Royal Oak Dog Walkers Gets New Spot in Ferndale, Seeks Help with Name
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Feb. 22, 2018)
Ferndale, MI – When Catherine Adamo got her Masters of Social Work in 2014, she started walking dogs while she was waiting for her certificate and looking for jobs. “I realized that it made me very happy. I loved walking the dogs. And I thought, I should do what makes me happy, at least give it a shot,” she said.
And so Royal Oak Dog Walkers was born.
Since taking on her first clients in 2014, Adamo has added 14 more dog walkers to her merry band, serving clients through SE Oakland County. And now she’s taking her business to the next level with a facility for boarding, grooming and playing on Ferndale’s Eastside.
The Ferndale Planning Commission approved the proposed site plan at their Wednesday evening meeting. The facility will be located at 1000 Woodward Heights, which is on the corner at Wolcott. The property is a two story house with a basement. Plans are for the basement to house the kennels and grooming area, the first floor to house the customer area and the second floor for the office.
The business will remain focused on dog walking, with the kennels to be used only for short term securing of dogs that may be in between walks and the grooming area for cleaning dogs that may get dirty.
Outside of the house there will be a fenced in dog run. An observation deck will overlook the dog run. And parking will be shared with the business next door – Farm Field Table.
“How our business works is we’re going to our clients homes. Walkers pick up the dogs and bring them to our dog run,” Adamo told the Commission “I want to be clear it’s not a doggie day care.”
In the future she may add grooming to the list of services, but it’s not in the foreseeable future.
In an interview following the meeting, Adamo said “I’m so excited… I love the dogs so much, and growing the business has been so fun. There’s so much to learn and figure out, but it keeps growing and I love it.”
The move will not interrupt service, and new clients are welcome. But there is one big change in the works, especially given that Royal Oak Dog Walker is no longer in Royal Oak.
“I haven’t been able to decide on a new name,” Adamo said. But she is taking suggestions. Those who want to help come up with a name are invited to share suggestions on the Royal Oak Dog Walker Facebook page. She hopes to have a new name picked by the time doors open in late spring.
Learn more about the Royal Oak Dog Walker team at https://www.royaloakdogwalkers.com/.