Look Ma, No Cage

In the latest advance in the day-care biz, there’s a new kind of Club Disney for dogs in West L.A.

The doggie slide, the Great Sandbox, the chintz sofa and the good-looking camp counselors can all be found at the Loved Dog Co. in West L.A., which owner Tamar Geller calls “the next big thing” in dog care: a cage-free kennel.

At this place, which Geller calls the only one of its kind in the area, the dogs have free play time, game time, snack time. The environment is much like a good preschool, Geller says. Would you put your kiddie in a cage? Then why send your pooch to prison? she asks.

Just watch the action for a while in the huge, indoor playground where up to 40 dogs play together much of each day, and you’ll see why there’s no need for fences, cages or individual runs.

“We only accept dogs who are socialized, who play well with other dogs, who have all their shots,” Geller says.

Geller opened the place a year ago to help “improve the quality of life” for bored, lonely dogs. Or for those whose humans need to travel. Overnighters just walk upstairs at the end of the day, find a bed or sofa, and curl up. The same non-rules apply. Geller says, “Dogs who play by day will be mellow and sympatico at night, when their humans come home with no energy left. It’s bored dogs who eat furniture, socks, even walls,” she says.

*

Daycare, $25; overnight, $40. The Loved Dog Co., 2100 Pontius Ave., L.A. 90025. (310) 914-3034.