Photo Credit: Leah Ede By Martina Marchese
Just by opening the door you find yourself greeted by howls, woofs and barks from a colorful variety of
furry friends. The smell of dogs is intoxicating—and not always in a good way -- but all senses fade when
the fluffy friends come racing around the corner at rapid speeds to say hello -- or “woof” in doggy talk.
The black cat lounging on the counter might look a little scary at a distance, but she just wants to cuddle
up the minute you get close.
Happy Paws Daycare, located on Route 30 North, caters to the community in a way you wouldn’t
associate with the word daycare, at least not at first. This isn’t the place to drop off the kids, but it is the
place to park the dogs when you need a little peace and quiet.
Kevin Mulholland and his wife opened Happy Paws in 2006 when they saw a demand for something of
this variety in the community.
“We thought there was a need for it and my wife always wanted to do something with dogs,” said
Mulholland.
Although he has been bitten a few times, he recalls some rather hilarious moments with the animals.
He told a story about a little dog who was flying around out back and skidded into a puddle and the
water completely engulfed his head.
“He went down like a submarine,” said Mulholland grinning widely at the recollection.
Seconds after telling this story, a frantic woman stormed in saying there was a black dog in the road
outside. Mulholland informed her that he knows the dog well, that it belongs to someone across the
street and that he often walks over their way to see the other dogs.
On a daily basis, Mulholland and his wife watch about 50 dogs, including some from professors at the
college.
“I love Happy Paws because they really know and love dogs. I worked at a kennel in a past life and even
did a little dog training for a while and it takes a special person to be able to read dogs the way they do,”
said professor Linda Olson in an e-mail.
She said you can’t just throw a group of dogs together and expect them to get along and that Mulholland
and his wife are terrific at that.
“I know that when I drop off Harper in the morning, she will be safe and have fun. And when I pick her
up I know she will be tired and happy,” said Olson about her furry friend.
Mulholland and his wife are the definition of true animal-lovers. He recalled always having pets, dogs in
particular. One that stands out in his memory is Boe, a cocker spaniel who was also his hunting dog. He
said Boe was one of his favorite pet names, which then sparked a discussion of bed pet names.
“Bellas are barkers, we call them Bellers,” said Mulholland with a chuckle.
Just by opening the door you find yourself greeted by howls, woofs and barks from a colorful variety of
furry friends. The smell of dogs is intoxicating—and not always in a good way -- but all senses fade when
the fluffy friends come racing around the corner at rapid speeds to say hello -- or “woof” in doggy talk.
The black cat lounging on the counter might look a little scary at a distance, but she just wants to cuddle
up the minute you get close.
Happy Paws Daycare, located on Route 30 North, caters to the community in a way you wouldn’t
associate with the word daycare, at least not at first. This isn’t the place to drop off the kids, but it is the
place to park the dogs when you need a little peace and quiet.
Kevin Mulholland and his wife opened Happy Paws in 2006 when they saw a demand for something of
this variety in the community.
“We thought there was a need for it and my wife always wanted to do something with dogs,” said
Mulholland.
Although he has been bitten a few times, he recalls some rather hilarious moments with the animals.
He told a story about a little dog who was flying around out back and skidded into a puddle and the
water completely engulfed his head.
“He went down like a submarine,” said Mulholland grinning widely at the recollection.
Seconds after telling this story, a frantic woman stormed in saying there was a black dog in the road
outside. Mulholland informed her that he knows the dog well, that it belongs to someone across the
street and that he often walks over their way to see the other dogs.
On a daily basis, Mulholland and his wife watch about 50 dogs, including some from professors at the
college.
“I love Happy Paws because they really know and love dogs. I worked at a kennel in a past life and even
did a little dog training for a while and it takes a special person to be able to read dogs the way they do,”
said professor Linda Olson in an e-mail.
She said you can’t just throw a group of dogs together and expect them to get along and that Mulholland
and his wife are terrific at that.
“I know that when I drop off Harper in the morning, she will be safe and have fun. And when I pick her
up I know she will be tired and happy,” said Olson about her furry friend.
Mulholland and his wife are the definition of true animal-lovers. He recalled always having pets, dogs in
particular. One that stands out in his memory is Boe, a cocker spaniel who was also his hunting dog. He
said Boe was one of his favorite pet names, which then sparked a discussion of bed pet names.
“Bellas are barkers, we call them Bellers,” said Mulholland with a chuckle.
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