Does your dog need a spa day? Or a weekend vacation? Or just a dog sitter for part of the day.  Camp Bow Wow provides the necessary escape from the hard life of doghood.
The national franchise Camp Bow Wow, with soon to be seven locations in five Louisiana cities, offers a fun experience designed to help with socialization, regular exercise and alleviating separation anxiety — for the animal.
Open 365 days a year, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., the furry facility is ready to take a drop off on the owner’s way to work or for the weekend while the master tailgates.  Camp Bow Wow offers doggy day care, overnight boarding, training and baths and grooming.
General Manager of the Baton Rouge facility, Memorie Bourgeois, says most clients are regulars. Many pet “parents” bring their dogs’ toys or beds from home to provide more of a comfort zone. 
Not just any canine can get in.  One has to be eligible.   Eligibility requires an visit and successfully passing the interview phase.  This will determine how the dog applicant will interact with female and male colleagues.  Too aggressive or too timid a response most likely will be a deal killer.
One accepted, however, and there are a lot of perks.
Owners can even watch continuous live webcam feeds of the dogs at the facility through their mobile app or website. The feed shows the four separate play areas. The luxury suites, for boarding guests as opposed to daycare, come with personalized webcams in the rooms.
The eight luxury suites include a more sound proof enclosure, personal HD webcams and a mounted television.  There are the more economical standard cabins, as well.
If a dog becomes unruly while attending Camp Bow Wow, the animal is put in “timeout” or sent home permanently depending on the severity of the issue.
“Just like school, the dogs come here every day. Sometimes, they just need a break away from camp,” said Bourgeois.
A full day of day care costs $27; half days run $17. There are frequency discounts, to be sure.  The camp also offers package plans of five full days, 10 full days, 20 full days and five half day visits, costing $80 to $430.
To send a pup to Camp 365 days using the 20-day package, the yearly cost would equal $7,847.50, excluding any other boarding, grooming or luxury suite surcharges.
According to Child Care Aware of America, in 2012 in Louisiana, the average annual cost of infant child care was $5,574. 
 Until the 200-dog camp capacity is reached,  walk-ins are welcome for day care. During the average weekdays, there a 60 day campers and 25 to 30 boarders. Weekends, however, are their busiest times, says Bourgeois. During football season, Camp Bow Wow have reached as high as 187 dogs for day camp.
Camp Bow Wow is a national franchise with five locations in addition to Baton Rouge – Covington, Lafayette, Shreveport and two in New Orleans. The owner of Baton Rouge’s Camp Bow Wow is in the process of opening a camp in Prairieville.
Camp Bow Wow Baton Rouge, on Pecue Lane, opened in August 2013. The owner of Baton Rouge’s Camp Bow Wow is currently in the process of opening a camp in Prairieville, La.