Bow WOW B&B
By Linda Kush, GateHouse Media
Golden retriever Bella and Tucker, a yellow Labrador, sneak a peek at Brenda Membrino’s Pet Bed and Breakfast located in Tewksbury. Photo by Ellen Bullock/staff photographer
Tewksbury -It’s Wednesday, puppy day at Brenda’s Pet Bed and Breakfast. Eight dogs wrestle out on the deck in Brenda Membrino’s backyard. A three-way tug of war with a squashed yellow ball develops in one corner, while a pair of puppies lock jaws and roll around in another.
Membrino, a tiny, dark-haired woman in a dog-print smock, keeps a close eye on the pack. “I watch their body language,” she said. “This is all puppy play. Puppies investigate with their mouths and their paws.” But any dog that gets too “fresh,” as she calls it, will be separated from the others until it calms down.
Dogs come to Membrino’s Tewksbury home for day care and sleepovers. What began as a favor for a friend three years ago blossomed into a part-time business, and in January 2006, Membrino left her job as a print project manager to care for dogs full time. Husband Robert, a roofer, helps her during his off-season.
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