Doggie Hotel and Daycare Center Proposed in Ocean City

A new “hotel” is being proposed in Ocean City that would give dogs a place to sit, stay and sleep in comfort.

Barring any delays, the zoning board will consider an application at its March 19 meeting for what would be a dog hotel and daycare facility – the first of its kind in Ocean City if the project is approved.

“We think that Ocean City is the No. 1 family resort and we’re hoping it will be the No. 1 family and pet resort,” said Jake Gallagher, a developer who is proposing the project.

Gallagher declined further comment Tuesday in advance of the zoning board meeting, other than to say that he is still kicking around ideas as to what to name the hotel and doggie daycare center.

He wants to develop the dog hotel at a commercial building he owns at 204 Seventh Street. The zoning application has been filed under the name JJG Property Management LCC, a company Gallagher owns.

Avery Teitler, Gallagher’s attorney, said the building is located in a section of Ocean City that is zoned for industrial uses. Among the businesses that are allowed in the area are veterinary hospitals, he pointed out.

“There are other pet-friendly uses in that area,” Teitler said, adding that an existing dog grooming business is located nearby on the 600 block of West Avenue.

A new ordinance approved by City Council on Jan. 23 has opened the door to the possibility of a dog hotel and daycare center if Gallagher can secure a zoning variance – although it is certainly no guarantee that such a project would ever be allowed in town.

Teitler said the new ordinance was the impetus for Gallagher’s proposed dog hotel and daycare facility. As part of his application, Gallagher is seeking a zoning variance.

    Dog owners are free to take their leashed pets on the Ocean City beach during the offseason.
  

Currently, dog breeders, kennels and pet stores are prohibited in Ocean City. The new ordinance continues the ban on those types of businesses.

With kennels being banned, doggie daycare centers had also been outlawed. Previously, even if the owner of a doggie daycare center was able to secure a zoning variance, Ocean City did not allow a mercantile license for that type of business.

The new ordinance, however, would allow a mercantile license to be issued – if the owner of a doggie day care business succeeded in obtaining a zoning variance.

City Solicitor Dorothy McCrosson explained at the Jan. 23 Council meeting that it would be a “heavy lift” for a doggie daycare business to obtain a zoning variance, especially if there was opposition from neighbors living nearby.

Councilmen Keith Hartzell and Jody Levchuk voted against the ordinance, saying they feared it could create a legal pathway for puppy mills in Ocean City. McCrosson assured Hartzell and Levchuk that dog-breeding operations, including puppy mills, simply are not permitted in Ocean City.

Gallagher’s proposed dog hotel and daycare center would not include any dog-breeding operations, Teitler said.

Gallagher is proposing to renovate the existing commercial building at 204 Seventh Street to develop the project.

Among other things, it would include 31 indoor dog kennels, interior dog runs and an outdoor synthetic turf area approximately 400 square feet. A 6-foot-high vinyl fence would be built around the synthetic turf area, according to the zoning application.

There would also be improvements to the building, including new exterior lighting and new siding, shutters, windows and doors on the Seventh Street side.

   Dogs are banned from the Ocean City Boardwalk, except during the weekend of the annual Howl-O-Ween Parade in October.  

Over the years, Ocean City has promoted its reputation as a dog-friendly town through a number of special events and with places for owners to take their canines.

The city has long had a dog park at 45th Street and Haven Avenue. During the offseason, the city lifts its ban on dogs on the beaches. Dogs are permitted on the beaches from Oct. 1 to April 30, provided they are on a leash and their owners clean up any messes.

Ocean City is also known for its wacky Doo Dah celebration and parade each April headlined by hundreds of basset hounds.

Normally, dogs are banned from the Boardwalk, but the city allows canines on the Boardwalk during the annual Howl-O-Ween Parade in October. Hosted by the Humane Society of Ocean City, the Howl-O-Ween Parade drew more 400 dogs last year, many dressed in colorful and outlandish costumes.

The parade is part of an entire “Dog Days” weekend in October that allows leashed dogs on the Boardwalk on Saturday and Sunday.