Hounds Town USA is a Doggy Dream Come True

Since its inception in 2001, has offered a full-service interactive day care and boarding facility for dogs (and now cats have their own kitty town on premise too.)

The welcoming canine community is designed to look like a small town, complete with gardens, doggy townhouses and a Hounds Town Cinema which runs programming such as cartoons and Animal Planet.

"Hounds Town is a magical place for dogs where they live out their dog fantasies.  They come here with a natural pack of dogs, which they don't have at home.  This is like putting a fish in a fish bowl.  They get to do what dogs love to do, which is play in a group," said Michael Gould, founder and CEO of Hounds Town USA.

It's a place where dogs can just be dogs in a nurturing, secure environment.  Their spacious indoor and outdoor play areas allow your four-legged friends to fully engage with each other from morning to night.

The staff at Hounds Town prides itself on an honest and straightforward approach to answering a variety of pet care needs.  They offer customers a unique way to make their hectic lives easier by offering no nonsense, dependable service that's tailor-made to suit the individual's needs and schedule, all at competitive prices.

Whether working late or on a vacation out of town, the pet care mecca has got covered all of your doggy day care and overnight needs.

Gould's canine career began in 1982, as a training officer and canine handler with the New York City Police Department.  Later, he transferred to the Nassau County Police Department, where, as a lieutenant, he commanded the department's canine unit from 1995 to 1999.  He is certified by the state of New York as a canine trainer and examiner for police patrol, tracking and scent detection teams.

Gould's holding a Bachelor's Degree in Behavioral Science from the State University of New York, and being a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia rounds out his impressive background.  In addition, he has traveled extensively to countries around the globe to study methods used by their law enforcement agencies.

Doggy daycare follows the template of child daycare, and allows pet pooches to play all day with other dogs of similar age, size and temperament.

The Hounds Town Inn eases the difficult experience of leaving your four-legged family member at a boarding kennel.  The facility is glad to provide an overnight sanctuary for your beloved pet where dogs play and socialize until bedtime, and then resume activity once camp commences the following day.

The Hounds Town Inn offers a spa bath and complete grooming experience.

"When I was planning my retirement I wanted a business that kind of takes from my skills from the police department, and something that I enjoyed.  So I started my first doggy daycare in Port Jefferson and it grew, and grew.  Then I opened a second one [in Ronkonkoma].  Now we're in the process of franchising, and it's been a very consistently good business, even with the recession," said Gould.

Gould, who calls himself, "the Mayor of Hounds Town" is an animal lover that volunteers at Save-A-Pet and the Brookhaven and Islip Animal Shelters.  He also invites dogs from local shelters to come and play for the day at his facility at no cost.

"Truthfully, my business has been pretty successful, so now I'm giving back as much as I can," said Gould.  "I have all of these miraculous kinds of stories where dogs were aggressive, or they bit somebody or they had some behavioral issue that would have required them to be put down ... [If] I can 'rehome' them so to speak, to me that's really, personally, what my life is all about."

Hounds Town University offers several dog training programs such as Group Obedience, Private Lessons, Boarding School and the intensive K9 Rehabilitation Program.

Medford resident, Jill Milone drops off her one-and-a-half- year- old yellow lab, Lucy, at daycare daily on her way to work.  She has been coming for the past eight months, and can't imagine being a pet owner without it.

"I have to tell you, this place is a godsend.  If it wasn't for this place here I think I would have given my dog away.  I'm so relaxed and relieved that I have a place that I can leave my dog," said Milone.  "This place really helps control her; as a puppy she was really out of control ... She comes here; she's tired when she gets home.  I think she picked up good habits here."