Lifelong friends open unique dog resort in Waldo
By Christina McDonough Hunt
There’s a new club in town and it’s gone to the dogs! Lifelong friends, Alan Ramseyer and Connor Anderson opened The Collar Club at 74th & Wornall on March 30, welcoming and serving nearly 300 dogs since.
Ramseyer and Anderson grew up in Wichita and have been friends as long as they can remember. They always knew they wanted to own a business together, but the pieces hadn’t fallen into place until now.
“We had always talked about doing something with animals,” Anderson said. “I never had dogs growing up so I used to go to Alan’s house all the time and help train their [foster] dogs and play with them. Then one day I noticed this building sitting here and thought it looked really cool. I kept calling Alan about it and things unfolded from there.”
Today, Anderson focuses mostly on the business and operations side, and Ramseyer handles the staffing, temperament testing, and is more hands-on with the dogs.
The Collar Club is a resort that offers services for dogs including day play, boarding, and grooming. It offers unique features such as a full transparent and open floor plan, cameras throughout the facility, a 24/7 access room, thunder suites, and a quarantine area for sick dogs.
“Full transparency is something we are really passionate about,” Anderson said. “The whole front lobby is glass so people can walk in and see everything that is going on with their dogs. I think it holds us to a higher standard in a way that we have to clean more and take extra good care of the dogs. We’re not hiding anything”.
The 24/7 access room allows clients to drop off and pick up their dogs on their own schedule, which for many is during non-business hours. A bluetooth reader allows access to the room and there is no additional fee to use this feature.
Other unique areas include the thunder suites and the quarantine area. The thunder suites are quiet, private suites that are used for dogs that need a quieter area. The suites eliminate outside noises and also include a fan for white noise, a crystal chandelier for aesthetics, and a camera that allows an owner to check in on their dog.
The quarantine area allows dogs to be separated when they are sick. The rooms have an exhaust fan that is instrumental in pulling the air from those rooms directly outside to allow fresher and cleaner air for the dogs inside.
The grooming area, headed by Salon Manager, Shastie Clendenin, is a big hit with customers at the Collar Club and is open M-F by slot-based appointment.
The 10,500 sq ft space also includes large indoor and outdoor play areas with natural light, rubber flooring and turf, standard suites, window lofts, apartment suites, an open lobby, 4 HVAC units which allow for cleaner air throughout the building, a full-sized break room for the employees, a consultation room, and an office.
The Collar Club has 12 staff members, including a full-time trainer and a doga instructor.
“Our knowledgeable staff is very hands on and that is unique,” Ramseyer said. “We are excited to have each of them”.
Ramseyer and Anderson say that they plan to expand in the near future.
“We are interested in bringing features such as hydrotherapy treadmills which allow a dog to get on the treadmill and walk easier since the water takes about 80% of their weight off of them. This is great for older dogs,’ explained Anderson. “We also want to offer swimming classes and expand our 6,000 sq ft outdoor area”.
The Collar Club currently offers convenient no contact drop off and pick up, ala carte day play and boarding, and membership programs. They are open M-F 7am-7pm and Saturdays 9am-4pm with 24 hour pick up. More information may be found at CollarClubKC.com.