If it’s true that every dog has its day, many of them would probably like to spend it at Ann Arbor’s newest doggy daycare and boarding franchise Camp Bow Wow, opening this Friday.

Owner Barbara Patton, who worked in the insurance industry for 30 years at AAA and other agencies, has been a dog lover all her life.

“I always said I wanted to have a job where I could bring my dog to work with me,” says Patton, who has a 12-year-old German shepherd named Maggie. “A friend of mine came across the Camp Bow Wow website and sent it to me. I called the company and talked to a few people, and this is where it ended up.”

Camp Bow Wow has three separate indoor and outdoor play areas centered around a piece of playground equipment, such as heavy-duty molded plastic bridges and climbers.

“We don’t keep toys back there because those can cause arguments,” explains Patton.

Doggy doors allow the dogs to go in and out as they please, barring extreme weather. In the summer, dog bone-shaped pools can be set out for the dogs to cool off. Webcams are trained on the play areas so owners can tune into the daycare's website remotely and watch their dog in action.

Patton says staff will work hard to customize the experience to the dog as much as they can.

“If you have an elderly dog and you just want to bring him here to get a little interaction but not be aggravated with a lot of high-energy dogs, we will put him in a play area where there are like dogs if we can,” says Patton. “We’ll ask the owner if they would like him to take a longer nap in the afternoon.”

“Every dog isn’t made for daycare — we want to make sure they enjoy themselves,” adds Patton, who says staff pay close attention to the dogs’ behavior and to which dogs get along. They also make sure not to put giant dogs in with miniatures so no dog is stepped or sat on.

For overnight guests, there are 38 “cabins” or kennels, with plans to eventually add 10 more. Cabins vary in size to accommodate all sizes of dogs as well as multi-dog families that want to stay together at night. Cabins include a cot and a fleece blanket for the dog.

For boarders or daycare dogs, there is no extra charge for playtime, special treats or special requests, Patton says, like at some dog facilities.

“We take care of their needs whatever they are while they are here; it’s all included in the price,” says Patton. “That’s franchise-wide. We want to be a good service and good value for pet parents.”

Patton has hired eight “counselors,” who are trained by Camp Bow Wow corporate staff in areas such as dog behavior and recognizing health symptoms.

“We want them to know how to handle any aggression — every dog isn’t going to like every other dog,” says Patton. “If a dog isn’t feeling well or scratching their ear a lot, we want to make the owner aware of it. We want them to know how the dog is feeling that day.”

Patton says it is no different than people who take their children to a daycare: “If a child goes to a daycare and they’ve been sneezing and had a runny nose all day, that is something the parent should be told.”

The rate for a single day of daycare is $25 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with doors open as early as 6:30 a.m. for drop off. Boarding is $38 a night.

Camp Bow Wow also has franchise locations in Brighton, Commerce, Troy, Clarkston and St. Clair Shores.

Patton felt Ann Arbor to be the best territory to open her franchise.

“There are quite a few dog parks in the Ann Arbor area, and people seem to do a lot with their animals and feel about their animals the same way I do,” she says.

Although finding a location was limited due to strict city ordinances governing dogs, Patton is very pleased with the business' 6,000-square-foot facility at 552 State Circle just south of Briarwood Mall on the other side of I-94.

The facility, leased by Swisher Commercial's Gretchen Driskell, was previously Interiors Quick, an office furniture company.

“This is a really good location right by the expressway, close to downtown and close to people who live in Pittsfield. It’s close if you are on your way to the airport. It’s a really convenient location,” she says.

Though certain times of year such as Christmas and spring break are traditionally busier than others, Patton expects the daycare side will average around 40 to 50 dogs a day.

Camp Bow Wow will be holding an Open House on Thursday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Anyone is welcome to come in with their dogs to take a tour and fill out a camper application.

Camp Bow Wow can be reached at 734-623-BARK (2275) or www.campbowwow.com/annarbor. The business is also on Facebook and Twitter.

Laura Blodgett is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com.