n 2019 Nora Rodgers opened a small, independent dog walking and in-home boarding business in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. People loved the convenience she offered them and her business really took off. Within a year, she added three additional dog walkers to her team.

It soon became apparent to Nora that her clients and the local dog-loving community needed even more. They needed a place where their dogs could socialize with each other, get exercise during the day and have fun while their owners were at work. So, opening a doggy daycare seemed to be an ideal way to fill these needs.

Nora found a building in her neighborhood that had once been a technical school. She was able to secure the lower section of the building and soon set about transforming it into a doggy daycare. The space is small, only 1,700 sq. ft., but Nora has used every inch to give the dogs and the dog owners of the South Philly area a “doggone” good experience.

“Our opening day was set for March 16^th, 2020,” Nora shares. “However, that was the fateful day that the Governor of Pennsylvania shut down almost every business in the state because of COVID.”

Although delayed, Wag Days Philly eventually opened its doors on June 10^th, 2020. They started out offering daycare and dog walking services, but as they adapted to their clients’ needs, they dropped the dog walking and added more daycare programs and other services.

“We offer three different daycare programs,” Nora says. “We have our basic daycare, an enrichment-based daycare, and a puppy enrichment daycare. In our current location, daycare is primarily indoors, but the building we are in has a dog park attached to it. That’s an awesome resource in a city like Philly. It’s an older city where there is not much available outdoor space at all.”

With 40-45% of their daycare dogs enrolled in enrichment activities every day, it is their most popular daycare program.

“We heavily promote our enrichment-based daycare,” Nora adds. “We feature it through videos and photos on Facebook and Instagram several times daily. Owners and prospective clients see what we and the dogs are doing all day long. These posts generate a lot of interest in our programs.”

Wag Days offers a daycare membership program where the owners can earn discounts on daycare and receive other perks. They have four levels of memberships based on how frequently their dogs attend daycare.

“We have found that our membership program is a great way to get people to commit to coming,” Nora says. “In addition to discounts on daycare, the members receive other perks.

“In January 2024, we partnered with Fern Dog Training and added training to our list of services,” she continues. “Our members get access to Fern’s in-home training videos and we actually do little webinars for membership clients and answer their dog training questions.”

When it comes to training, Wag Days offers a Puppy Training program, a Play and Train program, and a Stay and Train program. In the Puppy Training program, the pups attend daycare and get one-on-one sessions with a trainer throughout the day where they learn basic commands, manners, leash training, crate training and more. With the Play and Train program, dogs also attend daycare but they receive individualized training sessions throughout the day and go home at night. The Stay and Train program gives each dog one-on-one training sessions and includes socializing, play and rest times. The dogs then board overnight at Wag Days until the completion of their training.

They offer two types of boarding at Wag Days. They have traditional boarding at their facility, but they also offer in-home boarding for an additional fee. All of the overnight guests attend daycare during the day, then the in-home guests go home with Nora or one of her staff members at the end of the day and stay in their homes overnight. Owners love this unique service, as it gives them peace of mind that their dog is being cared for in a home and not just in a kennel.

“I believe in constantly changing to give the community what they want,” says Nora. “We really try to accommodate all the people’s needs and implement new ideas for the best in pet care.”

Wag Days has 10 full- and part-time employees, which Nora says are the “lifeline” of her business, and surely a big part of why Wag Days has all five-star reviews on Google.

“I hire people who are not only dog lovers, but are qualified and reliable,” Nora states. “I try to create an environment where they feel respected and not overworked. I have a very staff-heavy business, and they always pull through for me.”

Their website, www.wagdaysphilly.com, is where people get their first look at the facility and all the services they offer. They get to see what’s included in their training programs, boarding options, daycare and enrichment choices, and client testimonials.

Due to its success, Wag Days is opening their second location at the end of April 2024. It is three times the size of their flagship facility and is located about twenty minutes from it.

“Our new location will have 6,000 sq. ft,” Nora shares. “Over 3,000 sq. ft. of that will be daycare space, and will have a dedicated area for puppies only. We will be able to board up to 45 dogs per night. And, we will have a fully equipped training center in our soundproofed lower level. It’s all so exciting!”

With a very modest beginning in dog walking and in-home boarding, Nora Rodgers, along with her staff, have turned Wag Days Philly into a thriving business during an exceedingly difficult economic period. So much so that the demand for the personalized services and other programs that they offer has prompted them to open a second, much larger, location. Now, that’s something that will get everyone’s tail wagging!