If your best friends are with you on your special day, there’s no reason why your favourite furry friend should be left out.
For couples who want their dog to attend their wedding, but without the stress of their pup taking over the wedding, a Cambridge area business owner has a ‘pawfect’ solution.
Doggie Stay n’ Play, a dog boarding facility just east of Cambridge, now offers a wedding day package complete with a dog wedding attendant on the big day.
“We know dogs are a part of the family. We want to ensure all your family is there for the biggest day of your lives,” said Kortnie Harley, owner and operator of Doggie Stay n’ Play.
“It’s still very new. We just had our first wedding this past weekend and it was excellent. The couple and family members were so happy. They kept saying that their dog Kona is such a big part of the family and how great it was to have her there.”
The Doggie Stay n’ Play wedding package for dogs includes grooming on the day of the wedding, including bath, shampoo, a blow dry, ears cleaned, nails done, paw pads done, and trimming if needed. The pampered pooch will also be dressed in anything provided, given transportation to and from the wedding venue, a maximum of four hours of supervision at the venue, and boarding for the night.
“The highlight of the package is that I stay with the dog the whole time. So, the dog is supervised at the wedding and people aren’t stressed,” Harley said.
“If there are problems, I can take the dog for walk, or remove them for a moment if needed. We help make sure that the dog is behaving.”
These days, many couples want to include their dog in their wedding. And, with so many other things on their mind, it might be a relief to know that their dog's care is covered.
“I think it’s a unique service. My fiancé and I just got engaged a month ago. As we plan our wedding, we are thinking about what we want. And I'm thinking that of course, I absolutely want my dogs there,” Harley said.
“I know of people who boarded their dog for their weddings. I know that many of them would have liked to have their dogs there, so I thought, why not offer this service?”
And after the wedding, dogs can let loose for the night at Harley’s new dog boarding facility on Old Beverly Road in Cambridge.
For Harley, the goal is to provide a space where ‘dogs can just be dogs.’
“We got started about a year and a half a go in our current barn facility. Before that, I began this out of my house a few years ago.”
Doggie Stay n’ Play offers dog boarding, a dog daycare program, and grooming for all breeds and behaviours.
“There are no kennels, and no lock ups, with a free, safe environment for dogs to run and have fun after the big day,” Harley said.
“For us, we are unique in that we are kennel free. Dogs are never locked up. We live on a 150-acre farm and the dogs are always running around, all day.”
Harley’s passion in caring for dogs began after she rescued one of her own dogs.
“I started fostering dogs, and then I rescued my second dog. We currently have a foster. We usually do have one foster with us until they find a home,” Harley said.
“We have opened our 150-acre home to dogs and have successfully found homes for all of our rescues,” Harley said.
Her love of dogs has expanded into a new 1000 square ft. indoor and outdoor play area at Doggie Stay n’ Play.
Along with the traditional dog services, Harley is excited to include the dog wedding day attendant package, to help make wedding days more special for humans along with their furry friends.
“I hope this takes off. We’ve had a lot of positive responses from people so far,” Harley said.
“I know I’ve hit the back-end of wedding season this year, but I’ve already had people reach out asking for next year,” Harley said.
Doggie Stay n’ Play offers an opportunity to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your wedding day, so you don’t need to worry about anything else, with everyone, furry and not, included.
“Dogs are a part of your family,” Harley said.
“And that's why they should be part of your special day.”
For more information about the Dog Attendant Wedding Service at Doggie Stay n’ Play, visit here.
