Day in the Life: Dubai’s doggy day care boss on puppy pool parties and classroom chaos

Sean Parker looks after 300 dogs a day at the UAE’s biggest luxury pet resort and spa, My Second Home

Sean Parker is the director and general manager of My Second Home, the UAE's biggest pet resort and spa. All photos: Antonie Robertson / The National

The pet resort welcomes 300 dogs a day where they can enjoy a range of pet suites, indoor and outdoor swimming pools and an air-conditioned park

My Second Home offers professional behaviour and temperament training

The centre also offers 'sniffaris', where the team hides various scents for the dogs to sniff out and explore

Once dogs have settled at the resort for the day, Mr Parker will throw an afternoon pool party where dogs can enjoy a paddle

The dogs are usually well behaved under Mr Parker's watch, but they have sometimes been known to go wild when excited around their friends

“A Day in the Life” allows you to step into the shoes of a UAE resident to experience a typical 24 hours in their work and home life

Puppy pool parties, doggy suites and canine classrooms are just some of the exciting things Sean Parker gets up to at the office.

As the director and general manager of My Second Home, the UAE's biggest pet resort and spa, Mr Parker welcomes 300 dogs a day.

It's there that they can enjoy a range of pet suites, indoor and outdoor swimming pools and an air-conditioned park, ideal for the UAE weather.

My Second Home offers professional behaviour and temperament training, as well as a luxury grooming parlour where guests can enjoy a makeover before returning home.

Four-legged boarding guests can even enjoy private transfers to and from the resort, with customised suites stocked up with their favourite toys and blankets.

Here, The National joins the 48-year-old South African animal trainer on a typical day juggling the whims, whines and wagging tails of Dubai's furry friends.

5:30am: First ‘walkies’ of the day

Every day, Mr Parker wakes up early to take his own five dogs for a walk.

“I've got two rescues from Ras Al Khaimah called Puppy and Milo and my other three, Badger, Sam and Delilah, were left here at My Second Home,” he says.

“Every now and then, a dog will come for boarding and no one comes back to collect them, which is heartbreaking.

“Once we’ve had our breakfast, we all head to My Second Home and set up for the day ahead.”

Mr Parker has been “animal crazy” his entire life, starting his career as a bird trainer in South Africa in 1997, followed by roles as a nature guide and a dolphin trainer at Atlantis The Palm before joining My Second Home in 2016.

Currently, he oversees the facilities in Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park, leading everything from obedience lessons to “sniffaris”.

South African Mr Parker has been “animal crazy” his entire life, starting his career as a bird trainer in South Africa in 1997, followed by roles as a nature guide and a dolphin trainer at Atlantis The Palm before joining My Second Home in 2016. Antonie Robertson / The National

“In addition to dog training, we also have our day care facility where dogs can come and join us for a full day of activities,” he says.

“We have swimming pools, an indoor dog park, classrooms, communal eating areas and places where they can relax while they're waiting for their next activity – you can't have dogs going crazy the whole day.

“We also have sniffaris where we hide various scents for the dogs to sniff out and explore, or the dogs can spend time just playing with their friends.”

Mr Parker said it's important that owners understand that their pets have a dog brain, no matter how much we want to treat them like humans.

“They need to be engaged in stimulating activities through scent work and socialising with each other so they can go home and be more relaxed and content with a satiated brain.”

Noon: Puppy pool party

Once the dogs have settled in with their buddies for the day, the fun really starts with an afternoon pool party.

“We’ll throw a pool party for any occasion,” says Mr Parker. “Sometimes it’s a birthday party or graduation, but often we’ll have a pool party just for the sake of it.

My Second Home will throw an afternoon pool party for the dogs to have fun. Antonie Robertson / The National

“Sometimes, we have a special pool party for labradors and retrievers with about 100 dogs just piling into the pool, but every day the dogs have the opportunity for a paddle.”

The dogs are usually well behaved under Mr Parker’s watch, though his own pets have been known to act out on occasion.

“He had come to the age where it was time for him to be neutered but afterwards, he wasn’t allowed in the water while he recovered,” says Mr Parker.

“I kept him in the office with me but as soon as I turned my back he made a break for it, jumped the fence and dived straight into the pool.

“Dogs can do funny things. They have a mind of their own we see a lot of dogs dragging their owners into My Second Home in search of their friends or teachers.”

5pm: Turn down service

In the late afternoon, the day care dogs start heading home for the evening, while the boarders get ready to settle down for a cosy night in their private suites.

“The dogs go through to their individual rooms for supper, then go for a final activity in the evening and have one last toilet break before lights out at 9pm,” says Mr Parker.

“As for me and my dogs, we head home and I’ll usually take them for their final walk of the day and make sure they’re all happy.

“After that, it’s a case of chilling on the couch with my pack of wolves and relaxing before another busy day.”