St. George business pampers pets through unique services.

• Author: Madison, Rachel
• Position: Around Utah: SOUTHERN AREA

St. George - Upon stepping into WOOF! CENTER FOR ACTIVE PETS, it's not uncommon to be greeted by six or eight friends with wet noses and wagging tails. The business caters to dogs and their owners through a variety of services both common to pet-centric stores, such as washing and grooming services, and not so common, like acu-massage and cold laser services.

The brains behind Woof! are owners Anita and Ron DeLelles. The couple owned an advertising agency in Las Vegas for over 20 years, but during the Great Recession, they decided it was the perfect time to make a complete career change. Anita had already begun attending school for pet massage, so they moved to St. George and started to build a business through pet sitting, dog walking and pet massage.

Anita's business, Hearts of Fire, also provided massage services at clients' home and vet offices, and soon, the DeLelles started to toy with the idea of having their own location to provide these services. Then a hydro treadmill became available, which ultimately helped them to make their decision to open a storefront. A hydro therapy treadmill tank is used to help dogs with conditioning, fitness and weight loss. The dogs step inside the tank, and then it fills with water and the treadmill starts to move.

Not long after acquiring the treadmill, the DeLelles opened Woof! Center for...