9400 S. Union Tulsa, OK 74132 (918) 299-5720
https://woodlandwestpetresort.com
Caring for Tulsa pets for half a century and still growing
By Anna Holton-Dean
Photos by Cindy Alvarez
For 54 years, the Clark family has been caring for animals of the Tulsa area. Dr. Ross Clark, CEO of Woodland West Animal Hospital and Pet Resort, was the founding DVM at Woodland Animal Hospital at 51st and Yale. Wife Linda was a professional dog handler, a registered veterinary technician, and is now an AKC dog show judge. Son Kent Clark is now co-owner of the pet resort. With their residence located on the 80-acre campus of Woodland West Animal Hospital and Pet Resort, the Clarks’ lives revolve around quality care of the animals entrusted to them.
After moving to Jenks in 1987 to house their show dogs, the Clarks built a high-class kennel along with expansive play areas for the dogs to receive plenty of exercise. Two years later, they decided to make the show dog kennel an expansion of Woodland Animal Hospital, and Woodland West Pet Resort was born.
Conveniently located off Highway 75 and Jenks Road, the sprawling resort is staffed and open 365 days a year (366 this year since it’s a Leap Year, says Kent) and offers live web cameras in all 14 luxury suites and the multiple doggie daycare play areas.
“We offer boarding, grooming, training and daycare,” Kent says. “It’s just an all-around service for dogs and cats. Our daycare program, I think, is the coolest place. You can expect your dog to feel at home; you can expect them to feel comfortable and happy, seeing all of their friends at doggie daycare.”
A forerunner in their field, in 2000, Woodland West became one of the first boarding facilities in the Midwest to offer doggie daycare. And boasting an 18,000-square-foot dog park with artificial turf and an in-ground swimming pool, it’s easy to see why many regular doggie daycare customers drag their owners in the doors of the facilities.
Pet parent Missy Hill can attest that her canines love their days at Woodland West Pet Resort daycare.
“My dogs, Gilbert and Gracie, joined the Woodland West Pet Resort pack when they were each 6 months old,” says Hill. “Daycare helped so much with that puppy attitude, socialization, and gave me a chance to breathe, too. Now that they are older, 8 and 4, the benefits of being active are truly showing. Plus, they sit in front of the door and howl on their normal ‘camp’ days. From grooming, boarding, training and, of course, daycare, the facilities are amazing, and the people are the best [around]. My dogs are living their very best lives because of Woodland West.”
And they aren’t the only customers who get excited on daycare days.
“My husband Dan and I are the proud parents of an 8-month-old Bernese Mountain Dog named Drax,” says Amanda Womack. “He’s obviously the most handsome boy ever! We started taking him to daycare at Woodland when he was 16 weeks old and just a wee 30 pounds or so. We work long hours some days, and although he is crate trained, it just seemed unfair to keep him cooped up all day. We couldn’t have made a better decision!
“The staff at Woodland adores him, and it is definitely reciprocated by Drax. He gets excited in the morning when we put his harness on because he knows he gets to go and see his buddies! He gets to spend the day playing with other dogs under the watchful eye of the staff, and we can even remotely view on their webcam! The handlers also have group activities for them as well. It has been a tremendous help in socializing Drax. We like to take him everywhere with us, and I never have to worry about his temperament around other dogs or people—now that he’s 75 pounds that makes a big difference!
“The staff is also a great set of eyes to help catch any issues that Dan and I may not notice. Another godsend has been when we vacation, we can leave Drax to board with them, and they even take him out to daycare during the day. Being in a familiar environment, surrounded by people he knows, helps when we are away. Berners are a sensitive breed, and he wants lots of attention. Woodland staff is always happy to give it! We couldn’t be happier with our choice in doggie daycare and neither could Drax.”
While some canine customers are there to socialize, others can take advantage of training classes, ranging from Puppy Pre-K to Hound High School and K9 College.
Pet parents can relax in the peace of mind that their pups are safe and well-cared, even watching their pets via live-feed webcams. Kent says the webcams offer transparency and entertainment for owners who can view their pets either sleeping in their themed pet suites or roaming in the dog park.
With a quick visit to the website, woodlandwestpetresort.com, one can view any of the 18 live webcams and catch a glimpse of the themed suites, including OU, OSU, OKC Thunder and Lamborghini themes to name a few.
“It is very rewarding to see dogs excited to come to the pet resort to play or stay the night,” Kent says. “It is also very rewarding to be able to offer the transparency of web cameras so our customers can view their dogs any time.”
Making busy pet owners’ lives easier, pets can receive veterinary services at the on-site animal hospital. “We have nine veterinarians with state-of-the-art surgical and dental suites. It is open every day of the year, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. We can do any type of veterinary service while your dog is staying,” says Kent.
The staff of Woodland West is also pleased to announce new additions coming soon to give their customers an even better, quality experience. “We are excited to mention that there will be a large expansion to our facility, which will include more luxury suites with web cameras, junior suites, an indoor daycare arena for large and small dogs, and a new dog training area. They will be completed by fall 2021,” says Kent.
Another exciting addition to services is K9 police dog training from a veteran trainer with over 20 years of experience. “We are currently training two K9s—one for a metropolitan police department and one for a department out of Kansas City,” Kent explains.
Woodland West accepts all breeds of dogs, cats and small exotics, such as rabbits, birds and certain reptiles (owners must supply cages for boarding exotic pets). They even offer horse boarding with a 2- to 6-acre pasture, access to a riding trail, an outdoor arena and a round pen.
Woodland West Pet Resort is located at 9380 S. Union Ave. For more information, call (918) 299-5720, visit woodlandwestpetresort.com or email wwpetresort@gmail.com. You can also follow them on social media for adorable pet photos and news: on Facebook @woodlandwestpetresort and on Instagram @woodlandwest.petresort.