t Scout’s Honor we do things differently,” says Allison Jacobs, owner of Scout’s Honor Pet Retreat in Bloomington, Indiana. “We focus on individualized animal enrichment and on the people who are taking care of the pets. This all goes together hand in hand.”

When Allison Jacobs, her husband, Henry Grosvenor, and their business partner, Kristen Perrus, opened Scout’s Honor Pet Retreat in June of 2021, they knew they were going to structure their business on science-based pet care. What they didn’t know was that their approach to enrichment-based daycare and boarding would be so successful that in two short years they are at, or near, capacity almost every day.

Their unique business model, along with their individualized pet care programs, have become wildly popular with the pet-loving community. In fact, they have already garnered many awards, including “Best of B-Town” in 2022 and 2023, and the 2023 “International Pet Care Excellence Award.”

Before opening Scout’s Honor, Allison and Henry had a very successful pet sitting business and Kristen was a supervisor at a local daycare. Allison and Kristen met while doing non-profit dog foster and rescue work. Together they shared their experience and visions for opening a pet care facility together. They wanted to base it on the personalized, high-quality care model of Allison and Henry’s pet sitting business combined with Kristen’s passion for the safety and wellbeing of the pets and her dog daycare management experience. This allowed them to upscale the business model without compromising their focus on personalized individual care. There was also another key component to their plan…

“Not only did we see the need for personalized pet care, but we also saw a need for our employees to be paid adequately and receive the benefits they deserve,” explains Allison. “We often hear that a trade-off for working with dogs is that you don’t get health insurance, paid time off, or other basic benefits you could get if you worked at places like Wal-Mart or Target. We have seen that push some amazing employees in other pet care businesses out of the industry. We knew that if our employees received adequate pay and benefits, we could retain them and grow them into experts in pet care. That was a big drive for us, helping make animal careers for people instead of just giving them a job.

“Our business itself became successful in our community because we were presenting a different product than what was being offered by others,” Allison adds.

When Scout’s Honor Pet Retreat opened, they offered enrichment-based daycare and boarding. Soon after, they added Fear Free and LIMA (Least Intrusive Minimally Aversive) dog training and spa services. In addition, the managers are PACCC (Professional Animal Care Certification Council) certified.

“At Scout’s Honor we focus on science-based pet care,” says Allison. “In the traditional doggie daycare model, you put a bunch of dogs in a room with one or two attendants that are not really engaging with the dogs, just making sure the dogs don’t fight. That’s not really fulfilling for the dogs’ needs.

“We have seen enrichment positively encourage behaviors in dogs that satisfy their mental and physical needs,” she continues. “Enrichment alleviates stress by giving dogs control over their own bodies, mind, and their environment, and it teaches them how to regulate behaviors like jumping or herding.

“Our enrichment is personalized and prioritized toward what each dog’s needs are,” Allison explains. “We know that Border Collies and Australian Shepherds excel in agility and nose work. Retrievers were born to play fetch. German Shepherds and Bully breeds love our slat mill, especially in the winter when it is harder for their owners to take them out for long walks.”

Each dog is evaluated before it is accepted into their daycare. They observe their temperament, behavior and social skills, then make a recommendation on whether they should enter Day Camp 2.0, Hybrid Camp or Solo Camp.

In Day Camp, the dogs participate in pack enrichment activities such as gate manners, basic obedience and agility in between supervised group play. In Hybrid Camp, the dogs get a half-day in Day Camp and two one-on-one enrichment activities with a camp counselor. It’s the perfect balance of mental and physical stimulation. Solo Camp is recommended for dogs that are safest and happiest doing solo enrichment, with a staff member. They do between three to five enrichment activities that are 30-35 minutes each and rest in their own cabin in between the activities.

Additionally, they have developed a new program they call Pack Membership. Pack Membership offers owners discounts on boarding, training and retail purchases, as well as many additional perks such as Pack Walks and the Pack Rewards Program. One of the main reasons people become a Pack member is to guarantee their dog a spot in daycare.

“Our daycare capacity right now is about 75 dogs a day,” says Allison. “Our demand far exceeds the supply that we could ever have in our current location. We introduced Pack Membership to help control that demand, and plan to move to an all membership-based model within the next year.”

Scout’s Honor University is their Fear Free training program. They use positive reinforcement and Least Intrusive Minimally Aversive (LIMA) training methods.

“Every dog is different and is able to progress through the program at their own pace,” Allison shares. “After the dog is evaluated, they will enter the program, and as they complete and master specific skills, they will advance to the next level.”

The Scout’s Honor overnight campers stay in private luxury cabins that are painted and decorated in Fear Free colors and have an abundance of natural light. They enjoy smart TVs, calming music and comfortable beds. The overnight campers can attend daycare or training programs. At the end of every day, a digital report card of each dog’s activities is sent to its owner.

Their website, www.scoutshonorpetretreat.com, is a key component to their success. It explains the importance of enrichment activities for a dog’s total wellbeing, outlines all the services they offer and more. Reservations are required for all services and they can be made online through their website.

“Our rapid growth and success would not be possible without our fantastic staff,” says Allison emphatically. “The minimum wage in the state of Indiana is $7.25 an hour. Our employees start out at $15.00 an hour and receive increases as they get experience and more qualifications. We also offer health insurance, 401ks, vacation, and paid time off.

“At Scout’s Honor, we set our staff up for success by offering continuing education opportunities for them,” she continues. “We feel that the people who take care of the pets should be excited to be at work and they should be happy. And if they are happy, the pets in their care are going to be happier too. We also really put a focus on developing our leaders so that we can do other things instead of actively running the business.”

Since Scout’s Honor Pet Retreat opened in 2021, they have doubled their number of employees, doubled their revenue in year two, and they just crossed over seven figures. Plans are in the works to build and open a new facility, and in the future they plan to open additional locations. Scout’s Honor Pet Retreat is definitely on the cutting edge of science-based pet care!