At Play with Sparky

At Play with Sparky is a pet boarding and doggie daycare facility in Asheville, North Carolina. It offers doggie playcare, crateless boarding, and cat boarding, with play groups organized for dogs of every shape, age, and size. The facility holds a rating of 4.40 from the customers who have reviewed it.

At Play with Sparky was started by Tara Horne and her father in 2003, and Tara remains behind the scenes today. The facility is family-owned and treats all dogs as if they were its own, with play, socialization, supervision, and individual attention forming the daily routine. Managers Ann and Marlayna typically greet visitors at the door, and staff make a point of remembering each dog by name. The facility includes large indoor playrooms and huge outdoor fenced yards, with play equipment, wading pools, and balls available, along with fetch games and lower-key activities for older or less active dogs. Puppies join the fun regularly and often grow up together, moving from puppy groups into the main play groups. Overnight guests sleep in a kennel rather than a crate, with a bed and other dogs close by, and each dog or family of dogs has a separate area to sleep and eat. Owners bring their dog's favorite food, and food is available for an additional charge. Office hours run 6:30am to 11:00am and 1:00pm to 7:30pm Monday through Friday, and 8:00am to 11:00am and 1:00pm to 7:00pm on weekends.

The facility sits on Short McDowell St, about a tenth of a mile from McDowell Street and roughly a quarter mile from Meadow Road. Asheville High School is about three tenths of a mile away, as are the Swannanoa River and Gibson Creek, and Biltmore Avenue is a similar distance.

After more than a decade of caring for Asheville's dogs, At Play with Sparky is well known locally as a doggy daycare, and its rating reflects the experience of the customers who have reviewed it.