After raising their own pets for 20-plus years, native Texans Sonya Wilson and Tim Smith decided to leave their corporate jobs and open their own business.

“The first bank said no. The second said yes. So we went ahead and did it,” Smith said.

Southpaws Playschool, a dog day care, opened in South Austin in 2002.

Since then, it has grown from what Smith called “strictly a mom and pop” operation with three or four customers each day to a small business with eight employees and up to 45 dogs in its care daily.

“The main difference with a lot of dog day cares is that we are free-range, we call it, which means the dogs aren’t in crates, so they’re free to run around in their play areas,” Smith said.

Inside the storefront, dogs are separated by size, personality and experience. There are rugs to lay on, friends to play with and toys to chew.

Outside, there is a fenced and shaded area. On Fridays during the summer, it doubles as a playground, complete with a kiddie pool and sprinkler.

In addition to fostering and rescuing their own pets, the couple is devoted to their customers’ dogs, with whom they spend up to 65 hours each week.

“We thought that it would be best for the planet to take care of some dogs that would otherwise end up in a shelter rather than have kids,” Smith said.

“We’ve put all our heart and soul and time and money into this.”

The hard work has paid off.

Today, the day care is near capacity, and the business has expanded to include other services, including a full-service dog wash, pet sitting and dog walking, a pet taxi and specialized training classes.

Many parents, Smith said, surrender their dogs after having a child. So one Southpaws employee recently started a course for expectant parents on how to introduce a new baby to a dog at home.

“To us, [classes like this are] really important,” Smith said, and serves the business’ mission to provide a safe and fun space for dogs.