With the dog days of summer squarely behind us – and the busy holiday season soon to come – thoughts turn to travel, visits back home, vacations… and oh, what to do with the fur babies when we go?
If your pet-care standards are as high as today’s featured Costa Mesans, we see a Hydrant in your future.
Meet Westsiders Megan Flynn and Brooke Bradford, the wife-and-wife team behind a ‘doggie daycare’ facility setting the new standard for pet-sitting here in Costa Mesa. In short, forget what you used to know about local board-and-care. Hydrant Pet Hotel is beyond in every way, and their growing roster of happy pups is proof the pets are digging it.
Westsiders, and Hydrant Pet Hotel Co-Founders, Megan Flynn and Brooke Bradford.
Photos: Brandy Young
When you first enter Hydrant, you can sense the difference immediately – not so much by what it has, but what it lacks: pet odor.
That’s by design, said Flynn and Bradford, consummate do-it-yourselfers with high standards of excellence. Only the best will do for the dogs in their care.
Between the living plant wall, the delicate scent of essentials oils on the air, and the minimalist design, Hydrant’s first impression reads more “people spa” than “pet hotel.”
“We are always surprised that people are surprised by how clean and nice-smelling Hydrant is,” said Flynn. “I don’t know why people think that just because you have a lot of dogs running around, everything needs to be hand-me-downs or gross, stinky, and covered in hair. That is definitely not how we do things here.”
The state-of-the-art air filtration systems helps, along with a culture of constant cleaning, and maintenance, to keep things tip top.
“We’re fortunate that we know how to do a lot of that fix-up work ourselves,” said Flynn, revealing a wide swath of skills possessed by the couple. “Brooke put down the rubber flooring in the daycare room, herself; and we built that fence out front. Brooke put up all the molding, and we did the drywall and stuff, too.”
Pets Arrive Happy – and Leave Happily Exhausted – at Hydrant Pet Hotel in Costa Mesa.
Photos: Brandy Young
Before opening Hydrant, Flynn and Bradford had been running a thriving dog daycare and dog-walking business out of their Westside home. They eventually became so popular, they knew they had to scale up – which meant finding a facility outside their house.
“It was so hard to find a place that would give us a chance, I honestly got really discouraged,” said Bradford. “I even gave up looking for a while and then Megan was like, ‘Let’s look again.’ That’s when we found this building, which is just a few blocks from our house.”
The building in question – at 776 West 17th Street – had been a former warehouse, gutted in hopes of opening a brewery. When the city nixed beer-making permission, Flynn and Bradford pounced.
“It took some convincing to get the landlords on board with our vision,” said Bradford. “They didn’t really get that dog daycares do a really good business, these days. We finally appealed to their son, who saw our vision and believed it would work.”
After years of dreaming, the vision was finally coming to life. Flynn and Bradford got to work, and the build-out began.
“It was nice because the building was a blank slate,” said Flynn. “We could start at the beginning and do everything to our standards. But the budget went fast, so we had to figure out a way to do so much of it ourselves.”
After lots of Postmates, long build sessions – and, admittedly, a few arguments – Hydrant Pet Hotel was born.
Labor of Love: Dog-Friendly Down to the Details at Hydrant Pet Hotel.
Photos: Brandy Young
The business has been a success from the start, thanks to the long roster of existing clients Flynn and Bradford brought over from their dog-walking business. It’s only continued to grow from there.
“We’ve never advertised,” said Bradford. “We don’t need to. We have a Yelp page and Instagram, but other than that, it’s all word-of-mouth and referrals. That’s how we’ve always done it, and it works for us.”
Hydrant Pet Hotel is a place pets can enjoy both for the day, and for long stays. Day care is great when you know you’ll be away from home all day, and your dog loves to run and be active. Added bonus? Your pup will have a social life.
“Dogs have a secret world going on,” said Flynn. “They have their favorite friends, the dogs they love. We’ve heard from clients that they will be out somewhere, like dog beach, and suddenly their dog will happily beeline for another person’s dog. Eventually, the dog owners get to talking, and realize their dogs are Hydrant besties.”
Dog boarding is a great option for when you’re going to be out-of-town for longer stays. Hydrant offers private pet suites, complete with custom dog beds. Not just for dogs, Hydrant Pet Hotel has clean and comfy cat condos so you can board your feline friends, too.
Exit bath and grooming services – to keep your pet coiffed as they take their leave – are also offered. A pet taxi service rounds out the offerings, if you’d rather have the Hydrant come to you.
When it comes to Costa Mesa’s pets – and their owners – it seem the team behind Hydrant really has thought of everything.
Not Just For Dogs: Hydrant Boards and Cares for Kitties, too.
Photos: Brandy Young
Lucky for us, the couple feels right at home in Costa Mesa, and are glad to have landed here for both work and home.
“Costa Mesa just feels like a very accepting place,” said Bradford. “I think it’s the most accepting, well-rounded part of Orange County, really. Being a gay couple, we are never sure how new clients might react the first time it comes up. But our experience here has been mostly positive.”
“The Westside is really urban and fun,” added Flynn. “Despite the rumors, we have never felt unsafe over here.”
“Of course, we do have two giant Great Danes,” joked Bradford – to which Flynn rolled her eyes, playfully.
Photo: Brandy Young
“It’s very cool to be here at a time when things are changing so much on the Westside,” said Flynn. “There are just so many neat, new places popping up, every day. Something cool is brewing over here, and people should check it out.”
Before we let Flynn and Bradford get back to the “something cool” they’ve been brewing on the Westside, we asked, ‘Any parting advice?’
“Get a dog!” said Flynn emphatically. “It’ll change your life.” ♥
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Connect with Hydrant Pet Hotel on Instagram @hydrant.pet.hotel or check them out at 776 West 17th Street, Costa Mesa. (Tours by appointment only.) For more info, visit their website at: hydrantpethotel.com
