FAQs

What makes the Frolic experience unique and valuable?

Frolic is an innovative and fun experience that provides exciting and entertaining opportunities for children through birthday parties, summer camps, and weekday programs with dogs. Frolic wants children to develop important life skills in a fun, creative, hands-on, and inspirational environment while showing them how they can harness skills to contribute to the welfare of animals. Given the large number of children in the city who love dogs, but do not get the chance to interact with them because their buildings do not permit dogs, someone in the family is allergic, or their parents do not want a dog. We want to ensure that children living in a city with over 600,000 dogs can properly approach and interact with these animals. Frolic will be combining fun and educational programs to allow children to witness the values that come from interacting with a dog.

Do you offer events for adults and/or senior citizens?

At the time, we do not have any events planned, but would like to begin to offer these programs as we grow. We want to serve all members of the community and give them a valuable experience with dogs. If you are interested in participating in an adult or senior citizen program at Frolic, or have an idea for one, contact us and let us know! We love designing custom programs, and the Frolic dogs love meeting new people of all ages.

Where do the Frolic Dogs come from?

The Frolic Dogs are career-change dogs from the Guide Dog Foundation. These are dogs who went through the training process to become a service dog and could not complete the program. For example, our dog Patience was released from the training program because she has a mildly sensitive stomach. Guide Dog breeds dogs for the best disposition. Through our partnership, the Frolic dogs are given a job and purpose in their lives. They are smart, calm, and loving dogs who are excited and prepared to interact with children.

How are the Frolic Dogs cared for?

The Frolic dogs are housed in a Clubhouse living space at Frolic. They are cared for with all of the resources from the Upper East Side Biscuits and Bath location. The Frolic dogs have 24-hour care staffed by an onsite groomer, veterinarian, dog walkers, and a room all to their own separate sleeping space from the Biscuits and Bath’s boarding and playfield area. They also have a home with the Frolic staff, who will occasionally bring them to their own homes.

What should my child do if they are afraid of dogs?

Birthday Parties– There will be activities for your child to participate in that do not involve the dog. Your child will also be allowed to simply observe the dog activities without directly participating. In order to make your child feel more comfortable, we encourage you to take advantage of the opportunity to meet a Frolic Dog prior to the party by attending one of our Meet and Treat playdates or our Tiny Tots playdates for toddlers.

 

After School Programs– We offer after school programs that help children understand the caring and communicating with a dog. Oftentimes, it’s the lack of understanding dog body language that tends to create the anxieties people may have about getting up close and personal with a dog. By becoming involved in our after school programs and learning how to responsibly and respectfully interact with dogs, we can help your child become more comfortable around dogs and empowered to share their wealth of knowledge!

 

Overcoming Fear of Dogs Private Sessions – We also offer private sessions that exclusively focuses on people who are afraid of dogs and helping them overcome that fear. We recommend at minimum twelve 1-hour long sessions to see noticeable improvement in ones demeanor and effective use of coping mechanisms.

It starts with no dog involvement at all and slowly introduces them to interacting with our Frolic dogs. We encourage you to sign your child up because in a city like New York with 600,000 dogs it is important for their safety to know how to properly interact with a dog. Previous clients range in age from 4 years old up to middle aged adults.  Past clients have even gone on to raise dogs of their own!

How are you going to control the kids around the dog?

The Frolic team all have extensive experience working with children and dogs. With their guidance and supervision, children are reminded that our house rules are reinforced not only for the safety and enjoyment of human guests, but also for the safety and enjoyment of our dogs. Children are given plenty of opportunities for fun and games in addition to engaging in conversations about dog care in order to keep them happy and focused.

What rules should I tell my child?

Frolic has a list of house rules that we introduce at the start of our activities to ensure that every child and the dogs have a safe and fun experience. Some things that the children may find fun, such as teasing the dog, yelling or squealing, or running to entice a dog to chase them, could affect the dog’s experience with your child. We encourage you to have a conversation with your child about keeping calm while meeting our dogs, and the importance of listening to instructions from staff members who are handling the Frolic dogs.

What makes us better suited than anyone to offer this?

The Frolic experience is brought to you by Biscuits & Bath, a leader in total-wellness canine care serving New York City for over a quarter century. Frolic has partnered with Guide Dog Foundation to bring the best bred, the best trained, and the best personality in dogs to interact with your children. Some of our unique qualifications include:

  • Experience- 27 years in business, over two million dogs walked
  • Full service- on-site grooming, training, veterinary care
  • In-house services- we employ and manage everyone ourselves (no 1099s)
  • Transparency- our clients see and know everything
  • Customization- proprietary technology that allows us to cater to the unique needs of each dog and client

Do you offer customized programs?

We will gladly help you plan a birthday party that fits your child’s personality and needs. If you would like to host a non-Birthday event at Frolic, such a a field trip to our facility, or have one of our dogs visit your home/school/workplace, we would love to partner with you to create a meaningful experience. If you have any ideas that do not fall into our pre-existing programs and categories, please send us an email or call us. We would love to hear from you.

What problem is this solving for me as a parent?

We are here to help parents who:

  • Don’t have time or space for a permanent canine family member
  • Have energetic children
  • Have a child who is struggling coming out of their shell
  • Have a child who isn’t interested in sports
  • Haven’t found an activity that is fun while developing life skills and values

Can I take home or adopt a Frolic dog?

There are opportunities through our various programs for exemplary participants* to host a Frolic dog at their home for a 1-night sleepover. In the past these participants have included:  graduates of our Ambassador Program, Overcoming Fear of Dogs clients, and Puppy Raiser students.

The Frolic dogs have their home with Frolic, they are not up for adoption. However, if you are interested in welcoming a dog into your family Biscuits & Bath offers their Canine Connection program to help you find a dog that is right for your lifestyle. If you love dogs but are afraid of the long commitment that comes with adopting a dog, you may want to consider becoming a Puppy Raiser for Guide Dog Foundation.

 

*At the discretion of the Frolic team.

Do I need to worry about my child getting bitten?

All of our dogs are well-trained, well-bred, and come from the Guide Dog Foundation. They are equipped to be around children and have safe, fun interactions with them. As long as your child follows our house rules, a dog bite is highly unlikely. However, if a bite were to occur our staff would be on hand to take care of the child and remove the dog immediately.

What should my child do if they are allergic to dogs?

We would love for your child to be able to participate, but we also understand that allergies have various levels. If your child is only slightly allergic, they may be able to interact with some of our dogs or be in the room while the other kids participate with the dog. We would encourage you to come in and meet the Frolic dog in advance with your child to see how they react.

How big are the dogs?

All of the Frolic dogs are Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, and crosses of these two breeds. These are the dogs Guide Dog Foundation breeds for their service dog training because they have the best disposition for the job. These dogs are all large breeds, which allows for more children to put their hands on the dog. A large dog will also be less intimidated in a group of children than a small dog would be.

Do your offer options for parents to stay/drop off?

At our birthday parties, we offer options for parents to both stay at the party or drop off their children depending on the age of the guests and the size of the guest list. We generally encourage drop off for larger parties/parties of children ages 6 years or older to minimize distractions for our dogs and for participants.

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