Woofy Bus picks up dogs for a day of play, learning, and wellness in Greater Richmond

RICHMOND, Va. — A Richmond-area business is taking dog daycare to a new level — with a fleet of buses that pick up pups from 25 stops across the region and bring them to a full service wellness ranch for a day of socializing, learning, and care.

Woofy Bus and Woofy Wellness Ranch operates what its president calls a "day school" for dogs, complete with bus routes, pastures, and on-site services ranging from grooming to veterinary care.

"My name is Jeff Kellogg. I'm the president of Woofy Bus and Woofy Wellness Ranch," Kellogg said. "We have a fleet of buses, and we have 25 stops around the Greater Richmond area. And what we do is we go and we pick the dogs up."

The concept may sound unusual at first, but Kellogg said dogs quickly adapt to the outine.

"Think about how weird of a situation it is for a dog — a giant bus pulls up at a bus stop, big loud engine, air brakes, and you expect this dog to get on the bus and ride with 30 other dogs," Kellogg said. "After a couple times of them realizing where it's going and what's happening, they get right on the bus."

Once at the ranch, dogs are unloaded into pastures where they spend the day playing and learning alongside other dogs. The facility also offers grooming, boarding, veterinary services, training, and nail trims — positioning itself as a onestop shop for pet owners.

"They have friends," Kellogg said. "If one's here and the other one's coming, they just light up and they'll play and wrestle and goof around all day. This is a great environment for them. It's a safe environment for them."

The service has made a meaningful difference for some dog owners. Kellogg described one case where the socialization program helped a dog with behavioral issues avoid being surrendered.

"I had a dog that I was going to maybe have to surrender, you know, from a behavior standpoint," Kellogg said. "By us providing a place for them to come and really working on the social skills of the dogs and helping them improve, [it] allow[ed] that dog to stay in somebody's home rather than getting returned."

John Lamar, who drove for Woofy Bus after being a customer for 10 years, said the experience speaks for itself.

"My pup came and rode the bus, came off the bus like it was a school day, running to me," Lamar said. "I think the one thing that Woofy does, in addition to providing the convenience, is very simply spending the time with them out in the yards, teaching them to socialize. They have a great time, and they come away very, very happy."