Doggy daycare facility coming to Coventry | Coventry Courier

COVENTRY — The town of Coventry may soon be getting its first doggy daycare facility this year, as business woman Lori Lanoue sought zoning board approval recently for a special use permit to operate a canine daycare center at 599 Tiogue Ave.

Lanoue is also the owner of Creative Child, Inc. which is directly next door to the property. The new facility will be able to house up to 14 dogs from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Lanoue said customers will be able to drop their dog off for the day and know that they will be taken care of, entertained and loved until they return. The animals will be required to have all required immunizations, and at this time there are no breed restrictions.

Lanoue’s site designer, Lucas Murray, went before the Coventry Zoning Board this week, explaining that because the facility is different in many ways to a dog kennel and is still a relatively new market, the project required a special use permit.

“This is a competitive market we’re breaking into,” Murray said. “But we’re not defining it as a dog kennel because doggy daycare is a relatively newer use for facilities. Multiple places have popped up throughout the state and they are operated much like a daycare.”

The location at 599 Tiogue Ave was previously home to Indigo Pizza, which shut its doors permanently last month. There is an apartment above the storefront, but Lanoue said they plan to use the space as storage or offices when the lease expires in Nov. 2017.

Coventry Planning Department Associate Planner Brian Wagner said that he had received several calls from neighbors who expressed concerns about the facility’s potential for noise, particularly the sound of multiple dogs barking. Lanoue said that she would implement a screening process for canines before allowing them to become members at the center.

“Not every dog will be right for the facility,” she said. “Our application process for canines is like an application for the childcare center, really.”

Resident Robert St. Jean of Forest Hill Drive said he was concerned with the noise the dogs could make, particularly in the mornings, and noted he already hears some noise from the daycare facility.

“It’s a residential area,” he said. “We shouldn’t have to worry about noise. We have plenty of noise as it is now with the daycare.”

Michael Stocklosa said he was concerned with the facility housing 14 dogs and pointed out that the decibel level of a bark is much higher when multiple dogs are barking.

Another resident, Christine Petrarca, said she is always in need of proper daytime care for her Yorkies and is looking forward to having a facility right in Coventry.

“They are little and they need to be watched,” she said. “A doggy daycare like this isn’t around in Coventry. “I think it’s better than the existing use.”

Some zoning board members raised concerns about disposing of the animals’ waste and issues with odor not only inside the facility but outside as well. Lanoue said she will be installing a special ventilation system and already has a trash pickup for her daycare center three days a week, so all waste will be removed from the site regularly.

“There’s nothing like this in Coventry,” Lanoue said. “It’s a big, up and coming thing and we’re trying to get something of great quality in here.”

The board voted to continue the item until next month for a decision. Members will conduct a site walk on the property before that time.

Follow Kendra Lolio on Twitter @kendralolio