Woofy Wellness Ranch seeks to reinvent doggy daycare by making it educational

When Jeff Kellogg left the corporate world behind, he didn’t just start a dog daycare — he reimagined it.

At Woofy Wellness Ranch in Eastern Henrico, dogs don’t just play — they learn. And they get picked up each morning in a custom shuttle bus designed to make life easier for both pups and their humans.

Kellogg describes Woofy Wellness Ranch as a “day school” rather than a traditional daycare. While the format may look familiar, what happens during those hours is highly structured and intentional. The focus is on mental engagement, building social skills with other dogs and humans, and maintaining what staff call a “calm state of mind.”

That idea came from Woofy’s resident behaviorist, Bill Howard, who completed a seven-month training program in dog psychology with Linn Boyke, founder of the School of Dog Psychology in Los Angeles. His approach, which emphasizes observing emotional intensity and de-escalating it before it becomes conflict, is baked into every part of the day. Staff are trained to understand the psychology behind canine behavior, using gentle redirection rather than harsh correction.

“They can run and wrestle and bark,” Kellogg said, “as long as they don’t get tense.”

This minimizes chaos and creates a safer, more respectful environment than what most traditional dog parks offer.

“Dog parks are great in theory,” Kellogg said, “but they tend to be chaotic. Most dogs don’t like that.”

Before becoming a full-fledged student, each dog goes through an orientation day. Owners meet with staff to discuss behavior and care, while trainers assess the dog’s temperament through supervised interactions. From there, dogs are placed into “pastures,” playgroups tailored to energy level and personality. 

An 18-month-old Lab who loves to wrestle may be in one pasture, while a mellow senior who prefers to lie in the sun would be in another.

“We have a geriatric group — they just lay in the sun together,” Kellogg said.

'Let's make a good one'

The idea for both Woofy Wellness Ranch and the Woofy Bus was born from Kellogg’s own struggles as a frequent traveler trying to find quality care for his pets.

“The idea started when we got our dog, and we couldn’t find anywhere we felt good about leaving her,” Kellogg said. “So we planned vacations around being able to bring her. That always stuck with me. I wanted to create the kind of place where I’d want to bring my own dog.”

That mindset drives their mantra: How would I want my dog to be treated?

And most of the staff’s dogs are right there in the mix. “They’re out there with them. So it comes with the territory — this is personal.”

Kellogg met Howard back in 2016 when his then-15-year-old daughter was volunteering at BARK, a now-closed local rescue. Howard had just returned from training in L.A. and was leading a session. Kellogg, who had just left MeadWestvaco after a merger, approached him with the idea. Howard was hesitant at first.

His background was in one-on-one consultative training, and his mentor had worked with Cesar Millan, the famed "Dog Whisperer" who believes dog daycares are a bad idea.

“But I said, ‘Look, they’re happening anyway. So let’s make a good one. Let’s make it safe.’ And that clicked with him,” Kellogg said.

Safety and quality were the first goals. Convenience came next.

“Most of our customers are very busy professionals,” Kellogg said. “So we proactively manage wellness for the dogs — grooming, vet appointments, baths, nails, all of it. We can handle it, so they don’t have to think about it. That enables people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to have dogs to actually have them.”

While it began as a passion project, the operation has grown steadily over the years. Some dogs have been with Woofy since the beginning.

“One of them, Vito, has been coming for nine years,” Kellogg said. “It’s amazing—but also heartbreaking when they pass.”

Still, the bond drives the culture. Staff maintain ongoing communication with pet owners to ensure that what’s taught at the Ranch carries over into the home — and vice versa.

There are no toys or playscapes on-site, a deliberate choice.

“We want the dogs to engage with each other, not fixate on a toy,” Kellogg explained. “Toys can cause chaos. For us, it’s more beneficial to remove distractions so they can focus on communication and social development. That’s the benefit of the day for them — healthy, structured socialization.”

Creating a bond

At Woofy Wellness Ranch, the focus on mental and emotional wellness is reflected in every aspect of the operation.

Staff use radios to coordinate movement around the property to avoid overstimulating the dogs.

While many dog daycares emphasize physical exercise, Woofy aims to take it a step further by nurturing the dogs' emotional intelligence. By helping dogs regulate their emotions and fostering positive behaviors, they are preparing them not only for social success at the ranch but for better relationships at home as well.

Toward the end of a visit, staff members were asked if they could name every dog currently enrolled. Without missing a beat, they started listing them — by name, by pasture, and by personality — even with around 150 dogs on the roster that day.

Values guide the business. Kellogg said he's not in it to maximize profit.

The listed price is $48 a day, including transportation on the bus. Discounts are available for frequent users.

“Some days it’s a job, sure,” Kellogg said. “But when you lead with values—doing the right thing—the business side takes care of itself. It’s easy, as a business guy, to think ‘cut here, cut there, make more money,’ but that’s not what we’re about.”