Rob Lax and Dave Weinberg have been co-owners of The Dog Stop, a dog daycare, boarding, grooming and training franchise, since last September.
On the Fourth of July, they were looking forward to a rare day off. The Long Hill facility would be closed, except for the dogs already boarding.
When the major storm hit on the night of July 3, Lax and Weinberg rushed to the facility to make sure all the dogs boarding were OK. They were. When the power came back on around midnight, they were grateful.
They didn’t realize how fortunate they were.
Early the next morning, on July 4, the phone starting ringing. Dog parents without power — and therefore without air conditioning — were looking for a place to bring their pets on a day when the heat index again topped 100.
Lax and Weinberg made the easiest decision they’ve had as business owners: They opened their doors.
“We love dogs,” Lax said. “So, opening our doors on that day was a no-brainer. It was the right thing to do.”
***
Lax, 63, spent nearly 35 years in property management in the Scotch Plains area before deciding he needed a new challenge. Weinberg, an attorney, was looking for the same thing — a business of his own rather than working for someone else.
The two were introduced through their wives, who have a law practice together (Manes & Weinberg LLC). When Weinberg mentioned to his wife that he was looking into The Dog Stop franchise, she suggested he talk to Lax. They discovered they shared a love of dogs, and before they knew it, the two were visiting the company headquarters for The Dog Stop in Pittsburgh — signing on to become the company’s first franchise owner in New Jersey.
The Dog Stop offers daycare, boarding, grooming and training, with anywhere from 25 to 50 dogs in the building on a typical day. It has 48 locations around the country.
Lax and Weinberg are hoping to help it get to 50. They have designs on opening one or two more locations in the near future.
***
Weinberg, also a lawyer, still dabbles in legal work.
Lax has fully retired from his old career, but the truth is, he’s always been in the dog care business.
He got his first dog at age 7, and after having two young children of his own, he wanted a second dog in the house. His wife wasn’t sure — until she ran into a woman who raised puppies for The Seeing Eye, the Morristown-based guide dog school.
His wife suggested Lax check it out. You know where this story is headed.
That was 1998. Nearly 30 years later, Lax is raising his 23rd Seeing Eye puppy — a 10-and-a-half-month-old golden lab mix.
His next puppy may be extra special. One of his previous puppies was selected for breeding; Lax is now waiting to raise one of her puppies — his first “grandpuppy,” as he put it.
***
Lax’s long relationship with The Seeing Eye made the July 4th decision easy. He knows how important it is for animals to be safe.
Lax said he’s already offered his own kennels to The Seeing Eye, and to any local shelters, if anyone ever needs a place to go during an outage.
“We love everybody’s dogs, and we want to care for them as best we can,” he said.
That’s why customers who came in on July 4 weren’t charged extra. He knew the need was there. That’s why he extended his normal weekend hours of 10-4 to 7-7.
That’s why, on Sunday, his business was up 25 percent. He didn’t mind.
Call it a labor of love.
“We love dogs,” he said. “We’ll do anything for them.”
