Shepherd and Grey Daycare and Guesthouse
Growing up, John Heinz was surrounded by dogs.
Heinz’s father enjoyed big dogs, like Labradors, and his mother liked smaller, fluffier dogs. But then he went off to college and post-college he was still without a pet, citing a busy schedule. It was a hole in life, but once he had enough space, he got a dog. Now, the recent Cold Spring resident and business owner gets to be around dogs of all shapes and sizes as the owner of Shepherd and Grey Daycare and Guesthouse, a dog boarding business.
“I spend all day long with dogs,” he said. “I love it, I really do.”
Heinz moved to Cold Spring last January from Jersey City in hopes of finding a change from the bustling urban life. He started his business in 2000 on a part-time basis and built it up since then.
His new base in Cold Spring allows dogs to have plenty of room to run around and interact. Heinz will only take four or five dogs at a time so the home doesn’t become cluttered. The bottom two floors of his four-story house are for the visiting dogs, where there are cushions, top of the line dog food, toys and different spaces to relax and play. And Heinz is there to supervise it all. (When he isn’t around, he has a camera setup to watch them.)
On one floor, dogs can sleep on different dog mattresses and even on a guest bed if a dog is more comfortable. Sometimes Heinz will even sleep in the guest bed if a dog or two is loud at night and can’t sleep without a person around.
Heinz and his group of dogs, including his own dog Murphy, also take a few walks per day enjoying the beauty of nature. He makes sure to keep them all on leashes, but will sometimes let each dog take a turn on a longer leash on the grass so he or she can run around freely.
While Heinz could have more dogs at a time, he wants to maintain an atmosphere that is quiet and comfortable, rather than chaotic. Big kennels don’t give the same individualized and personalized care that Shepherd and Grey can offer, he said.
“I don’t want crazy, constant barking,” Heinz said.
Heinz said he’s never had trouble getting dogs to be good around him. The key to man and pets getting along is being adoptable, noting dogs’ personalities are as varied as people’s, he said.
Heinz’s first career was as a print and magazine editor. Once the recession occurred, Heinz was hit with layoffs and decided during the tough job stretch that he wanted to pursue a more exciting opportunity. He decided to take less work as an editor and more work in pet boarding. Now it’s a full-time gig.
“It affords me a lot of freedom,” Heinz said.
