First Day of School

There's a thing that's sprouted in Philadelphia.  It's called "Dog School".  It makes me want to clap my hands Molly Shannon style and do a Dog School chant it's so fantastic.  For $30 your dog is in daycare and can be there from as early as 7:30am to as late as 7pm.  They sold a Groupon a little while ago that we promptly bought so we could treat Harry to a fun day with new friends...while we got the house painted.

Walking to school!

Because it was Harry's first visit, he had to be one of the first dogs there so he wouldn't be overwhelmed.  None of us were nervous, we were all really excited...especially Harry who immediately made friends with the arriving dogs.  Dog School extends as far back as the first floor in a row home and has some stairs and platforms for your pooch to climb up, jump from, use as base, or command their clique.  

It also features (at least the one on 2nd street) a street level window where you can see them playing from outside.  Harry watched us walk away from said window. 

Throughout the day, Harry played and we received updates via text or through the Dog School Instagram account.  These were the two we found of Harry:

From their second post of Harry yawning, we knew he was having a good time.  He probably didn't know when to stop playing!  During the day the Dog School employees will take the pooches out for walks with a buddy and they also take that time to text Mommys & Daddys to let them know that everything is ok.  No snacks or meals are served at Dog School which was fine for us since Harry's diet is all specialty hypo-allergenic for now.  Apparently classmates can get jealous over treats, so all special treats and even toys need to be left at home.  The employees keep track of dogs, leashes, and collars on the chalkboard by the wall.  It reminded me of cubbies from pre-school.

Mom?  Dad?  Is that you?  Are you picking me up already?

We know Harry had a wonderful time because when we picked him up his tail was wagging and by the time we started the car he was already laying down.  After his dinner he promptly got himself into a proper Sound of Music Live viewing station, and passed out.

Dog School is tested and approved by us!  They have three locations in Philly with the same business model and hours.  Definitely treat your dog to a few days!