'Healthy Bones' Offers Unique Solutions for Dog Lovers In Community

Hopeful entrepreneurs across the country are finding that opening a new business on crumbling Main Streets is not the American Dream they had hoped for when struggling through college, or saving pennies working in unfulfilling careers, only to end up with an empty store front and a pile of debt one year later.

This must mean that Lisa Molinari, an Emmy award-winning television producer, must be crazy to open a sports center for dogs in this economy, right? Well, Molinari is hoping that through community outreach and flexible schedules, her unique startup, Healthy Bones Sports Center For Dogs, will fill a void for dog lovers throughout the region.

As construction workers added the final details to the indoor facility, Molinari’s gorgeous dog Bailey playfully romped around the open space. Molinari said it was her concern about Bailey’s weight that inspired her to build this business.

“The reason that I started this was because of the bond that exists between dog owners and their dogs. Summers are hot and winters are cold, which makes it difficult to make sure your dog is getting exercise," Molinari said. "Although we offer drop off and concierge services, my ideal client is someone who will come in here and exercise with their dogs for an hour, and learn the skills that you need while enjoying the company of other dog owners. Building that sense of community is really what I am striving for."

To start her business, Molinari contacted Francine LaMarr, who had trained Bailey as a puppy. Molinari noted that Francine is “the brains of the operation” and designs the training programs. In addition to working as a certified dog trainer at Saint Hubert’s, LaMarr has an extensive background in corporate marketing, working at Time Warner for nearly 20 years.

“For me, this is a really good opportunity to bring all of my skill sets together, including my marketing and my dog training background,” LaMarr said. "I think that we really have an opportunity to uniquely serve the community by offering traditional dog training and flexibility in our programs."

For $35, dog owners can purchase a monthly membership that gives members 10 percent off practically everything from classes to apparel. Healthy Bones follows a modular training schedule, which allows owners to build flexible class schedules instead of committing to a twelve-week course. Classes are sold in six packs or ten packs, and include classes for puppies, foundation classes for dogs 8 months older, and advanced classes for dogs training to compete.

Exercise and engaging in sports like fly ball and agility training are an essential service provided by Healthy Bones. Monthly membership includes five, one-hour exercise sessions. Additional sports sessions can be purchased at a reduced rate on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Ever striving to maintain flexibility, Healthy Bones also offers private training, drop off training sessions, and concierge service, meaning that you can have your dog picked up for exercise and training, and then dropped back off at your home.

Molinari is very focused on building a sense of community in New Providence by focusing on outreach to the children and seniors of New Providence and surrounding communities.

“We are developing programs to work with schools in the area so that children can learn from an early age how to work with dogs and learn that respect for their pet," Molinari explained. "We will be working with teachers to develop programs for kids from ages 8 and up. We also want to create a reading therapy program; children who are learning to read are often more comfortable reading to a dog than they are reading aloud to a class."

LaMarr said outreach programs will continue to evolve to meet the needs of the community.

“Because we are a small startup, we can be flexible and really observe what the community needs are. I met a little girl at the fall festival who is really afraid of dogs. I said to her mom, 'when we’re open, just stop by and meet my dog Dazzle and I will teach her how to safely approach a dog and hopefully she will feel a little bit better,'" LaMarr said. "Those are the kinds of services we are interested in providing for the community. At the Wellness and Safety Fair, we met people from the who expressed an interest in our services. We started to think about what seniors need as their lives begin to change and how we can help them to learn how to better work with their dogs."

Molinari said she selected this area primarily because of the nature of this community, the access to surrounding towns like Summit and Berkeley Heights, which she believes also have that same outlook on the community that they’re in, and the strong sports and extracurricular programs that are present in the schools.

“To us, this was the center of the universe and we were so excited to be able to take our idea and locate it right here in the heart of the community. I think we are going to be really happy here,” Molinari said.

The carefully selected employees include a vet technician, an animal control officer, and a pet sitter. Healthy Bones will also offer informational sessions conducted by experts that will provide valuable information while creating a safe place for owners to discuss solutions for every problem from excessive barking to serious medical needs.

Despite the onslaught of Snowtober and a loss of power early in the afternoon, the grand opening was a huge success; a sign that passion can prevail, even in a recession.

“We had a terrific turnout for our Ribbon Cutting/Chewing, made successful by 6 canine friends & family of Healthy Bones," LaMarr stated. "Councilman Armand Galluccio said that he'd attended many ribbon cuttings but this was his first Ribbon Chewing Ceremony! Our dog sports demo was definitely a highlight of the day as spectators learned first-hand about the fun sports skills that will be a part of Healthy Bones classes and sports sessions."

Despite the unique approach and extensive planning, there is a strong possibility that Healthy Bones could fail simply because of the economic climate we live in. When asked how she would cope with failure, Molinari responded with confidence and honesty, backing up her leap of faith with hard facts and courageous determination.

“The research states that this is a recession-proof industry," Molinari said. "At the end of the day, your dog is an important part of your family and owners will make sacrifices to make sure their dog has everything they need. That said, I am hoping for the best. It’s scary, but I know that I will look back and say ‘I did what I needed to do the best way I knew how.’"

Healthy Bones Sports Center For Dogs is located in the Village Shopping Center, 1260 Springfield Ave., in New Providence, NJ. To contact Healthy Bones, call (908) 665-6850, email info@healthybonesnj.com or visit healthybonesnj.com.