Better of ORL 2023: Children & Pets

Picture by Roberto Gonzalez

WINNER: BEST DOGGIE DAY CARE

Every day at Ranger’s Pet Outpost and Retreat is sort of a household reunion as shoppers—some unique to the enterprise since its 2001 opening, some the grown kids of shoppers—deliver their canine, their joys and their losses earlier than acquainted, caring faces.

About 220 canine go to the Winter Park enterprise each day, most for doggie daycare, others for boarding or grooming. The enterprise, so in style that it solely accepts new shoppers every January, additionally presents coaching to assist folks and canine study to “discuss to one another” whereas additionally giving new shoppers a means “to hitch our pleased little household,” in keeping with proprietor Michael Fried.

The enterprise’ secret to success is sweet karma, Fried says, with a heavy emphasis on constructing and sustaining relationships. “We get to know our shoppers rather well,” he says. “We may have a number of places, however I simply suppose that might dilute the eye we pay to our shoppers who’ve been with us for [nearly] 25 years.”

The household vibe carries into the workers, a few of whom have remained 15 or 16 years with Fried and his associate, Rick Merrifield. Their workers members are taught that their jobs aren’t nearly enjoying with canine. They’re about caring for them—and for the folks they love.

“We’ve seen our shoppers undergo so many issues like elevating their youngsters. We’ve seen our shoppers undergo having to say goodbye to pets and saying howdy to pets,” Fried says. “I contemplate our shoppers to be positively household and associates.”

If Fried or Merrifield don’t see a consumer for some time, they’re more likely to name to verify all the things is okay. If it’s not, they provide to assist take care of the consumer’s canine within the midst of a disaster. 

Karma got here into play through the COVID pandemic, when Ranger’s shoppers remained trustworthy within the face of social distancing. “They had been saying, ‘We’re going to ensure you’re taken care of,’” Fried recollects.

In the meantime, Ranger’s makes positive their beloved pets are properly taken care of. Daycare canine are separated into courses in keeping with measurement, age and disposition. Actions on the 40,000-square-foot middle embrace hurdle video games, canine tag and canine tennis, with courses rotating each quarter-hour. Every day, pooches go house canine drained.

Fried admits that encroaching competitors, some within the type of franchises, “makes me a little bit nervous.” However he’s assured about one factor: “I don’t suppose they’re going to be fortunate sufficient to have the identical sorts of shoppers we’ve acquired.”

BROWSE WINNERS BY CATEGORIES

Doggie Day Care
Animal Hospital
Pet Pleasant Restaurant
Pet Grooming
Specialty Pet Retailer
Preschool
Non-public Faculty Ok-5
Non-public Faculty 6-8
Non-public Faculty 9-12
Summer season Camp
Faculty Prep and Planning Providers
Tutoring Providers

Doggie Day Care

1 Ranger’s Pet Outpost and Retreat
Winter Park
rangerspetoutpost.com

2 Membership Hollywoof Doggie Daycare Boarding
Orlando
clubhollywoof.com

3 Dogtopia
A number of Places
dogtopia.com

Animal Hospital

1 South Orlando Animal Hospital
Orlando
soah4pets.com

2 Downtown Pet Hospital
Downtown Orlando
downtownpethospital.com

3 Fairbanks Animal Hospital
Winter Park
fairbanksanimalhospital.vetsourcecms.com

Pet Pleasant Restaurant

1 Maxine’s on Shine
Orlando (Mills 50)
maxinesonshine.com

2 Dixie Belles Café
Orlando
dixiebellescafe.com

3 Shaker’s American Café
Faculty Park
shakerscafe.com

Pet Grooming

1 Plush Paws Pet Salon
Orlando
plushpawsinc.com

2 Allyson’s Pet Grooming
Orlando
allysons-pet-grooming.keeq.io

3 Ranger’s Pet Outpost and Retreat
Winter Park
rangerspetoutpost.com

Specialty Pet Retailer

1 Woof Gang Bakery
A number of Places
woofgangbakery.com

2 All 4 Pets Belle Isle
Orlando
fb.com/all4petsBelle

3 PetSmart
A number of Places
petsmart.com

Courtesy of Ladybird Academy

Preschool

1 Ladybird Academy
A number of Places
ladybirdacademy.com

2 Kids’s Lighthouse Studying Heart
Winter Backyard
childrenslighthouse.com

3 Religion Meeting of God – Religion Christian Preschool
Two Orlando Places
faithchristianpreschool.org

Non-public Faculty Ok-5

1 The Christ Faculty
Downtown Orlando
thechristschool.org

2 Windermere Preparatory Faculty
Windermere
windermereprep.com

3 The Geneva Faculty
Casselberry
genevaschool.org

Courtesy Windermere Preparatory Faculty

Non-public Faculty 6-8

1 Windermere Preparatory Faculty
Windermere
windermereprep.com

2 Lake Highland Preparatory Faculty
Downtown Orlando
lhps.org

3 The Christ Faculty
Downtown Orlando
thechristschool.org

Courtesy Lake Highland Preparatory Faculty

Non-public Faculty 9-12

1 Lake Highland Preparatory Faculty
Downtown Orlando
lhps.org

2 Windermere Preparatory Faculty
Windermere
windermereprep.com

3 Trinity Preparatory Faculty
Winter Park
trinityprep.org

Summer season Camp

1 Ladybird Academy
A number of Places
ladybirdacademy.com

2 Orlando Science Heart
Orlando
osc.org

3 Full Sail Labs
Winter Park
fullsaillabs.com

Faculty Prep and Planning Providers

1 The Faculty Map
Faculty Park
thecollegemap.com

2 Winter Park Faculty Consultants
Winter Park
winterparkcollegeconsultants.com

3 Benefit Faculty Planning
Orlando
advcp.com

Tutoring Providers

1 Huntington Studying Facilities
A number of Places
huntingtonhelps.com

2 Membership Z Tutoring
A number of Places
clubztutoring.com

3 Revolution Prep
Orlando
revolutionprep.com

BEST OF 2023 | FOOD & DRINK | COMMUNITY, HOME & SHOPPING | MEDIA & PEOPLE | FUN & LEISURE | HEALTH & BEAUTY | KIDS & PETS | PROFESSIONAL SERVICES