Belltown Messenger

The Downtown Dog Lounge: Home away from home for Riggs, a labradoodle with multiple anxieties; BooBooBear, a 13-year-old Llasa Apso whose owner rehearses his special songs with the staff before she leaves; and Chief Red Nose, an incredibly social pit bull who has the run of the place.

"You probably think I'm a little overboard," says Elise Vincentini, 40, founder and owner of the two Downtown Dog Lounge locations. "My clients are overboard."

Vincentini, an Italian-American from New Jersey, walks as fast as she talks. With an average work week of 110 hours, she lives and breathes the Downtown Dog Lounge. She slept on the premises the first 90 days of her business, sharing a bed with as many as 10 dogs a night.

Her own dog, Lily, an 89-pound Weimaraner, inspired the business says Vincentini. "I say 'we,' like it's me and Lily, we're partners," she says.

Lily is but one of as many as 110 dogs visiting each of the firm's Bell Street and Elliot Avenue locations each day. Vincentini explains what brings dogs and their owners to her business.

Some dogs suffer from high anxiety and cannot be left alone without barking, chewing furniture or stressing out the dog, she says. Others have particular diets or physical needs which require attention throughout the day. Dog lovers who are committed to lengthy workdays would otherwise require a dog sitter, says Vincentini. Older dogs benefit from the caring eyes of a "pooch nanny," a caretaker who administers extra attention to dogs with special needs. Wranglers move the dogs around and keep them under control.

Lead coordinators have the challenging job of monitoring the food, walks, medicines and other specific requests for as many as 25 dogs at one time. Most dogs come with their own food; some with a different meal prepared for each day.

Special requests are taken seriously at DDL, says Vincentini. One client prefers that his Weimaraner be changed into his custom flannel pajamas for naps and overnight stays.

"It's a safe place and to be who you really are with your dog and not feel like a nutcase," says Vincentini.

She estimates over 90 percent of her owners check in on their dogs via webcams. "We have a lot of neurotic moms that have never had kids, never had dogs before, and leaving them, they'll literally be in tears," says Vincentini. There have been instances of dogs being asked to leave DDL because their owners were too high-maintenance, she says.

Whether it is the level of attentiveness, locations or just the chic dog-obsessed feel of the place, DDL captures the attention of local celebrity dog owners. Vincentini's clientelle includes Seahawks, Mariners, local news anchors and the Seattle police commissioner.

Celebrity or not, all new dogs are given a temperament test to determine viable candidates for DDL. Part of this test suggests which area of the lounge will be appropriate for the dog, says Vincentini.

Only a few dogs have access to the Lounge Pen at the entrance, defined by a white picket fence surrounding a couch and other furniture upholstered in a Dalmation motif. Vincentini says this pen was built for a regular named Chaz; a black standard poodle who suffers from multiple emotional anxieties and won't eat with other dogs present.

Riggs, the labradoodle, suffers from stress related to moving objects, men, ladders, and anything overhead, says Vincentini. Riggs hangs out in the North Pen with the other dogs who have special sensitivities and call for more attention.

The South Pen provides spacious romping room for large active dogs. These rooms were designed with the dogs in mind, says Vincentini, with padded floors to help maintain healthy hips and joints. The Puppy Pen is just that, but also used for small social dogs. Troublesome visitors are sent to a space called Timeout.

Most luxurious is the Tranquility Room for elderly or distressed dogs. Designed like a cozy family room, it is complete with warm colored walls, a television playing classical music and mists of pheromones; synthetic chemicals simulating the scent released by lactating bitches to comfort their pups.

The cost of care ranges from $23 to $28 for up to 12 hours per day. "I don't look at them as dogs, they're people's babies really," says Vincentini. She reaches down and gives Chief Red Nose a scratch on the butt. A third Downtown Dog Lounge on Capitol Hill is scheduled to open in April.

See more of the Downtown Dog Lounge on the reality television show Adventures in Doggie Daycare, scheduled to air in March on WE: Women's Entertainment.

Photo by Louie