Deluxe Dogs is a daycare and boarding for dogs of all breeds to be taken care of and decorated with a touch of luxury, the owner says.
Owner Hristo Gabrovski, his partner and a few employees each tend to and supervise every dog in their care at their new Pape Avenue location.
Certain routines, such as walking and feeding the dogs, are the kept the same for every dog. This is so the dogs get used to the environment they are in.
“We have to work based on the dog’s needs,” Gabrovski said. “We have to try to match individual dogs with different temperaments.”
If the dogs are booked for boarding, the dog will be dropped off at the facility for a luxury vacation, while the owners are on their own getaway.
“Some of the dogs for boarding have their own deluxe suites,” said Gabrovski. The deluxe suites are cage-free, providing great sleep, he said.
For boarding, Deluxe Dogs includes private rooms for the dogs to eat breakfast and dinner, as well as a climate-controlled playground.
Gabrovski said working with different dogs each day has been an exciting experience for everyone on staff, and brings lots of joy and love into their work.
“Everyday is a different day,” said Gabrovski. “You won’t get the same day.”
Spending time with the dogs
In the daycare, the employees spend a few hours playing with and caring for the dogs over the course of the day.
“We start the day with the first walk of the day, after the walk, we come back to the facility, and we start the feeding,” Gabrovski said.
Deluxe Dogs provides nutritional meals, and customers are able to customize meal plans to a dog’s specific needs.
Then, it’s nap time for the dogs. “They usually tend to nap for some time,” Gabrovski said.
For the humans, that time is set aside for discussing with clients, responding to emails, and making bookings.
From dog leashes to daycare
Originally starting out as a dog chain leash company in 2019, the company had decided to open two stores to help the growing demand for a physical store. “We decided to take it to the next level and extend it and create the boarding and the daycare,” said Gabrovski.
The East York location of Deluxe Dogs has been in operation since December 2023.
When it came to the location, East York was the perfect dog home. Many dogs can be seen walking with their owners. “We love the neighbourhood, and we grew up in this neighbourhood,” said Gabrovski. “We know everybody in the neighbourhood.”
Their instagram account shows dogs decorated in their luxury collars.
The process behind making their products involves a manufacturer in Italy, where all leashes and collars are custom made. Once the collars have been made, it can then be converted into any size to fit any dog.
Customers can choose to tailor the collar to their preferences. Some of these customs include putting crystals or diamonds, engraving a dog’s name onto the product, and much more.
Daycares enriching for outgoing dogs, humane society says
According to the Toronto Humane Society, a dog daycare is a great way for outgoing dogs to know other dogs.
A representative stated that if dogs that are fearful and not overly social are constantly in the daycare, it exposes behaviours such as fearfulness, aggression, and a great deal of stress.
Through email, the Toronto Humane Society said it is up to the pet owners to decide on dog daycares.
“Each dog is an individual, so pet parents who know their dogs best should assess if the environment would be overwhelming or fun day out,” said Beverly McKee, Manager of Pet Parent Training and Support.
“Daycares should not be considered as a tool to socialize dogs with pre-existing reactive or fearful behaviour around other dogs.”
The Toronto Humane Society works to improve the lives of animals through “ensuring access to care, reducing animal homelessness, and preserving a human-animal bond.“
Regulating the daycares
As pet care is unregulated in the country, municipal bylaws governing commercial use of spaces only applies to commercial dog daycare or boarding facilities.
There are no laws governing pet-care services in Ontario.
Daycares not following regulations regarding animal ownership will potentially face a fine or charge.