WICHITA, Kansas – For get about the pet sitter – if you’ve got extra money, why not send your pooch to a pet resort the next time you’re out of town?
Mark Wasserman has been training champion bird dogs since the 70’s. He stared Chisholm Creek Pet Resort in 1990 and when a small boarding kennel on 20 acres in Kechi became available in 1995, he bought it and has been improving the property since. Primary income is from boarding and obedience training, but Mark and his wife Emily have come up with other great ideas.
“We've added on like add-on services: day camp,” he said. “It's like a daycare. I've doubled the capacity here in the past 19 years.”
In addition to training and boarding your pets, Mark and his wife came up with a brilliant idea – a 10-acre Chisholm Creek Pup Park. It's a place to let your dog come out and run, swim, climb, roll around the weeds, and of course, use the agility course -- all for less than $300 a year.
“I have about 75 members now that use the dog park seven days a week,” Mark said.
Mark recently added a large indoor training facility where clients can bring their dogs and participate in the classes or his staff will work one-on-one.
“We do a tremendous amount of training for people,” he said. “Behavioral problems, obedience, we even do potty training for dogs.”
He is ready to break ground on a new 2,800 foot office building that will include 10 luxury suites for boarding dogs that have owners who want only the best, including webcam access to check on their pets from a remote location.
“It'll be really nice, glass, big glass doors, windows, and they'll be decorated like a little room,” he said. “There will be theme rooms.”
Primary income is from holidays and summertime when families travel. It costs about $18 a day for basic boarding. With add-ons like daycare and training, it will cost more.
The Chisholm Creek Pet Resort is located at 6260 N. Hillside just north of 61st St. in Park City. They can be reached at 744-0191.
