IDAHO FALLS – After 30 years working with animals in various jobs, Michelle Martin is the happy owner of a dog daycare and grooming business.
Diggs Playhouse opened last month at 115 East Anderson in Idaho Falls. The business offers boarding, grooming and training services for dogs. It’s designed to be a place to take your dog if you’re going on a trip. There are also trainings to teach your dog to walk on a leash with good jumping and barking routines.
Michelle runs the business with her husband, Brendan, and together they run a non-profit organization that saves dogs from being lost in animal shelters. They are then trained to be given to veterans as service dogs.
The company caters to all breeds of dogs, and in the past few weeks, Martin has seen a variety of dogs including golden doodles, huskies, labs, shepherds, pugs and border collies.
“We get a lot of different things,” Martin told eastidahnews.com.
Martin grew up in Montana, but has lived in Idaho Falls for the past eight years. She has loved animals for as long as she can remember and has especially fond memories of her cat as a child.
Over the years, she has worked as a veterinary tech, and has been involved in animal shelters and rescue services.
Her favorite thing about animals is the “unconditional love” she feels when she’s around them.
“They just love you no matter what,” she says. I don’t think I could live without a dog or a cat.
And she respects that her clients trust her to take care of their dogs.
Matt’s goal with Diggs Playhouse is to ensure that no pets end up at the shelter.
She enjoys giving dogs the same level of care they receive from their owners and looks forward to meeting more dogs and their owners as the business gets established.
“These dogs are like our family. “Some of these dogs I’ve known since they were puppies and they’re 10, 13 years old,” says Martin. “Like their owners, they become your pets.”
Diggs Playhouse is open seven days a week at various hours. For more information or to schedule an appointment to bring your dog, call (208) 970-7383. You can also visit the website or Facebook page.
