With the smash of a tennis ball-packed piñata, the latest edition to the Capitol Hill pet economy opened over the weekend.

CHS reported last fall on the plans for a Capitol Hill expansion of the Tails of the City dog daycare business in the underground space beneath Velocity Dance Center on 12th Ave. The longtime Georgetown doggy daycare, is expanding to its second Seattle location under owner Karyn Johnson.

The huge space that was long ago home to the Capitol Hill Arts Center includes a small dog area and special space for senior dogs, an area for grooming, and room for the business to add a highly demanded new service: overnight dog boarding. Good ventilation and “constant cleaning,” Johnson said, are the keys to being a good doggie daycare neighbor.

“People treat their dogs like family,” Johnson told CHS about the booming Capitol Hill pet population. “Many choose to get a pet with their LGBTQ partner. It’s easier now — you can take them so many places.”

That boom is bringing other pet-focused investments to the neighborhood. Later this year, veterinarian Urban Animal will unveil its major expansion at 10th and Thomas as the clinic expands into the former Cafe Solstice corner space. Along with an expanded area to provide health care to the neighborhood’s critters, the expansion will add a new, second waiting area and a separate “no dogs allowed” entrance for cats.

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