With winter on the way, some dogs are likely looking forward to colder temperatures. Others, maybe not so much.
But that doesn't seem like it will be much of an issue for some of the pets staying at Qimmiq Kennels, the day care and boarding centre for dogs. Christy Lewylle, the new owner and president of Qimmiq, explained on Tuesday how they're building heated indoor spaces for the pets they look after.
"We're starting to build indoor spaces for the dogs," said Lewylle. "We've got one finished for the small dogs."
That space was built last week and features a regular-sized door for a person to enter, but also a smaller doggy-door for Lewylle's four-legged friends. Inside is a heater and a couch for the pups as well.
Lewylle said the goal is to build two more of these hot spots, but it won't be for every dog
She explained that certain breeds, such as huskies, don't struggle with the cold like other breeds would.
Lewylle took over Qimmiq Kennels back in July, but this isn't her first time running a pet day care. She used to be the owner of Pet Paradise North.
"It just built so quickly (because) there's so much need for day care and boarding here in Yellowknife, So it grew exponentially," she said about her old business.
Building off her past business success, Lewylle said she was starting to look for a bigger spot for Pet Paradise North.
That just so happened to line up with the retirement of Jo Kelly, the previous owner of Qimmiq Kennels, she added, and merged her customers from Pet Paradise North over to Qimmiq.
"It seemed like the perfect time to switch over to here," she said.
On average, Lewylle and her and her staff of nine will deal with anywhere between 60 to 70 dogs a day. There's a definite variance in size as well from a 100-plus lb. Great Dane to a tiny Yorkshire Terrier.
Dogs who are boarding at the kennel typically wake up at 7:00 a.m. for breakfast and then it's outside to run with around 25 different yards that they can go into, said Lewylle.
Which yard a dog heads for depends on the size of the dog, how friendly it is with other dogs, and whether they're neutered, Lewylle explained.
"That's what makes it extra safe," she said. "We have so many different yards and the staff really know the dogs."
The bigger dogs tend to go to the bigger yards, she added.
After a boarding dog makes its way to a yard, the daycare dogs tend to arrive shortly after, and they're off to the races for the rest of the day.
A yard can range in size 20 ft. x 20 ft. or 30 ft. x 100 ft., said Lewylle, and there can be anywhere between five to 25 dogs to a yard.
Lewylle also noted that Qimmiq has been working closely with both the Tlicho Animal Care Group and the NWT SPCA whenever after-care is needed for an dog that has been spayed or neutered.
"For the past two months, we took care of a mom dog and her nine puppies for the NWT SPCA as part of the Last Litter Project," she said. "We are always willing to help out when they need us."
