pack of eager friends.<\/p>\n

But Harper refused to surrender. Nearly 2 years old, she jammed her feet into the floor, squirmed to escape then cowered in the playroom. Finally, 15 long minutes later, she started to relax among her new pals. Her posture softened. All it took was a welcoming sniff from Bongo Billy.<\/p>\n

\"A
One of the three interior playrooms at Dogtopia of Fort Collins, Colorado.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At Dogtopia, where more than 130 franchises embody the tender themes of child daycare \u2013 from naptimes to report cards \u2013 that recent moment marked Harper\u2019s first day of school. The puppy, a red heeler mix, had spent her life at two animal shelters before being adopted in December.<\/p>\n

These days, Harper \u2013 along with Bongo Billy (a basset hound) and 120 other furry clients \u2013 are regulars at the Dogtopia of Fort Collins, Colorado which offers the national franchise\u2019s standard fare: daycare, spa and boarding services.<\/p>\n

That location, not long ago a bike shop, built its pooch population only a few months after opening in May 2019. And the rapid expansion there only underscores the company\u2019s growth-minded blood lines.<\/p>\n

Since 2017, Dogtopia<\/a> has opened  90 franchises across the U.S. and Canada, with at least 60 more coming online in 2020. It\u2019s the grand vision of Neil Gill, CEO and president of Dogtopia, a canine-loving Aussie with previous franchise-building stints at KFC, Pizza Hut and Gloria Jean\u2019s Coffees.<\/p>\n

\"https:\/\/cloudblogs.microsoft.com\/industry-blog\/telecommunications\/2020\/02\/21\/three-ways-to-achieve-more-with-microsoft-intelligent-telecommunications\/small
Koda Logan, 7, checks out basset hound Bongo Billy through a playroom window.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWhat pleases me most is it\u2019s not insane, unsustainable growth; it\u2019s strong growth. It is growth fueled by the expertise of our management team and by the talent within our franchise network,\u201d says Gill, who in 2015 took over what was then 28 fragmented locations.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll deliver 3 million daycare experiences this year. When you start thinking about that in sheer numbers of dogs, we needed something to help us make the right decisions,\u201d Gill says. \u201cTechnology has helped us scale.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dogtopia, headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, now collects and analyzes business data from all 130-plus franchises \u2013 warehousing that data in Microsoft Azure<\/a>, visualizing trends in that data through Power BI<\/a> then delivering timely data analyses back to the franchise owners in easily digestible morsels via SharePoint<\/a>.  The franchises are Office 365<\/a> customers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re continuously looking for ways to integrate Microsoft products,\u201d says Jim McBrayer, Dogtopia\u2019s IT manager. \u201cWe can go straight from OneNote<\/a> to Outlook<\/a> and the daycares can all do the same thing. They can talk in (Microsoft) Teams<\/a>, and we can have it together in one area.\u201d<\/p>\n

For example, Power BI dashboards show every Dogtopia franchise their unique, daily ratio of daycare dogs versus boarding dogs. That\u2019s important because when the share of daycare regulars is high, staff trainers (called \u201ccanine coaches\u201d) can provide more education to their pooches, like basic commands and bark control. Boarding dogs are new to those ongoing lessons, changing the daily teaching plan.<\/p>\n

\"Two
Ashley Todd uses SharePoint to read Dogtopia marketing and appointment info.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThat allows the canine coach to go into the playroom quite prepared,\u201d Gill says.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s no different than school where you have kids returning to their own classroom every day,\u201d he adds. \u201cThey synergize and learn from each other. It\u2019s the same with dogs. If you\u2019ve got a room with a lot of new daycare dogs or a lot of boarding dogs, the coach will focus more on socialization.\u201d<\/p>\n

Echoing the benefits of child daycare is an intentional (and adorable) theme at Dogtopia.<\/p>\n

On a recent Friday afternoon at the Fort Collins franchise, folded report cards sat in a neat line on the lobby\u2019s front desk, awaiting the return of dog owners (known as \u201cpet parents\u201d). Summit, a pink-nosed pup with a white and orange coat, enjoyed \u201cbeing on the play equipment,\u201d ate all his meals, romped with his \u201cbest friend\u201d Bongo and was \u201cso sweet and kind,\u201d according to his report card.<\/p>\n

Near the lobby, rows of plastic cubbies held the coiled leashes of Beezer, Olly, Layla, Chico, Charlie, Daphne and the rest. And everyone was celebrating Letty\u2019s birthday, preparing a special card (using Microsoft Publisher<\/a>) with hand-written messages from every employee (\u201cHope you get all the treats!\u201d), all surrounding a photo of Letty wearing a pointy yellow hat.<\/p>\n

\"Two
Pooches on climbing toys in a playroom.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Each play area was a separate scene of joyous chaos. Dogs were grouped based on their size, age, temperament and play style. That afternoon, some curled up on soft, corner napping benches, eyes closed. Some chased each other over and under climbing toys. Some stood on their back legs to peer through observation windows or doors. Many flashed smiles.<\/p>\n

The staff all wore the same orange T-shirts that read, \u201ccanine coach.\u201d In one room, an employee blew bacon-scented bubbles into the air as five dogs gleefully surrounded her and jumped to bite the bubbles. One of those dogs was Harper, the previously shy heeler mix. Her tail fluttered and she barked repeatedly.<\/p>\n

The cornerstones of the company\u2019s mission, Gill says, are to \u201cenhance the joy of dog parenthood\u201d and to ensure that each pooch returns home at night \u201ca better canine citizen than it was in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we can do that, we know we create a better relationship between the dog and pet parent. Once you create that stronger relationship, that pet parent will never, ever give up that dog,\u201d Gill says.<\/p>\n

\"Harper,
Ashley Todd feeds Harper a treat on the pup\u2019s first day.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The CEO has had four dogs in his life.<\/p>\n

As a boy in Australia, there was a long-legged Corgi mix, a rescue, with big energy tempered only by nonstop action. There was a black Lab, Marty, that was not allowed in the house, so Gill sometimes hid Marty in his bedroom then built him a carpeted kennel. Later, there was a super-smart German shepherd that taught Gill loyalty. And today, there\u2019s a golden retriever \u2013 \u201cjust a loving beast,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

All four dogs gave him bits of wisdom that now make up pieces of Dogtopia\u2019s culture, including a celebration of play and the understanding that the animals are hungry to learn and ready to give.<\/p>\n

Those are some of the, (yes), dogmas that attracted Ashley Todd, 26, to purchase and open the Fort Collins Dogtopia franchise last year.<\/p>\n

A 2016 graduate of Colorado State University, where she majored in business, Todd was drawn to the company\u2019s tenets, including safety, cleanliness, transparency and special attention paid to the \u201ctwo-client aspect \u2013 you have the pet parent and you have the dog,\u201d she says. \u201cWe nurture both.\u201d<\/p>\n

What her clients may not know: Todd is now living her lifelong dream.<\/p>\n

\"Ashley
Franchise owner Ashley Todd and her dad, Greg, work the front desk at Dogtopia of Fort Collins.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At age 5, she sketched business diagrams and pictures of the dog daycare she planned to build and run as an adult. Her inspiration was Duckie, her German shepherd-husky mix.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was amazing, she was a friend,\u201d Todd says. \u201cI loved how my family made my dog feel like family. I wanted to do something someday with dogs. I really liked the concept of having a doggie hotel. It seemed like I was born to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Todd has 30 employees. One of those is a formerly retired man working the front desk, greeting pet parents and pooches alike. It\u2019s Ashley\u2019s father, Greg Todd.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a daughter-father business, as we say, not a father-daughter business. She is the boss. She runs the show. I help in any way I can,\u201d Greg Todd says. \u201cBut what father could have a better dream than working with his daughter as she follows her dream?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Bongo
Basset hound Bongo Billy is excited to see his \u2018pet parent,\u2019 Tim Nissen, during evening pickup at the daycare.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Late on a recent afternoon, as dog parents filed in to fetch their pooches for the evening, Greg Todd picked up his walkie-talkie to alert his daughter and the rest of the staff working in one of the three playrooms and in the outside play area.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan I have Miss Dottie, please?\u201d he said into his walkie. \u201cMiss Dottie is going home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Soon, it was time for Harper to leave, too.<\/p>\n

\"Two
Pet parents exit with their pooch at Dogtopia of Fort Collins.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cCan I have Harper, please?\u201d Greg Todd requested into his walkie.<\/p>\n

In the lobby, David Thiel, a building maintenance technician, waited for his girl. He\u2019d adopted her in December because he liked her high energy level and friendly personality.<\/p>\n

Wearing her leash, Harper bounded into the lobby. Her eyes were wide, her tail was bushy, and she greeted Thiel with wags and licks, a 180-degree difference from her outward fright earlier in the day.<\/p>\n

They walked together to Thiel\u2019s car. Harper hopped in and quickly curled up on a seat. Then she closed her eyes and slept all the way home.<\/p>\n

All photos by Helen H. Richardson. Top photo: Ashley Todd blows bacon-scented, edible bubbles for dogs in the outside play area at Dogtopia of Fort Collins. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Harper entered the lobby in silence while her body language screamed: \u201cGet me outta here!\u201d The owner of the Colorado daycare center had seen that kind of shyness before. She gently coaxed Harper toward a room filled with brightly colored climbing toys and a pack of eager friends. But Harper refused to surrender. Nearly 2 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":109556,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[224,298],"class_list":["post-109555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-microsoft-news","tag-digital-transformation","tag-transform"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109555"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109555\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/109556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}