Taking care of (dog) business

By JON ANDERSON

Thirty years ago, Greg Milam worked at the Big B Drugs in Bluff Park as a teenager.

After graduating from Berry High School in 1993, he went to Auburn University and then spent more than two decades working all over the country in the car auction business, but now he’s back in Hoover and working in the same building that once housed Big B.

Only this time, he’s not helping in a pharmacy. He’s running his own business.

Milam opened the Birmingham area’s first Camp Bow Wow, a dog day care, boarding and grooming business, in November. He’s taking up about two-thirds of the former Big B Drugs building between Bluff Park Village and Shades Mountain Plaza.

The building most recently was owned by Hoover Fitness, but the owner, Jason Cerniglia, sold it to an investment group and leased onethird of the space, leaving the rest for another tenant.

Milam spent 21 years in the Cox Enterprises car auction business, most recently as the general manager of a location in Seattle, but he decided he wanted to do something different and get closer to family, so he moved back to Hoover.

“I always thought it was a great place to live and wanted to get back here,” he said. He and his wife came from Seattle in 2019, and Milam signed a franchise agreement with Camp Bow Wow in September 2020. Navigating through COVID-19 and other details of construction buildout and opening a business took two years.

Milam, who lives in Ridge Crossings Estates off Ross Bridge Parkway, said he chose to put his business in

Bluff Park because there are a lot of new families with children moving into the community, and young families often have dogs.

He chose to operate a dog day care, boarding and grooming business because he loves dogs and knows that people these days are looking for quality care for their dogs when they need to leave them, he said.

“People are passionate about their pets. They treat their pets like their children,” he said.

The Camp Bow Wow business model is very “pro-dog” in the sense that the dogs aren’t just left alone and fed, Milam said. Dogs that stay there generally spend most of their time playing with other dogs and workers, unless the owner specifies that their pet doesn’t get along well with other dogs, he said.

The Camp Bow Wow in Bluff Park has 6,100 square feet of indoor space and 1,300 square feet of outdoor space, he said.

There are 47 “cabins” that are either 4x4 or 4x6 feet, one family cabin that is 8x6 for owners bringing more than one dog and two larger suites that include a TV for the dog, Milam said. Unless the owner specifies a channel, he usually leaves “Seinfeld” reruns on for the dogs to watch, he said.

“I love to watch ‘Seinfeld,’” he said. “Hopefully the dogs do, too.”

But unless the dogs are eating, taking a brief rest or going in for the night to sleep, they spend most of the time playing with other dogs, he said.

There are three indoor play areas and three outdoor play areas, each with cameras that allow owners to check in on their dogs whenever they want, Milam said.

“You can always see what your dog is doing. We’re not hiding anything. We think that’s important,” he said. “We’re in the business of providing peace of mind. That means transparency.”

Camp Bow Wow accepts all breeds, but all dogs go through a three-hour “interview” during which staff determine if the dog has the right temperament to be there and handles the “cabin” environment well, he said.

So far, business is going well, with about 300 dogs interviewed in the first two months and Camp Bow Wow typically seeing about 35 dogs a day, Milam said. Thus far, about 75% of the dogs have come just for day care, with 25% staying overnight, but he expects that to shift a little more toward overnight stays as time goes on, he said.

The good thing is that they’re seeing a lot of repeat customers, he said. “That means we’re doing our job.”

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Homewood Events

March 4: Chili Cook-Off. 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Upper parking lot at old Macy’s in Brookwood Village. This annual event benefits The Exceptional Foundation. The cook-off brings together more than 100 teams cooking all-you-can-eat chili, plus live music and a kid zone. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at exceptionalfoundation.org. Children 12 and younger are free.

March 16: Taste of Homewood. 5:30-8 p.m. Homewood City Hall Plaza. Guests can pay $30 in advance or $40 at the door to enjoy unlimited samples from Homewood restaurants, along with beer and wine. There will also be live music and a silent auction. Tickets can be purchased at homewoodchamber.org.

Homewood Library

For all events requiring registration, go to homewoodpubliclibrary.org unless otherwise noted.

CHILDREN’S DEPARTMENT

Tuesdays: Wee Ones. 9:30-10 a.m. Round Auditorium. Preschool. Join Miss Mary for a fun and energetic story time with lots of singing and dancing!

Wednesdays: Barks & Books. 3:30-4:30 p.m. Round Auditorium. K-5th grade. Spend an afternoon with our friends from the Greater Birmingham Humane Society and some friendly pups!

March 11: Little Prints. 2-3 p.m. Round Auditorium. All ages. Show off your creativity with different printmaking techniques.

March 13: Homeschool Hour: Mad Science. 11 a.m. to noon. Round Auditorium. K-5th grade.

March 18: Breakfast Club. 9:30-11 a.m. Round Auditorium. All ages. Come by for some yummy cereal and entertaining activities to wake you up on a Saturday morning!

March 20: Homeschool Hour: Art Attack! 11 a.m. to noon. Round Auditorium. K-5th grade. Join Miss Aaliyah to learn about art concepts through books and hands-on activities. Register online.

March 20: Knight School Chess Tournament. 5:30-7 p.m. Round Auditorium.

March 23: Bake & Make. 6-6:30 p.m. Zoom meeting. Families will pick up their baking kits at the children’s desk in preparation for the event (baking kits may include items containing gluten, dairy, nut and egg products). Register online.

March 29: Mr. Larry’s Magic Show. 10:30-11:30 a.m. Library parking lot.

Teen Department

March 2 and 16: Teen Theatre Thursdays. 4-5 p.m. Round Auditorium. 6th-12th grade. Register online.

March 4: Watercolor Painting. 2-3:30 p.m. Room 110. 6th12th grade. All supplies provided. Register online.

March 5 and 19: Teen Dungeons and Dragons. 3-5 p.m. Room 102. 6th-12th grade. All levels are welcome. Register for each session online.

March 28: In-beTWEENers: Library Jeopardy. 4-5 p.m. Room 101. 5th-7th grade. Test your knowledge about books, comics and your beloved library for prizes in Library Jeopardy. Snacks provided. Register online.

March 29: Teen Anime Club. 4-5 p.m. Room 102. 6th-12th grade. Register online.

March 31: Henna Art for Teens. 4-5 p.m. Round Auditorium. 6th-12th grade. Teens will learn how to create henna designs and receive a temporary henna tattoo. All supplies provided. Register online.

Adult Department

Thursdays: Practice Dance sessions for the Jane Austen Regency Ball. 7-8 p.m. Round Auditorium. The Jane

Austen Society of North America-Alabama Region will be holding a Jane Austen Regency Ball on April 1. Novices are welcome and practice sessions will be available prior to the ball, but are not required to participate.

March 1: Read It & Eat Book Club — “Remarkably Bright Creatures.” 6:30-8 p.m. Urban Cookhouse. Join us as we explore “Remarkably Bright Creatures” by Shelby Van Pelt.

March 3 and 4: Homewood Library Ghost Tours with S.C.A.R.E. 6:30-9:30 p.m. Large Auditorium. Ages 12 and older. Join authors and paranormal investigators Kim Johnston and Shane Busby in a nighttime investigation of the haunted Homewood Library. S.C.A.R.E.’s team of investigators will conduct a real paranormal investigation. Guests are encouraged to bring voice recorders, cameras and flashlights. All minors must be accompanied by an adult. Space is limited to ensure all in attendance will be in on the action. The cost is $35 per person; proceeds benefit the library. Refunds are only available if the event is canceled. Register online at scareofal.com/tickets.

March 6: Experiencing Dyslexia. 6:30-8 p.m. Round Auditorium. For adults. Realistic simulation exercises reveal the lifelong challenges dyslexic individuals face in daily activities and the classroom. Sign up to learn more and engage in conversations about dyslexia with peers from the Hettie Johnson Institute at Spring Valley School.

March 8: Staff Movie Picks — “Roadrunner.” 3-5:45 p.m. A look at how the late chef, writer and adventurer Anthony Bourdain became a cultural icon.

March 14: Embrace Your Inner Rosie the Riveter: How to Start Your Small Business. 10-11 a.m. Room 101. Begin building your community of support and discover the importance of communicating your business effectively. This workshop provides you with the assistance and resources you need to be successful at any stage of the business life cycle. To register, go to catalystcenter.ecenterdirect. com/events/971973.

March 21: Senior Center Book Club: “A Place to Land.” 1-2:30 p.m. Homewood Senior Center. Author Lauren Denton will be with us to answer all your questions.

March 23: Niki Sepsas Presents: Cape Horn Passage. 2-3 p.m. Round Auditorium. A look at Tierra del Fuego, the “Land of Fire,” and the lore and legend surrounding Cape Horn.