The Zookeepers
We are Scott and Lisa, and Zen Zoo is our home!
Lisa has been working with dogs professionally for almost 14 years (rescue and shelters). She founded and operated a successful non-profit rescue in MN for several years and spent two years in the Dominican Republic rescuing street dogs before meeting Scott and moving to Copperopolis. After working as the shelter administrator for Calaveras Humane Society for almost two years, she is now working Zen Zoo full time!
Scott has lived his entire life in Northern California. A native of the Bay Area, he spent 20+ years in Calaveras County raising his family and teaching at-risk high school students. Scott has more recently worked as a warehouse manager and at the Humane Society, and now works Zen Zoo full time!
It's simple. We love dogs. All dogs. Any dogs. Our dogs. Your dogs. We love them all.
What Sets us Apart
Why Zen Zoo? Boarding kennels can be perfectly safe places to leave your pets, but here's the thing. A pet that is treated as a member of the family is not going to thrive in a kennel environment. A sensitive, traumatized, or under-socialized dog can suffer kennel stress and shutdown. That's not going to happen here. Here, we do our best to emulate your dog's home situation so that they feel as comfortable as possible!
We're not going to charge you extra for one-on-one time, treats, or playtime. We're not going to leave them in a kennel or a cage. They're not going to be surrounded by barking dogs and facility noises or enclosed in a small space. They're going to sleep wherever the heck they want as long as it's safe. They're gonna play with who they want, and sleep when they want. They'll have safe spaces to be alone if they want, or they can hang out and interact if they want. They'll be set up for success from the moment they arrive, from our quiet check-in to our very slow and carefully supervised introductions and interactions with other pets.
Perfect dogs not required! From under-socialized to impulse control challenges to dominance; special needs from medications to diapers. YES. We can handle it.
We're not pet sitters. We're not a kennel. We are Zen Zoo, offering loving B&B overnight stays as well as doggie daycare in Copperopolis, CA.