From "Out of the Cage and Into the Home"
By Betsy Steele, Staff Writer
Down bedding, picturesque setting above Lake Wenatchee, opportunities for pleasant socializing, meals such as turkey and wild rice plus healthy snacks and breakfast treats...oh, and a trunk full of toys to play with.
Care to sign up for a vacation? If you do, you must have four legs, a toothy grin and at least the stub of a tail to wag because 'It's a Dog's Life' isn't for everyone.
It's for dogs that can't go with their owners on extended trips. Instead, Colleen Charbonneau will board them at her home; or she will go to the pets' homes to provide care.
"My facility is my home on an acre in the woods, not a kennel. I'm creating the sort of place where I'd want to leave my own dog if I had to," she said. "And I treat each dog as though it were my own, with lots of special attention, walks, field trips and even a special I.D. tag while it's here. Each dog has a comfortable sleeping space and feeding station."
Charbonneau, who has lived in the Leavenworth area for more than 17 years, said she has always had a way with animals. "I grew up on a Wisconsin farm and would take in the strays and give extra care and attention to the ones that were struggling."
She currently has two cats and three dogs of her own, a 14-year old spaniel mix, a 3-year old Irish wolfhound mix and a 9-year old Newfoundland/border collie, all rescued from the Humane Society.
Charbonneau, who said she is known in her neighborhood as "the dog lady...everyone knows that I'm kind of an animal nut," got started with 'It's a Dog's Life' about three years ago. She worked in a Leavenworth store at the time and "a customer asked me if I'd mind taking care of her llamas while she was on vacation."
That worked out and pretty soon she began caring for others' pets and livestock, including accommodations for dogs. She also takes care of pets with special needs and can give vet-prescribed medications. The most recent angle on her business is to offer dog boarding for visitors to the area who are staying at local lodging. "They can even leave their dog with me at night and take it with them during the day while they're here on vacation," she said.
Charbonneau said she is delighted to be able to pursue this business full-time at this stage in her life. "I'm blessed that I'm able to do something now that I really like...I take it very seriously that they've been left in my care...and I love them dearly," she said, noting that her philosophy is: "Dear Lord, let me be the person my dog thinks I am."