Our story

It started with Ollie

Some businesses start with a business plan. Ours started with a road trip.

In 2017, Gus and Marian closed on their first home, a garrison colonial on a quiet street in Sharon with the big yard they had always dreamed about. Weeks later they drove to Virginia for a puppy named Ollie. They didn't have a plan yet. They had Ollie, and that turned out to be enough.

Gus and Marian sitting on a rock in Central Park with puppy Ollie between them, June 2017
Central Park, June 2017, on the drive home from Virginia. Somewhere around here, something clicked.

From one dog to many

When a friend needed help with his dog, watching Ollie play alongside another dog in a safe, familiar place was unlike anything they had seen. The next day, Gus opened a Rover profile. For years it ran quietly and part-time, word spreading the way it does in a neighborhood. In 2024, Gus left his career as a creative project manager and committed to it full-time.

The team behind the paws

Ollie mid-lick in the yard, a ball and a friend's tail behind him

Ollie Founder

Here since 2017

Now nine, Ollie holds court from his favorite spot. Everything else followed him.

Gus holding a treat while a young yellow Lab stands up on hind legs to ask for it

Gus

Runs the days

Gus ran creative projects for years before making this his full-time life in 2024. That shows in the attention to detail and the consistency he works to give every family.

Marian laughing as a black and white puppy licks her cheek under the patio umbrella

Marian

The heartbeat of the day-to-day

She greets nearly every dog who walks through the door and says goodbye to each one. She also takes the best photos and videos, a fact that becomes obvious the moment you see them.

And their two boys, who have grown up around dogs and have never known a home without them. The pups feel it too.

This is our home

That is not a tagline. Paws on Longmeadow is not a facility with rows of kennel runs. It is the home where Gus and Marian live, where their kids are growing up, and where Ollie, now nine, holds court from his favorite spot. When your dog stays with us, they are sleeping where we sleep and playing where our family plays.

Ollie asleep upside down along the back of the family couch
The space

Ollie's Deck

Most mornings start the same way. Marian is up early, coffee in hand, setting the space before the first dog arrives. The quiet before the storm, and she loves it.

Every dog lands here first. Ollie's Deck is a large outdoor space between the house, the yard, and the street, where dogs arrive, decompress, and move between the parts of their day. It has Kuranda elevated beds, a water station, and plenty of shade. Three access points keep arrivals, departures, and yard time organized and controlled.

Dogs gathered together on Ollie's Deck, a water bowl in the foreground

The yard

The backyard is fully fenced, about 12,000 square feet, with a mix of grass, gravel, and natural mulch to explore. Mature trees give shade, and there is always somewhere cool to settle. Fencing is four to six feet tall across the perimeter with three secure gates. We treat the yard with dog-safe products, keep a regular mosquito and tick schedule, and clean it daily.

Dogs running across the fenced back yard under mature shade trees

The inside

During the day dogs have the run of the main level, the living room and kitchen, the places a family actually lives. A baby gate keeps things to the first floor. Boarding dogs sleep wherever they are most comfortable, from elevated beds to a very popular couch. We encourage you to bring your crate. Boarding dogs are also fed separately, inside a crate or behind an x-pen, a simple practice that keeps mealtimes calm and safe.

Two doodles settled on a blanket over the living room couch
2018
doing this since, long before it was a business
12,000
square feet of yard, fenced four to six feet with three secure gates
105+
five-star reviews on Rover
Small
by design, so every dog gets attention

How arrivals work

  1. 1
    Text us twice

    Once when you are on your way, and again when you arrive.

  2. 2
    We meet you at the curb

    Drop-off and pickup are both curbside, and we will be out to meet you.

  3. 3
    Bring the familiar

    For boarding: your dog's food, a blanket, and a familiar item or two.

  4. 4
    A slow hello

    New arrivals meet the group gradually. We pay attention to how every dog enters a space.

See hours and details

Why families choose us

  • A premium alternative to large commercial kennels.
  • Your dog stays with a family, not in a run.
  • We have been doing this since 2018, long before it was a business.
  • Small by design, so every dog gets attention.

See it for yourself

For daycare and boarding, your Meet & Greet happens right here on Ollie's Deck, so you see exactly where your dog will be.

Request a Meet & Greet