You may have noticed that there have been some changes to downtown Kingston lately. One of the most noticeable changes has been the sale and renovation of the old Coffee Oasis building. New owners Katie and Jon Delorme are opening an extension of their dog daycamp and boarding business, The Great Outdoors, in the downtown location.
The shop and lounge are already open, but some elements of the extension are still coming, including an indoor and outdoor daycare space and a self-service dog washing station. The Wander and Forage Lounge and Shop is fully stocked with high-quality products for both dogs and dog lovers, as well as comfortable places to gather and other activities.
The Great Outdoors focuses on helping reactive and unsocialized dogs and their owners, which they will continue to do with this new space. They do this by focusing on creating small play groups and positive enrichment experiences for the dogs and by investing in the staff they hire, ensuring they have the training and support they need to best take care of the dogs. This philosophy and dog daycamp model stems from Katie and Jon’s personal experiences. Both served in the military in the Middle East and were heartbroken by the way dogs were treated there. This led them to start a nonprofit dog rescue, World Animal Guardian, which rescues dogs primarily from Kuwait and works with other animal rescues around the world.
The inspiration and driving force behind this decision was their own rescue dog, Sulei. Katie and Jon rescued Sulei in Kuwait City after tracking him for 7 months. When they finally caught him, he had a broken leg from being hit by a car, and it took more than a year of working with Sulei for them to be able to get him surgery or even touch him, but he still found a place in their hearts and became a beacon for the change Katie and Jon wanted to make in the world. “That was the beginning of the love and compassion I have for dog care,” said Katie.
After leaving active duty and moving to Washington state in search of a more balanced life, Katie and Jon had to rethink how they funded their nonprofit while remaining in line with their goals to change the pet industry. Creating The Great Outdoors to both help local reactive and unsocialized dogs and fund World Animal Guardian seemed like the natural choice, and then “it just blew up, in a really good way,” said Katie.
What will make this space unique from other dog facilities and their original site? One thing Katie and Jon plan to do is create private shopping experiences. This will allow people to schedule a time period to bring dogs that might be too reactive for a daycare or dog park environment, and provide a place for people to bring their dogs that cannot go to other places. These shopping experiences can be scheduled for 30 minutes to an hour, and the owners will shut down the building for it in order to ensure the dogs and owners have a positive and low-stress experience.
The Great Outdoors also partners with a trainer from Bainbridge Island, Lee Harper, who focuses on positive reinforcement training. The day camp itself will also adhere to a strict schedule to ensure the dogs have the best possible experience, where they will rotate between the play area, the nap room, and even a designated cuddle space where an employee will be able to sit with them and give them all the attention they need and deserve.
Katie and Jon also want to make it clear that this space is not just for dogs, and they do not want to take away the community aspect of the building. They made sure their boutique and lounge area can be a comfortable third space for people. Soon, they will launch a community calendar where people can book the space for events and game nights. The lounge will also include a drink bar with coffee and other non-alcoholic beverages. Everything that goes into the business goes back to supporting their nonprofit, World Animal Rescue.
As Katie and Jon said, “we’ve been pedal to the metal since we closed on the building.”
The Wander and Forage Lounge at The Great Outdoors in Kingston.
