“It’s spectacular!” That’s the unanimous reaction that everyone has when they see Florida’s newest boarding kennel and daycare facility, the Lauderdale Pet Lodge.

The $3.6 million facility owned by John Glorieux and his wife, Laurie, opened its doors in November 2012. John and Laurie Glorieux are not new to the boarding kennel and daycare business; they have owned the Pompano Pet Lodge for the last 12 years. The Pompano Pet Lodge is a 145-dog boarding facility that had been in operation for 30 years when the Glorieux family purchased it.

They added play groups, dog parks, and many other improvements at Pompano Pet Lodge, and in five years, they quadrupled their business. They started looking for another property with the idea of expanding their business to a second location.

“I didn’t want to have a facility that was so small that I couldn’t afford quality people to staff it,” said John Glorieux. “I also didn’t want to make it so incredibly large that it became a nightmare to run.”

In 2010 they found the ideal piece of property located on busy highway US-1. It was near the Fort Lauderdale Hollywood Airport and just five minutes from downtown Fort Lauderdale, Florida. On this property of just over one acre stood the oldest skating rink in the country.

After buying the property and securing the many necessary zoning, building, and other permits, construction on the 150-dog boarding and daycare facility began. But this was no ordinary kennel construction; it was unique every step of the way.

The most obvious difference is in the kennel building itself. That’s just it: there isn’t just one large kennel building. There are 14 separate buildings that are connected by breezeways. You might wonder why anyone would want to go to all the expense of erecting so many individual buildings. Could John Glorieux be starting a new trend in the pet hospitality business?

“Each 21-foot by 18-foot building is designed to house six to ten dogs. Individual buildings cost more to build, but it will pay big dividends in many ways,” explained John Glorieux. “They provide a quieter, stress-free atmosphere for the boarding clients. For one thing, you don’t disturb all of the other dogs if you take one out for a walk, and with separate buildings, there is no cross-contamination. Each building has its own 2.5-ton air conditioner that provides continuous fresh air. We can leave the guillotine doors open and have the building full of dogs, and the air conditioning system can keep it at 73o when it is over 90o outside.”

The Lodge has 120 indoor/outdoor runs. Their 90 regular kennels are 4.5 by 6 feet inside and 4.5 by 10 feet outside. The 30 suites are seven by six feet inside and seven by ten feet outside.

To solve the concern of owners whose pets will not go to the bathroom on cement, artificial turf has been installed in all of the outside runs. In fact, there is no real grass at all at the Lauderdale Pet Lodge. “In the last nine years, I have tried seven different varieties of grass,” said John. “It’s hard to find something that will keep growing with 100 dogs a day on it. When it rained, you couldn’t let the dogs out; they would make mud. Then you had to fertilize, mow, and spray for bugs. It was constant maintenance.”

13,000 square feet of artificial turf has been installed at the lodge at a cost of about $9 per square foot. The initial cost was substantial, but the end result is grass that is always lush, green, and perfect.

“We built Lauderdale with no compromise,” John continued. “It’s different. Once you come on the property, there is no dirt – nothing for a dog to get dirty. We even have automated outdoor cleaning systems. We have sprinklers installed in all of our dog parks. You might reason that with artificial turf, there is no need for a sprinkler system – but you can’t always see when a dog pees, so our sprinkler system has a chemical injection system that cleans and disinfects the artificial grass twice a day.”

Their two fabulous dog parks are available to boarding clients as well as the daycare dogs, and the way they are designed is nothing short of awesome. Each outdoor park has an in-ground pool that is designed exclusively for dogs. They have sloping sides for ease of entry and are 2.5 feet deep.

They are filled with purified water that is chlorine and chemical free. “We want the dogs to be able to drink the water,” said John, who then added with a chuckle, “and we don’t want the Golden Retrievers to turn green from pool chemicals.” Each pool has an installed commercial UV shade tent over its entire length to keep the water cool and the pets shaded. Soothing music plays as the pets relax in the shade or frolic in the pool. It’s every dog’s dream come true. And all the outside play areas are well-lit. “The dog parks could operate 24/7 if we wanted.”

The Lauderdale Pet Lodge has three completely separate camera systems. There is a security system that is monitored at night. If anyone steps on the property at night, the police are immediately notified, video is sent to them, and they arrive in minutes.

The second camera system is for the clients. They use the Online Doggy webcam system. It allows anyone to watch the activity in the dog parks, and the owners can view their pets while they are in their suites.

“A lot of times, people who have never boarded their dog before will bring them in for a day of daycare,” said John. “By watching the webcam, they can see their pet playing in the dog park. It helps them feel more comfortable leaving their dog in someone else’s care.”

A third system is an internal security system that allows them to monitor every room in each building. There are 56 live cameras at the Lauderdale facility and 4.6 miles of camera cable. “We use Atlantis by KennelSoft as our operating system,” said Mr. Glorieux. “It’s absolutely the best I’ve ever seen. Their support is beyond outstanding.”

The Lauderdale Pet Lodge also offers grooming. With five TriStar bathing stations, the finest equipment, and experienced groomers, they are ready to pamper every pet with a variety of services.

They offer several training programs including basic obedience, puppy socialization, behavior modification, and more. They can also provide training while your dog is at daycare or when it is boarding.

And cats are not forgotten at the Lauderdale resort. They enjoy the luxury of floor-to-ceiling multi-level condos that have soothing music and plasma televisions.

“One of the major reasons our Pompano and now our Lauderdale locations are so successful is our outstanding staff,” said Mr. Glorieux proudly. “We have a very knowledgeable staff, most of whom have been with us for years. About half of our staff have Bachelor’s degrees, and some of them have their Master’s. Our great staff sets us apart from others.”

Without a doubt, the Lauderdale Pet Lodge is setting new trends from the ground up. Pet enjoyment, safety, and health were the main factors in the planning and design that created this fabulous oasis.

“We built the best we possibly could – regardless of the cost,” said John as he flashed a huge smile. “I’m a goofy owner too… I love dogs… and want them to have the best!”

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