Photo by Roberto Gonzalez

Ranger’s Pet Outpost and Retreat

WINNER: BEST DOGGIE DAY CARE

Each day at Ranger’s Pet Outpost and Retreat is like a family reunion as clients—some original to the business since its 2001 opening, some the grown children of clients—bring their dogs, their joys and their losses before familiar, caring faces.

About 220 dogs visit the Winter Park business daily, most for doggie daycare, others for boarding or grooming. The business, so popular that it only accepts new clients each January, also offers training to help people and dogs learn to “talk to each other” while also giving new clients a way “to join our happy little family,” according to owner Michael Fried.

The business’ secret to success is good karma, Fried says, with a heavy emphasis on building and maintaining relationships. “We get to know our clients really well,” he says. “We could have multiple locations, but I just think that would dilute the attention we pay to our clients who’ve been with us for [nearly] 25 years.”

The family vibe carries into the staff, some of whom have remained 15 or 16 years with Fried and his partner, Rick Merrifield. Their staff members are taught that their jobs are not just about playing with dogs. They’re about caring for them—and for the people they love.

“We’ve seen our clients go through so many things like raising their kids. We’ve seen our clients go through having to say goodbye to pets and saying hello to pets,” Fried says. “I consider our clients to be definitely family and friends.”

If Fried or Merrifield don’t see a client for a while, they’re likely to call to make sure everything is okay. If it’s not, they offer to help care for the client’s dog in the midst of a crisis. 

Karma came into play during the COVID pandemic, when Ranger’s clients remained faithful in the face of social distancing. “They were saying, ‘We’re going to make sure you’re taken care of,’” Fried recalls.

Meanwhile, Ranger’s makes sure their beloved pets are well taken care of. Daycare dogs are separated into classes according to size, age and disposition. Activities at the 40,000-square-foot center include hurdle games, dog tag and dog tennis, with classes rotating every 15 minutes. Each day, pooches go home dog tired.

Fried admits that encroaching competition, some in the form of franchises, “makes me a little nervous.” But he’s confident about one thing: “I don’t think they’re going to be lucky enough to have the same types of clients we’ve got.”

BROWSE WINNERS BY CATEGORIES

Doggie Day Care
Animal Hospital
Pet Friendly Restaurant
Pet Grooming
Specialty Pet Store
Preschool
Private School K-5
Private School 6-8
Private School 9-12
Summer Camp
College Prep and Planning Services
Tutoring Services

Doggie Day Care

1 Ranger’s Pet Outpost and Retreat
Winter Park
rangerspetoutpost.com

2 Club Hollywoof Doggie Daycare Boarding
Orlando
clubhollywoof.com

3 Dogtopia
Multiple Locations
dogtopia.com

Animal Hospital

1 South Orlando Animal Hospital
Orlando
soah4pets.com

2 Downtown Pet Hospital
Downtown Orlando
downtownpethospital.com

3 Fairbanks Animal Hospital
Winter Park
fairbanksanimalhospital.vetsourcecms.com

Pet Friendly Restaurant

1 Maxine’s on Shine
Orlando (Mills 50)
maxinesonshine.com

2 Dixie Belles Café
Orlando
dixiebellescafe.com

3 Shaker’s American Café
College Park
shakerscafe.com

Pet Grooming

1 Plush Paws Pet Salon
Orlando
plushpawsinc.com

2 Allyson’s Pet Grooming
Orlando
allysons-pet-grooming.keeq.io

3 Ranger’s Pet Outpost and Retreat
Winter Park
rangerspetoutpost.com

Specialty Pet Store

1 Woof Gang Bakery
Multiple Locations
woofgangbakery.com

2 All 4 Pets Belle Isle
Orlando
facebook.com/all4petsBelle

3 PetSmart
Multiple Locations
petsmart.com

Courtesy of Ladybird Academy

Preschool

1 Ladybird Academy
Multiple Locations
ladybirdacademy.com

2 Children’s Lighthouse Learning Center
Winter Garden
childrenslighthouse.com

3 Faith Assembly of God – Faith Christian Preschool
Two Orlando Locations
faithchristianpreschool.org

Private School K-5

1 The Christ School
Downtown Orlando
thechristschool.org

2 Windermere Preparatory School
Windermere
windermereprep.com

3 The Geneva School
Casselberry
genevaschool.org

Courtesy Windermere Preparatory School

Private School 6-8

1 Windermere Preparatory School
Windermere
windermereprep.com

2 Lake Highland Preparatory School
Downtown Orlando
lhps.org

3 The Christ School
Downtown Orlando
thechristschool.org

Courtesy Lake Highland Preparatory School

Private School 9-12

1 Lake Highland Preparatory School
Downtown Orlando
lhps.org

2 Windermere Preparatory School
Windermere
windermereprep.com

3 Trinity Preparatory School
Winter Park
trinityprep.org

Summer Camp

1 Ladybird Academy
Multiple Locations
ladybirdacademy.com

2 Orlando Science Center
Orlando
osc.org

3 Full Sail Labs
Winter Park
fullsaillabs.com

College Prep and Planning Services

1 The College Map
College Park
thecollegemap.com

2 Winter Park College Consultants
Winter Park
winterparkcollegeconsultants.com

3 Advantage College Planning
Orlando
advcp.com

Tutoring Services

1 Huntington Learning Centers
Multiple Locations
huntingtonhelps.com

2 Club Z Tutoring
Multiple Locations
clubztutoring.com

3 Revolution Prep
Orlando
revolutionprep.com

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