K9strolls Dog Daycare Opens on Pembroke Street
If you had asked Daniel Avila eight years ago if he would own his own dog care business — “I would have said, ‘What!?’” he said. But what started out as a side job as a dog walker for Avila turned into k9strolls, a South End doggie daycare, walking, grooming and retail service. Avila and his husband, Jim, started the buiness in 2009, and for the last three years, have been running the business out of their home. “We used to have the dogs in the living room and put blankets down, and it was this big routine,” said Avila. “It was great because our neighbors were teachers and doctors and they were gone all day and would come back when teh dogs were gone, so they didn’t even know we had 18 dogs there,” he said. “We swept and mopped and cleaned — and it was cleaner then than it is now,” he said with a laugh. The business opened in its Pembroke Street location in November. The bigger space is lending itself to an expanded business; the couple now can offer grooming and retail for dog owners. “We focus on products made in the USA and I do a lot of research for products made in Massachusetts,” Jim Batty said. “We really value small businesses and locals, and locals helped push us along, so we want to do the same thing for others,” he said. Batty said what the couple specalizes in is helping dog owners provide an extension of their own home for their pets when they can’t care for them themselves, complete with comfy chairs and a TV. “The pet population is huge in the South End, and I know how well we treat the dogs, so we hope to be able to provide that continually while the owner is at work or out doing errands,” he said. “We focus in on that one-on-one relationship, and it helps so much. A lot of the time dogs haven’t been socialized so it helps them a lot, and we’ve seen a lot of dogs really come out of their shell,” he said. The two will celebrate the business’ grand opening on Thursday night at the 83 Pembroke St. store, with a “We Love Locals” party from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the store. SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch
New Community Fitness Center Opens in Blackstone Square
Boston University has completely transformed the Blackstone Community Center’s 2,000-square foot fitness center into a state-of-the-art fitness facility with treadmills, bikes, free weights and squat racks. The new Boston University Fitness and Wellness Center is part of a new public health initative with Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) and the Boston Centers for Youth & Family (BCYF) to fund three projects over the next five years at a value of more than $ 1.25 million. Mayor Thomas Menino, BU President Robert A. Brown, and Executive Director of the Boston Public Health Commission Barbara Ferrer were all in the South End on Tuesday morning to dedicate the new fitness center. The idea behind the facility is to provide South End community students and families a place to get active and work out. Boston Public Health Commission executive director Barbara Ferrer noted at the dedication that more than 35 percent of Boston youths are already classified as obese. The new facility will be staffed with BU employees and students in BU’s Department of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, and will not only offer exercise programs, but wellness and nutrition as well. “Today we celebrate a new fitness and recreation center,” said Menino. “I am hopeful that this unique program will be a shining example for other organizations to partner with us to promote health and wellness for children and families throughout our city.” Besides the new fitness center, the other two are 100 summer camp scholarships for area youth and the donation of two hours of free ice time each week to the Allston-Brighton Youth Hockey league. SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch