It’s a pooch paradise!
A new business catering to Bay Ridge canines officially opened for business in a Feb. 23 ceremony with staffers, locals, and Councilman Justin Brannan (D–Bay Ridge) on hand to celebrate. Opening the Brooklyn Canine Club on Fifth Avenue between 82nd and 83rd streets was a dream come true, according to the dog-loving owner.
“All my life, dogs have made me very, very happy,” said Jose Candia, who lives on bucolic Staten Island and owns the doggie daycare with business partner and veterinarian Salvatore Pernice. “Everyone always said that I was pretty good with them.”
The club will function as a daycare for lonely pups whose human parents are at work or otherwise occupied during the day, offering up to 12 hours of play on weekdays, from 7 am until 7 pm, along with walks and baths at additional cost. And all pooches will get the chance to frolic on special, cleanable “canine turf” in the attached backyard that belongs to Pernice’s practice, the Brooklyn Veterinary Group.
The club does not take more than 20 dogs at a time, Candia said, adding that they currently have a waiting list. And all four-legged friends have to pass a temperament test by interacting with Candia’s dog, Lilly, to join the club.
The pair came up with the idea to open the club last spring, when Pernice was examining Candia’s 5-year-old pit bull mix, according to Candia, who added that the neighborhood seemed like it was teeming with pups but lacking anywhere for them to gather and play.
“When I did the research, the neighborhood needed something for dogs,” he said. “I looked in Long Island City, Downtown — those places have doggie daycares, but Bay Ridge did not have anything. And the amount of dogs I’ve seen in this neighborhood — it’s pretty amazing.”
So the pair set to work, with Candia ordering iron beams and 150-year-old reclaimed wood to transform the space into an urban oasis for the nabe’s pooches.
“I wanted to bring the outdoors in,” he said.
Candia opened the shop not just to pursue his passion for playing with pups, but also to spend more time with his family, he said, adding that his previous career in the restaurant industry didn’t allow him much time with his son. And his wife, Doreen, also contributes to managing the canine club’s corporate side.
The business owners eventually want to create organic treats, Candia said, but for now, they’re happy to be enthusiastically received by two and four-legged Ridgites alike.
“It’s amazing, the feedback we’re getting,” he said. “We’re pretty excited.”
