Whitehorse Daily Star

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Photo by Vince Fedoroff

FUR AND FRIENDSHIP – Deb Gatien, the owner of the Camp K9 daycare for dogs, is seen here Thursday afternoon with a few of her charges. She plans to close her business in September after unsuccessfully trying to sell it.

Doggone it! Canines lose daytime digs

In just a few weeks, Deb Gatien will no longer act as alpha to hundreds of community dogs – she’s closing the doors of the sole in-city doggy daycare, Camp K9, in September.

By Gabrielle Plonka on August 16, 2019

In just a few weeks, Deb Gatien will no longer act as alpha to hundreds of community dogs – she’s closing the doors of the sole in-city doggy daycare, Camp K9, in September.

“I’m sorry this is happening, but I can’t physically do it anymore,” Gatien told the Star Thursday afternoon.

Gatien has been the owner of Camp K9 for the last 14 years, and says the job is physically demanding. Looking to retire and spend time focusing on her health, the last five years have been spent trying to attract a new owner.

Gatien said she has met with multiple potential buyers, and even lowered the price out of “good will,” but found people were still unable to secure funding.

She guesses this is partially because the bank will only finance a percentage of the inventory, which means a buyer would be on the hook for 60 per cent of the total cost.

“People don’t have that in the bank these days,” Gatien pointed out.

When potential deal after deal fell through, she gave up, and planned for the closure.

Camp K9 has housed Whitehorse dogs for 21 years, and Gatien guesses more than 150 breeds have come into her care.

Now, the closest options for dog care are at kennels 20 to 30 minutes away.

For most Whitehorse residents who normally drop their dogs off on their way to work, driving an extra hour to the kennel every morning is not a viable option.

Now, many dog owners will be forced to leave their pets at home during the work day.

Gatien believes this will likely cause them to destroy furniture out of boredom and lose valuable socialization time.

“Dogs are calmer after a day here,” Gatien said. “It gives you a more balanced dog.”

When puppies attend the daycare, she said, they’re often disciplined by older dogs not to bite or get overexcited.

It’s also healthy for dogs to regularly play with their own kind, which might not be possible at home.

Dogs spending the day with Gatien are fed and groomed, and spend hours in play with other dogs

Gatien even goes above and beyond to assist in training challenging pets.

The key to obedience training is convincing the dog that you’re the boss, or the “alpha”: a piece of wisdom she shares with new dog owners.

Gatien agreed to operate the daycare in 2005, on the same day she left her job at Northwestel Inc.

She was on her way home, stopped to pick up her pet, and was immediately offered the purchase by the previous owner.

“I’ve always loved animals … so this was right up my alley,” she said.

As she prepares to close her doors Sept. 1, Gatien is donating much of her inventory to non-profit organizations like the Humane Society Yukon and the Animal Rescue Network.

She plans to run a small grooming business from her home after the closure of Camp K9. 

“I’d like to thank my clients over the years.

“There’s been lots of them, and they were quite dedicated. It was nice that they entrusted their dogs to me.” 

Comments (1)

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Juniper Jackson on Aug 18, 2019 at 1:43 pm

Aw... I'm so sorry to see her go.. My pups liked it there. Wishing you the best Deb and Vincent too.

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