Happy Hollow provides pet day-care, training, grooming

Liz Graven could hear the dog barking in the distance. Within minutes, a station wagon topped the crest of the hill. Inside was a large German shepherd. Graven carefully ob-served what the dog did after its owner let it out of the car.

"You can tell a lot about a dog just by watching what it does right after its feet hit the ground," she said. "Some can be trained in protection. Others really are better suited to be a family pet. Every dog is different."

Training dogs is just one of the many services offered at Happy Hollow Pet Lodge in Ozark. Graven has been training, grooming and boarding pets on her 36-acre farm since 1978 the same year she began learning Schutzhund, a popular dog sport that originated in Germany.

Schutzhund training stresses tracking, obedience and protection. Schutzhund-trained dogs primarily are used as family protection dogs, but they also have been used by police officers, border patrol agents, customs officials, military members and ranchers. In fact, Gra-ven, who is a deputy sheriff in Dallas County, occasionally uses her dog, Erko, while doing police work.

Most of the dog training Hap-py Hollow Pet Lodge offers, however, is geared toward individual pet owners.

This training, which is done in the large K9 Training Center that was built in 1999, stresses behavior modification and helps educate each pet owner about their dog's disposition and temperament.

"Training is as much for the owner as it is for the dog," Graven said. "Certain breeds do certain things, and we have to teach the pet owner about that breed and its temperament."

Often, a pet owner will attend training classes with his or her dog. Other times, a dog will receive specialized training and then be returned to its owner.

In addition to training dogs, Happy Hollow Pet Lodge offers doggy day-care, as well as grooming services. Occasion-ally, a pet owner will bring in a cat to be bathed.

The majority of business, however, comes from boarding dogs, cats and other animals, and over the years, Happy Hollow Pet Lodge has boarded everything from parakeets to pot-bellied pigs.

Most of the animals boarded are dogs, and the "pet lodge" contains 40 pens of various sizes, which can accommodate small- to large-sized dogs. Each pen contains a door, which opens to an outdoor dog run that's approximately 11 feet long.

"We keep all of the dogs separated," said Billy Griner, who has worked at Happy Hollow Pet Lodge since he retired from the Army six years ago. "We never put two dogs in the same pen together unless the owner requests it."

Just beside the pet lodge is a grassy play area. If owners wish, they can pay a little extra to have Griner or another member of the staff play with their pets anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour.

According to Griner, who handles much of the dogs' day-to-day care, many pet owners bring food, toys, bedding and other articles for their pets. However, Happy Hollow Pet Lodge will provide food for an animal at the owner's request. The staff also will administer creams and ointments and give pills to pets as directed by their owners.

"The only thing we don't do is give shots," Graven said.

Cats that are boarded at Happy Hollow Pet Lodge are kept in the cattery called the Safari Room which has a tropical motif.

The cattery contains 11 pens. These pens are opened and closed one at a time, which allows each cat to explore its new surroundings.

Pet owners who bring their animals to Happy Hollow Pet Lodge are asked to bring a copy of their pets' health records, which indicate their animals' shots are up to date, according to Graven.

Each pet also is checked for fleas and other parasites before it's placed near the other animals.

Currently, the staff at Happy Hollow Pet Lodge is gearing up for the holidays, which is one of the busiest times of the year, and during the coming weeks, the staff will care for a wide variety of pets.