Indoor dog park opens in Pelham

Published 2:42 pm Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Roverchase opened in Pelham on Sept. 16. (Contributed)

Roverchase opened in Pelham on Sept. 16. (Contributed)

By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

Local dogs and their owners now have a place to play regardless of the weather, as the Roverchase indoor dog park opened its doors on Sept. 16.

Roverchase is a family owned and operated canine training, grooming, boarding and daycare facility, and is being touted as Birmingham’s only indoor dog park.

Roverchase offers 10,000 square feet of open, climate-controlled space, and is located at 224 Commerce Parkway in Pelham.

Roverchase’s indoor dog park allows dogs to enjoy expansive play areas in any weather while keeping their owners’ worries at bay. The premises at Roverchase are completely sanitized with an antibacterial and an antiviral solution multiple times a day, according to a press release.  

All dogs using Roverchase’s off-leash play environment must have up-to-date vaccines and must pass a temperament evaluation given by their certified dog trainer who has more than 15 years professional experience and 500 certified hours in animal behavior assessment.

Roverchase employs a certified professional dog behavior specialist to oversee each pet’s assessment and acceptance. Each dog is then selected to join a tailored play group of similar sizes and personalities, according to the release.

Through the facility’s boarding program, customers can choose rooms ranging from 25-75 square feet. Roverchase also offers a complete range of grooming services performed by a certified master groomer.

“At Roverchase, we operate around three concepts: Posh, pamper and praise,” Roverchase co-owner Abigail Witthauer wrote in the press release. “We supply top-quality services to our clients while creating a positive atmosphere for the dogs to learn and play. We believe that the strongest relationships between dogs and humans are based on cooperation and kindness, and we will never implement any kind of human dominance/animal submission methodology.”