Here’s a Treat: Free Doggy Day Care

(Photos courtesy of TJ Buck)

If you’ve made your way down to the Manhattan Beach dog park, you know how seriously South Brooklynites take their pups. They talk about their furry friends with pride, like they would a son who is off studying in a prestigious college. I soon expect to see bumper stickers around the area reading, “My dog made honors at Bay Academy.”

But when it comes to boarding pets, many owners fall short. Some leave the canines at home alone while at work, and others leave them with businesses that stick them in cages all day. But one new business is giving owners a new option: Rosco’s Doggy Day Care.

Located at 3102 Avenue U (near Gerritsen Avenue), Rosco’s opened in mid-March, and offers cageless boarding (including vacation packages) and doggy day care, puppy socializing groups, grooming and training. Luxury pet accessories are also available, so you can doll your dog up like a Betsy Johnson model. For first time customers, Rosco’s Doggy Day Care offers free Saturday daytime boarding.

“We opened the business because of our enormous amount of love for pets,” says Rosco’s owner, Thomas “TJ” Buck. He says his store is different from the area’s other boarding services because it’s 100 percent cageless and dogs interact all day long. Buck’s staff takes dogs on multiple park walks during their stay. “We focus more on the pets overall needs and happiness,” he said.

So far business at Rosco’s is booming. Buck says most clients are “day-to-day working class” concerned about their dog’s emotional health. “Dogs being alone for long periods of time build social anxiety and aggression,” Buck says. “Our main goal is to make every dog a happier one and our clients so far have been extremely pleased.”

Rosco’s Doggy Day Care takes things a step further in their care of the four-legged. In addition to its commercial services, the business works with animal shelters to socialize the animals and re-home them to avoid euthanization.

Buck’s family has been in Sheepshead Bay for generations, and he was raised on Voorhies Avenue. Sheepshead Bay’s dog owners, he says, show enormous attention and pride in their pets. But he’s a little worried about what development in the area is doing to the neighborhood’s pet culture. “With the new condos going up every week, not that many dogs are welcome in these new residences.”

Rosco’s Doggy Day Care is glad to welcome the neighborhood’s pets, even if many of the new condos are not. You can find out more information about prices and services by calling them at the number below.

Rosco’s Doggy Day Care
3102 Avenue U
(347)683-4186
Mon-Fri 8am-8pm
Sat-Sun 9am-8pm

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