Gilroy business outruns the pack
Carmela Siboldi spends the dog days of summer, winter and any
other season with the dogs. The Gilroy resident and long-time
animal lover found a way to turn her penchant for pooches into a
full-time job. Siboldi is the owner of a unique business called
Creature Comfort, a daycare for canines.
Siboldi started out working with dogs long before she moved to
Gilroy. She showed dogs and worked for a dog breeder for a while.
Then she took on a job as a dog-sitter and stopped in to spend an
hour or two at client’s houses with their pets.
Gilroy business outruns the pack
Carmela Siboldi spends the dog days of summer, winter and any other season with the dogs. The Gilroy resident and long-time animal lover found a way to turn her penchant for pooches into a full-time job. Siboldi is the owner of a unique business called Creature Comfort, a daycare for canines.
Siboldi started out working with dogs long before she moved to Gilroy. She showed dogs and worked for a dog breeder for a while. Then she took on a job as a dog-sitter and stopped in to spend an hour or two at client’s houses with their pets.
“I used to stop in at people’s homes to watch their dogs and I hated to leave the dogs,” she said.
About eight years ago, it struck her that she didn’t need to leave the dogs behind.
“I talked to owners and said maybe I could take them with me,” she said. Siboldi lives in the country and had plenty of space to build a play yard for the pets.
“I made the yard bigger and started taking them with me so they wouldn’t have to be alone,” she said.
Like kids, the dogs she watches form bonds with each other and even seem to have best friends. A short basset hound named Turbo chases after a long-legged Border collie mix named Chewy. Turbo rarely catches the other dogs, Siboldi said, and will some times sit in the middle of the yard and howl in protest when the other dogs run circles around him.
Siboldi’s dog yard has two pools for the dogs to play in, countless tennis balls and chew toys, and most importantly plenty of space for energetic dogs to run. For cold or rainy weather, she has a room inside for the dogs to take shelter from the elements. The room is complete with beds, couches and air conditioning.
Most of the dogs are more interested in the yard than spending the day inside.
“A lot of them live in town and don’t have a lot of space,” she said.
Her business model is simple. Siboldi offers the same services for dog owners that other daycares offer for children. She opens her doors at 5 a.m. and keeps them open until 7 p.m. Monday through Friday for just $17 a day.
Her clientele has grown through word of mouth and she’s never had to pay to advertise her services. Phil and Chris Lopez heard about Siboldi’s day care from someone Phil met while walking their dog, Turbo, in the park.
“My wife and I both work full time so we needed something for Turbo to do all day,” he said. “Her place is neat because it doesn’t have kennels. We didn’t want him cooped up in a house or a kennel.”
Lopez and his wife started bringing Turbo to daycare three years ago and he spends three or four days a week at Siboldi’s place.
“He has a lot less energy when he comes home. He goes straight to bed,” Lopez said. “He doesn’t get as excited when he sees other dogs in the park.”
Another benefit of Turbo’s days of play including keeping his weight down.
“He’s a basset hound so they have a great tendency to be overweight and he’s actually underweight for his breed.”
He added that Siboldi is usually flexible about letting owners bring their dogs in for an extra day, but around the holidays the daycare fills up fast.
“I’m pretty booked up right now,” Siboldi said. “Holidays and summers are the busiest times.”
Some dogs come five days a week while others visit a couple days a week, but Siboldi limits the daycare to no more than seven dogs at a time.
“That’s what I can handle and still give them one on one attention,” she said. “I know the dogs names better than people’s names. I know their barks.”
The dogs at Siboldi’s day care are all well behaved and like the most prestigious day cares for children, Siboldi has an interview process for prospective clients.
“I have an interview with the dogs and owners to make sure they will work well with the others,” she said. “They have to be friendly with other dogs. Any dog that shows aggression, I can take.”
During the interview, Siboldi slowly introduces the dog to the other ones at daycare to see if they get along. If the dog has all its shots, is spayed or neutered and passes the entrance interview, Siboldi will add them to her client list.
Siboldi keeps plenty of food and water on hand for the dogs, but also keeps dog cookies on hand for special treats throughout the day. She provides all the toys the dogs need and said she prefers owners not bring along their pup’s favorite toy for the day.
“Other dogs might rip up the toys and then I would feel bad,” she said.
Siboldi enjoys spending her days with the dogs, but she said their interactions with other dogs are just as important as their interactions with her.
“The exercise and the companionship is important,” she said. “Dogs like each other. Dogs are pack animals.”
For more information on Creature Comforts, call 408-848-8495.
