Sherborn Doggy Daycare Offers HosPETality

For those seeking an alternative way for pet care while on vacation, one Sherborn resident has opened her home and her heart for those pets and owners who need her services.

“I have always loved dogs ever since I was a toddler who had a sense of the existence of dogs,” Marcia Hutchinson, owner of HousePETality Dog Boarding and Pet Sitting, said. “To me, there’s a reservoir of goodness when there’s dogs in the worlds. It’s gift for humans and dogs to come together.” 

Hutchinson said she first started her business from home nine and a half years ago, but had informally been doing it for much longer. Hutchinson said she would take care of her family’s and friends’ dogs while they went away. She had adopted a dog, Roxie, and wanted to find another way to bring more dogs into her home, and this business was the right way to do it, she said.

“I’m a professional web designer, so I work from home. I can offer round the clock companionship for the dogs because I’m always here,” she said. Hutchinson said she offers her clients’ dogs the same treatment her own dogs yet.

“I take them for two daily walks, I let them out in my fenced yard to play, we might got for a walk around the trails and local fields, I make sure they’re fed and have water,” Hutchinson explained. “If they’re willing, they sleep in bed with me and my dog. There are no crates unless a particular dog loves theirs.”

Hutchinson will only allow two unrelated dogs at her home at a time in addition to her dog, Roxie.

“I give dogs a sense of companionship and safety and try to fill in for what they’ve lost in terms of their family,” she said.

Hutchinson said her alternative dog boarding business is a better option than using a kennel.

“Kennels do their best, but they are commercial and impersonal because of that. Even when they’re doing their best job, it’s still a stressful environment,” she explained. “They’re all in the cubicles, other dogs can be barking,.” Hutchinson said many dogs are often rescues, so a kennel exacerbates some issues a dog might have.

Hutchinson said she welcomes dogs from anywhere, and within a four mile radius, she’ll make home visits to see the dogs and get acquainted with them before their owners leave on vacation or just as a play date with her dog, Roxie. Hutchinson said she also offers doggy daycare, where a dog can socialize with hers just for the day if needed. She also offers a chauffeur service if a dog needs to be taken to the veterinary when the owner isn’t able to.

Overall, Hutchinson said, it’s about doing what’s best for dogs. Leaving for vacation may be traumatic for pets, but Hutchinson said she can provide some safety and comfort for them when the owner leaves.

“I don’t think we appreciate the void that’s there when we leave our pets, their whole life is being there for us,” she said. “They’re plunked in a strange environment, and they’ve lost everything for awhile when the owner is away.”

For more information on HousePETality Dog Boarding and Pet Sitting, visit Hutchinson’s website.