I do not know what I would do without Happy Tails Daycare and Pet Resort (11929 E Corning Rd, Corning, NY). My girlfriend Bonnie and I travel about once or twice a month to visit friends / family, take ski trips, etc… but the problem is, we have an amazing Australian Sheppard named Shayla and she can’t always come with us.
Shayla moved north with us this winter from Tallahassee, FL (like us, she LOVES the snow). In Tallahassee there were several dog parks, which were a fantastic place to exercise and socialize your pets. Shayla is used to running off-leash and playing with other dogs, so we were a little miffed that a place as wide open and beautiful as Corning, didn’t have a fenced-in social dog area. In fact, as far as I can tell, there isn’t a dog park anywhere near here. Don’t get me wrong, I love walking my dog around town and around the river, but she misses her friends.
Enter Happy Tails. It’s not a free public dog park, but in many ways, it’s just as good (if not better). Our main purpose for going to Happy Tails is boarding. We board Shayla here maybe two nights a month on average. When it comes to boarding, this place can not be beat. The overnight facilities are top notch. Heated in the winter, AC in the summer, and instead of a stark room full of cages, they offer twenty-two suites with tempered glass doors. And my favorite part (and definitely Shayla’s favorite part) is that they don’t spend all day in the boarding rooms. There is a 12-hour schedule of social events for your dog each day. In short, the day consists of playing, eating, napping, and more playing… what else can a dog ask for!
The indoor play area is kept warm in the winter and cool in the summer, and provides a large area with toys and other dogs to keep them busy. Employees are always there to make sure your Rover doesn’t get into any shenanigans. They also keep the place amazingly clean and odor free. The dingy “kennel smell” that hits you like a slap across the face walking into most kennels, is nowhere to be found at Happy Tails. When Shayla comes home, she smells just like when we dropped her off (which isn’t always saying much).
The outdoor play area is spectacular. It’s very large with a tall fence, has sections of soft pebbles as well as grass, and there are a few different fenced-in areas so they can separate them by size or if someone is acting up too much. There are employees on hand constantly keeping things pleasant for everyone, cleaned up, and throwing toys around to keep them active.
If you have a busy daily schedule, this is a great place to keep your best friend happy. When Bonnie and I get bogged down with work, we will take Shayla here during day and pick her up at night… everyone is happy. In fact, Shayla loves going there so much, that we can’t drive by without her looking out the car window and crying to visit. After a day at Happy Tails, Shayla is always tired out and usually takes about a day and a half to recover from all the fun.
We might not have a free public dog park in Corning [yet], but Happy Tails is fantastic. For a small fee ($5) You can stop in for a Saturday Playgroup (check times on their website). I went to my first playgroup last Saturday and it reminded me how much fun it was to watch Shayla playing with other dogs.
Happy Tails also offers grooming, obedience classes, doggy birthday parties, and cat condos for cat boarding. All pets must be spayed / neutered if they are over 6 months, and on your first visit be sure to bring paper’s from the vet that shows recent shots (Bonnie and I keep a copy in our car just encase). They are open from 7AM to 7PM and you have to make reservations ahead of time for daycare and boarding.
Myles Lasco
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