Pooch Patrol: Happy Woof Dog Walking Takes Dogs on Adventures

Francine Deneffe loves dogs. That’s the reason she started Happy Woof, her dog walking business, two and a half years ago.

Though she has also worked with cats and horses, she loves dogs best, she believes, “because you can take them with you everywhere.”

Indeed, when you see Deneffe driving around town in her snappy, red Mini Cooper, she often has at least a few of her dozen regular clients riding with her. Where might they be going? To Huntington, Putnam, Topstone, Holcomb or another of the local parks.

She brings her “woof pack,” as she calls the group of client-dogs she has integrated together, to the parks for running, swimming and frolicking.  Her pack consists of everything from 100-pound Labradors to 17-pound Miniature Pinschers, who get along well. Deneffe is careful about integrating new dogs into the pack slowly and if some dogs aren’t social enough well, no problem, they can be walked on their own.

On a typical outing, Deneffe will pick up her canine charges from their homes, arrange them in the car, attach ID tags to those that aren’t wearing them, and take them to a park where they are leashed until they reach high fields where they get to run and play.

“Each day is different. There are different dogs who give their own personality, a different energy, a different park and a different adventure– that’s why I love what I do,” she said. “Sometimes they are so tired by the end, they will all sleep on the way home and one will have its’ head in my lap,” she mused.

Deneffe, the “Woof Director” of the company according to her card, is “assisted” by Noisette, her brown Munsterlander (an unusual breed from Germany that Deneffe drove to Wisconsin to rescue). Noisette is the first dog a new client dog will meet before being introduced to the rest of the pack.

“She is good at reading other dogs,” said Deneffe.

The dog walker can meet a variety of client needs- she can take the dog several times per week, once a week or only occasionally, such as when a client goes on vacation.

Contrary to what this writer thought, most of Deneffe’s clients aren’t busy professionals who fall short on time to walk their pets. More often, it’s just “people who really, really love their dogs,” according to Deneffe. She met most of them in the parks walking their own dogs at some point.

“This is for people who just want to provide a really good time for their dogs. It’s like a luxury item. You can walk your dog for 15 minutes and he’ll be happy and do his business but Happy Woof is more than that. Your dog will be introduced to me and the car and a new place and have an adventure with a bunch of dogs,” she said.

The fully-insured Deneffe has never lost a dog or had an accident with a charge. She also provides a “woof report” to the owner and is happy to share anything she’s noticed, health-wise or behaviorally.

Included in these adventures is a bath if the dog gets dirty and the first appointment, where Deneffe visits with a prospective client and canine, is free of charge.

“It’s about the trust I have with the customer and with the dog," she said. "I understand that they are giving me their precious child and I treat the dogs as well as or better than I treat my own."

Visit www.happywoof.com or call 203-739-5212 for more information.