About Bellyrubs Doggie Daycare II

Who they are

Bellyrubs is a Hudson Falls daycare, boarding and grooming business in its twenty-first year, founded by Susan Rawling, who left a nine-year career in the medical field to open it. It runs two sites — the Hudson Falls facility at 44 Feeder Street and a second at Gansevoort off Exit 17S of the Northway — and the staff list is long enough to include a named assistant manager and dog trainer alongside managers, pet stylists and back staff at both locations.

What they offer

The bulk of the business is daycare, overnight boarding, cage-free grooming and seven themed cat rooms. Training is a genuine part of the menu rather than a marketing word: the site carries a Dog Training item in the navigation of every page, and its own services block lists obedience classes and a Puppy Play Day alongside dog walks and dog parties. The daycare program itself is described as including work on commands and new tricks rather than free play alone. Read honestly, this is a place to get a puppy socialized and a set of basic manners started while the dog is already there for daycare — not where you would take a serious behavior case, and the site does not claim otherwise.

How they train

The published approach is gradual and social. New dogs come in for an interview: owner and dog first, then an introduction to the group on neutral ground, with the acknowledgement that dogs will growl while they work out their place and that the staff let them find it. Indoors there is a climate-controlled playroom with cots, cushions and toys where soft music plays and the staff work on commands; outdoors, enclosed yards with sun, shade and a pool in hot weather. The staff describe first aid courses through Tundra Spirits and training at the Animal Behavior College and Penn Foster.

Practical details

Hours are strict and published, and the business says there are no exceptions to them — worth reading before booking, because the pick-up and drop-off windows at both sites are narrow. Tours are by appointment only, the first day of daycare is free, and there is no extra daycare charge while a dog is boarded. The business also fosters overflow from several local rescue groups and says it works with those dogs on fears and behavioral problems to make them more adoptable, which is the clearest signal on the site of what its staff can actually handle.