Debbie Burroughs, one of Holly Ridge Manor's owners, says the people who take their dogs to day care don't mind spending $12 a day to keep their pets happy.

To many dog owners, their pooch is a full-fledged member of the family. If the pet is left alone too much, the owner feels guilty, and the dog may develop behavior problems.

Cindy Gorman has two Dalmatians named Sella and Tyler who attend Holly Ridge. "I don't think they know they are dogs," she says. And it's no wonder.

"We take Sella and Tyler to day care once or twice a week -- whenever they get on our nerves," says Gorman. "The first time we took them there, they thought they were going to the vet, and we had a hard time getting them out of the car. Now they get excited. They know where they are going. And when I bring them home, Sella goes to the front door and lays there and cries."

"So many pets are being left at home," says Burroughs, who opened the day-care center and a dog motel with her sister, Tanya Finley, in July. "They mess in the house, become uncontrollable, and people get rid of them." All they really need, she says, is exercise and attention.

And they get plenty of that at Holly Ridge Manor. Dogs are exercised in groups during the morning. Then they take naps in their cots with the lights down and the TV or radio playing in the background, just like home. From 3 p.m. until 6 p.m., they go back out to play. By the time their owners pick them up, they are about as tired as Mom and Dad.

"We send report cards home in the evening," says Burroughs. Dogs are graded on behavior and sociability, and areas that need improvement are noted. By knowing which dogs play well together, an owner can schedule play days to coincide with little Fido's friends.

Emmitt, a lab/cocker mix, likes to visit his friends on Wednesdays, says Bruce Butler, his owner. Emmitt began going to doggie day care because the family lives in an apartment with no yard, but Butler plans to continue taking him to Holly Ridge Manor after they move to their new house. "He loves it there. He cries when he has to leave," Butler says.

The center typically has about 12 dogs in day-care and 30 dogs boarding at $15 to $18 per day. It's a labor of love and overheads are kept to a minimum: The center employs three family members, three part-time workers and two senior citizen volunteers. The sisters are working on a financial plan, and they expect the business to break even in its first year.

Burroughs says she is always looking for more ways to make it fun: "We plan to get a golf cart soon and give golf cart rides." Just another dog day afternoon activity.