'Like kids going on a field trip': Dogs ride bus to daycare on the North Shore
SALEM - All aboard for doggy daycare! A company in Marblehead is scooping up dogs for their daycare like it is a preschool.
"We come to their house, let ourselves in, we take the dog, they go play for the day, and we bring them back again at the end," laughs Erin McCarthy, owner of Creature Comfort. "They know their routine. They know what time we are showing up. They are waiting eagerly at the door."
Creature Comfort started 25 years ago by two Marblehead men, but McCarthy and her husband took over the business a few years ago. Their buses hold 16 dogs, and it takes them an hour to gather the pups. Each one has a specific seat they like to sit in, and often a seatmate they like to sit with.
"It's like kids going on a field trip, that's kind of how the dogs are on the bus. 'No, I need to sit with him! He is my friend today!' Every dog has their seatmate, their boyfriends and girlfriends," jokes McCarthy. "They are not shy about asking for it or demanding it. They will paw at you, and they will bark at you. They may bark back, but they don't talk back."
Most animals have to be leashed and walked onto the bus, but a few run from their homes right onto the bus. McCarthy says children chase after their bus like it is an ice cream truck. They want to catch a glimpse of the dogs starring out the window.
"They are all clipped in basically modified seatbelts. Each seat has its own leash, and the dog gets clipped in," details McCarthy.
Their team only picks up dogs in Marblehead and Swampscott. They shuttle the animals to their daycare in Salem. Right now, there is a wait list to get into the daycare.
