A ONE-OF-A-KIND EXPERIENCE!

ary Khachatryan opened his first facility, South Park Doggie, in 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Gary knew there was a need for the services they provided—daycare, boarding, training and grooming—but what Gary didn’t know, was that he was going to embark on the adventure of a lifetime…

“When COVID hit, people stopped traveling and bringing their dogs in for normal daycare,” says Gary Khachatryan, founder and owner of South Park Doggie. “My clients told me that they, not just their dogs, missed coming to the facility and interacting with other owners and their pets. They relayed a true sadness that they could not experience being with other dog owners and have that social connection with them.”

Gary listened his clients’ wants and needs, and then had a brainstorm: “I got the idea of building the world’s first theme-park-style playcare and staycare for dogs,” Gary says. “I wanted to create a resort with an activity-filled atmosphere where learning would be fun for the dogs, and I also wanted to incorporate a way for the owners to interact and participate with their dogs.”

During the pandemic, that’s exactly what Gary did. When many facilities were downsizing or closing, South Park Doggie was expanding. South Park Doggie Resorts & Theme Parks presently have four locations in the Los Angeles area, and are now under the umbrella of DoggieWorld Resorts and Theme Parks. They still offer obedience and behavior training and state-of-the-art grooming services, but that is only the tip of the iceberg of what they now provide for their canine and human clients.

It was of the utmost importance to Gary and his team to create fun ways for dogs to learn new skills, and to provide opportunities for their owners to see their progress. He also wanted them be able to participate in fun and social events with their dogs and other pet parents. So, at South Park Doggie, they have revolutionized the entire daycare and boarding experience for the dogs in their care, and their resorts have a completely new look and are packed with features that are appealing to the pet parents as well as the canine guests.

Their newest location, Doggieland, has an upstairs pet parent lounge with a 360º view of the entire facility. That allows the owners to have a comfortable place to relax and have some refreshments while they socialize with the other pet parents and watch all the fun their dogs are having.

Adventureland is their largest facility. With its 40,000 sq. ft. of indoor and outdoor space, it houses the Shark Reef Waterpark and also the Zeus Memorial Stadium (named after Gary’s beloved dog) where the dogs actually form teams and play football and soccer games.

From the moment you see their beautiful facilities, in person or online at www.southparkdoggie.com, you begin the theme park experience. The cheerful, bright colors and the larger-than-life playground equipment and decor transport you to a stress-free world of fun. The colorful, safe equipment and spectacular water features invite the pups into a world filled with new adventures.

Gary and his staff worked directly with the manufacturers to design and custom-build play equipment exclusively for their facilities. Every detail, from the flooring systems and the boarding suites to their around-the-clock monitoring and security systems, has been chosen for the safety of the dogs and the peace of mind of their owners.

“Gary’s idea to create a theme park atmosphere for the dogs and their owners really made a difference as we were coming out of COVID,” says MJ Silva, Director of Operations. “Our parks provide a safe and fun environment for the dogs to learn new activities that help enhance their mental and physical abilities, and also allow their owners to watch and cheer them on.”

Gary has developed a revolutionary and game-changing program that is creating great interest in the pet care and hospitality sector of the industry: “The foundation of our theme parks is our Playcare Pawcademy, the special proprietary curriculum we created,” Gary says. “The aim of our Playcare Pawcademy program is to keep the dogs engaged and to develop every dog socially, physically, and mentally.

“Our learning curriculum features enrichment activities such as swim lessons, agility training, arts and crafts, puzzle training, and more,” Gary continues. “In fact, we are rolling out a language arts program where the dogs will learn to use speech buttons.”

“During the pandemic, people were working from home. They didn’t see the value in sending their dog to a daycare to just be babysat every day,” says MJ. “However, with our Playcare Pawcademy curriculum, they see the value in their dog going to school and learning different skills and exercising their natural dog instincts.

“It was a new concept for the owners in the beginning,” MJ continues. “It didn’t happen overnight, but once they saw the results when their pups participated in Playcare Pawcademy, they couldn’t get enough.”

Gary and MJ have built a team of about 70 staff members. The managers, trainers, groomers, activities instructors, and guest services all receive specialized training and are certified in their area of expertise. And, they can also receive training in any of the other areas they wish.

At South Park Doggie, the activities instructors work with the dogs on a one-on-one basis or in small groups so they can learn at their own pace. They offer almost 20 different enrichment activities, and several of them are graded classes that have six course levels of difficulty. For example, in their swim classes, the dogs start out as Paw-lliwogs and progress through the different levels until they reach the expert level of Shark. As they work on and master the skills, the dogs receive daily report cards and monthly and quarterly progress reports. That gives the pet parents an in-depth look at their dog’s progress as they complete the levels and receive their certificates of achievement.

One of the most appealing aspects of the program to owners is that they don’t just drop off their dog at daycare and leave. The pet parents get involved with their dogs in the classes and activities they are taking. There are so many unique opportunities for the dogs and their owners to interact and socialize with others.

Monthly and seasonal Paw Social Club events like their Puppy Love Paw Social on Valentine’s Day and the Pawlloween Festival in the fall draw pet lovers and their dogs from all over. They even have an annual Super Bowl event, called “The Doggie Bowl,” where the winners get the Vince Lom-barky trophy, and at half-time they are entertained by Lady Bark Bark. The pet parents really get into the spirit of things, even making signs and wearing team t-shirts to cheer their dog’s team on to victory.

They also hold yearly Pawlympics games, the world’s first doggie Olympics, where the dogs get to put their skills to the test and showcase all that they have learned during the year. It’s a great way for owners to see their dogs perform the activities they learned at the Pawcademy.

Gary Khachatryan and DoggieWorld Resorts & Theme Parks have introduced an entirely new concept in dog care and hospitality where owners and their pets can interact and socialize in a safe, worry-free community surrounded by other dog lovers. It all adds up to a pawsome, tail-wagging experience. They are now franchising their exciting concept nationally and internationally.

“Our goal is to help other dog facilities that are struggling, and those who want to take their business to the next level,” says Gary. “We have spent years developing our proprietary curriculum. We know what works and what doesn’t, and can save our franchisees from making costly and time consuming mistakes.”

More information can be found at www.doggieworldparks.com.