August 21, 2008

Builders eye dog daycare as amenity

By winecountrydog

These days I need more attending to than I used to. I'm not lonely — my corgi buddy, Jack "pawlitico," keeps me company. But, since my surgery, I need dog-ma more often than I did when I was a healthy young whippersnapper. I'm lucky my dog-ma's around to care fur me and take us walkies.

Me, Tilin, and Jack, right, doing walkies at Bodega Bay. You can see that the fur on my back is missing where my surgical incision was.I know a lot of you dogs need daycare to doo walkies and personal stuff. Day care, and sometimes night care, is an impawtant biz service! It helps dogs stay happy and healthy. And it keeps a lot of humans from going crazy — especially those who aren't active whippersnappers themselves and those who are never-at-home workaholics.

I'm excited to learn that a big human company thought of including DOG DAYCARE into its new condominium development plan. The development is Group Gemstone's ManhattanWest in Las Vegas. It's a mixed-use community with 700 residences, shops, restaurants, office spaces, and an all-suite hotel.

ManhattanWest in Las Vegas, near the Strip
Group Gemstone CEO Alex Edelstein (also on the board of Kiva, called the "hottest nonprofit on the planet" by Fortune) says, "Our mission is to build the best condominiums in the world by focusing on quality of life. By building in amenities like our own coffeehouse and wine bar, a 9th floor Sky Lounge with views of the Strip, and services like dog day care, we can truly impact the way our residents live."

Services like dog day care. Woofin' awesome! A developer actually thought to build a doggie amenity into their service and marketing plan! Group Gemstone has made dog daycare part of their "full-blown" concierge service, which can get groceries and run various errands as well as walk doggies.

Group Gemstone is not the first developer to offer dog daycare, but it is the only company to be named fifth-fastest growing company in the U.S. in 2008. This was announced in August by Inc. 5000, which measures revenue growth of only U.S.-based companies that are privately held, for profit, and independent (not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies).

Edelstein says, "Our success in a tough real estate market is evidence that products with great design and companies with great execution can thrive in any market environment."

You know I'm not what you'd call pro-development. I'm pro-community. I applaud developers who accommodate dogs, children, bicyclists, and other community members. Companion animals need services and areas to roam, human bicyclists need safe bike storage and practical pathways, and human children need fun, safe places to play. I think you humans call this a HEALTHY COMMUNITY. Woof!

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