DIDSBURY - Council has approved a direct control district development permit for an animal control facility, known as a dog daycare, in Didsbury to be located at 2825 - 19th Street.
The move came by way of motion at the recent regularly scheduled council meeting. Uses allowed in direct control districts are at the discretion of council.
The purpose of the dog daycare is to provide owners in the district with a place to bring their dogs for daycare, grooming, training, rehabilitation and professional photography, council heard.
“The proposed dog daycare will be operated by professionals with more than 15 years experience handling and rehabilitating dogs on a full time basis,” chief administrative officer Ethan Gorner said in a briefing note to council.
“The applicants currently own and operate a boarding and training facility in Strathmore.”
The applicant plans to renovate the interior of Unit #1 at the 19th Street location to include a 30-foot by 22-foot indoor heated space for daycare use, a 10-foot by 12-foot office and a 22-foot by 20-foot photo studio, and the outside area will have a 10-foot by 20-foot dog run with a future expansion of a 20-foot by 35-foot fenced dog run, he said.
The proposed development was circulated to adjacent landowners for an opportunity to comment. No response was received, he said.
The capacity at the dog daycare will be 10 to 15 dogs per day, with “each dog provided with a full day’s work of supervised exercise, socialization, and outside playtime, balanced with rest and downtime in the large indoor space,” he said.
“The animals will be separated by size and levels of sociability, and there will be several different areas where they can socialize with other dogs that bark up the same tree.”
The business hours of the new facility will be 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday, council heard.
The permit comes with a number of conditions, including that the developer obtain a building permit and any other applicable safety codes permits in accordance with the Safety Codes Act.
Mayor Rhonda Hunter said the new business is good for Didsbury and district.
“I think it’s a great idea and a great opportunity. Any business coming to town is welcome and I think this is great,” Hunter told the Albertan.
