Finding pets a caring vacation home

When the Gruber family of Port Washington would go on vacation, Mom, Dad and their two boys would all worry about their 10-pound black and white Havanese Lucky and how he was doing living temporarily with a woman in Brookville.

The family wouldn't dream of putting him in a kennel or boarding him with a vet. "He is spoiled, and I treat him like my third son," Debbie Gruber, 51, said. She has now turned her worry into a business.

In June, Gruber, a former Manhattan-based computer trainer, started Goodnight Lucky, a company she runs out of her home that matches dog owners who are vacationing or traveling with "host" families who care for the pets for a few days or weeks.

So far, Gruber said, she has served 51 dog owners after investing about $10,000 in website design, insurance and other start-up costs.

It seemed, Gruber said, that if she had worries about her dog, others did too, and they did not want to board their pets in kennels.

She began researching her idea and found some people who took in dogs, but "it didn't seem very structured, maybe not all that professional." She wanted a real business. Her website went up, and she got her first client in June.

Gruber visits prospective hosts and brings along Lucky.

"Lucky is a great barometer," she said. If she senses Lucky is not comfortable, or does not get along with any other dogs on the premises, she won't use the wannabe host. She likes to see a fenced-in yard and dogs that get along well with people and other dogs.

The business can be, well, ruff! "Right now, I'm doing this on my own, and I run out of time to do everything," Gruber said.

She gets $49 a night for dogs heavier than 50 pounds, and $45 for those that weigh less than 50. The money is split with the host.

Jerry Garrett of Long Beach has used Gruber's service twice for his Jack Russell mix, Sophie. "I am retired, and my dog is used to having someone around all the time and not being in a cage or around a lot of other dogs," Garrett said. "The host family has treated her as if she was their dog."

Said Gruber: "I want people to be able to travel and go away with peace of mind knowing their dog is OK, because that would be what I want."

Gruber's website is good nightlucky.com