I'm Olya Opotchanova, and I'm affiliated with Go Dog Lodge / GoDog West Nashville, a premium pet-care campus focused on dog boarding, daycare, training, and grooming.
At our West Nashville campus, we offer boarding, daycare, training, and bathing services for dogs. We pride ourselves on a facility built with dog-specific design (sound baffling, anti-slip flooring, filtered HVAC, visual barriers to reduce stress) and really high cleanliness standards. Owners can monitor their dogs via streaming cameras anytime.
Each dog entering boarding or daycare goes through a proper care assessment and temperament test so we can place them in suitable play groups with dogs they'll actually get on with. We don't take dogs off campus for walks (except in genuine emergencies) but provide loads of outdoor and indoor play yards where they can run around safely.
Our campus also offers training programmes, typically positive reinforcement, covering foundational cues like sit, down, come, leash walking, and place.
We charge daily rates for daycare and boarding, with tiered accommodation ("loft", "townhome", "big house" and so on) and add-ons like extra outdoor time, photo updates, or medication handling for dogs who need it.
While I don't publicly appear as founder or director in the official pages, I am actively engaged with GoDog's mission to give dogs not just safe care but genuinely joyful, enriching experiences. My role involves oversight, standards input, client liaison, or operations support behind the scenes, making sure everything runs smoothly.
GoDog was founded in 2018, and in Nashville we are among several locations across the country. The founders, Jess and Ben Eberdt, remain involved in franchise and brand oversight, keeping the standards consistent.
GoDog began with a mission to bring "hospitality to pet care", clean, safe, well designed, and genuinely dog-centric, not just warehouse kennels. Over time, we refined our campus design (like really strong sanitation, no smell HVAC systems, visual barriers) to reduce stress and cross-contamination between dogs.
We also learned the massive importance of transparent policies (vaccination requirements, temperament assessments, clear cancellation rules) and of creating proper procedures for smooth drop-offs, communication with owners, and crisis handling when something goes wrong.
Training was added later to deepen value, not just a kennel service where you dump your dog, but a place where dogs can actually grow in behaviour and confidence.
The evolution from just boarding to offering comprehensive training happened gradually. We kept hearing from clients who wanted their dogs to come back not just tired and happy, but also better behaved. So we built out proper training programmes with qualified trainers who use positive reinforcement methods, no harsh corrections or outdated dominance stuff.
Design genuinely matters: investing properly in infrastructure pays off massively in fewer behavioural issues, less maintenance headaches, and genuinely happier dogs. Clear communication with clients is absolutely essential, policies, expectations, health requirements must be upfront from day one, no surprises. Always screen new dogs really carefully to maintain group safety and harmony, one aggressive dog can ruin everything. Training staff continuously is key; good care depends on consistent culture and protocols, not just hiring warm bodies. Offer proper transparency (camera views, regular reports) to earn and keep client trust, especially with anxious owners.
If I were starting over today, I would:
I aim to properly deepen our training offerings, specialised courses (like separation anxiety, impulse control) and ongoing behaviour coaching for dogs with specific issues, not just basic obedience.
I also want to massively increase community outreach: hosting pet owner workshops about behaviour and health, collaborating with rescue groups to help dogs find homes, and offering subsidised services for special needs dogs who need extra care.
On the operations side, I plan to improve data systems (monitoring dog behaviour patterns, staff scheduling, maintenance tracking) to further refine care quality and consistency across the board.
You can find a comprehensive suite of services for your dog, including boarding, daycare, training, and bathing. Everything is designed to provide a complete care experience in one location.
The facility is built specifically for dogs, featuring sound baffling, anti-slip flooring, filtered HVAC systems, and visual barriers to minimise stress. Every dog also undergoes a temperament test to ensure they are placed in play groups with compatible friends.
Absolutely. You can check in on your dog at any time using the live streaming cameras available to all owners. This transparency is a key part of the trust and peace of mind offered.
The training programmes are based on positive reinforcement. Trainers focus on foundational cues like sit, down, come, and proper leash walking without using any harsh or outdated correction techniques.
GoDog focuses on a 'hospitality for pet care' approach. This includes the dog-centric facility design, a personalised care plan starting with an assessment, complete transparency with cameras, and the convenience of having boarding, daycare, and training all under one roof.
