Our Tail

Tammy Schey and Dan Fuller started The Crate Escape, an exceptional doggie daycare in Richmond, Vermont, in July of 1995. Tammy has always loved animals. In fact, according to her baby book, her first spoken word was “dog.” After acquiring a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Medical Technology, Tammy worked in the field for about 5 years and decided to pursue other interests when the company she worked for downsized their operations.

Dan had been working in the construction industry all of his adult life. It was at this time that Tammy and Dan were given the first dog of their own, a Doberman puppy named Boris who was just 7 weeks old. Having Boris in her life inspired Tammy to begin learning as much as she could about dogs by taking Boris to obedience training and agility classes, seeking out playmates for him, and reading everything dog related that she could get her hands on.

While exploring the possibility of opening her own business through The Women’s Small Business Program then offered at Trinity College, Tammy decided that she should follow her passion for animals and came up with the idea of starting a daycare for dogs. Tammy and Dan found the location in Richmond, originally a single family dwelling in poor condition with over an acre of land and together with Dan’s construction expertise, were able to fix it up at night after work and on weekends. Thus, The Crate Escape was born! Tammy and Dan’s second Doberman, Joseph, came into their lives in 2000 and regularly attended daycare with Boris at The Crate Escape. Unfortunately Boris and Joseph both crossed the rainbow bridge in 2009 and are greatly missed. Tammy and Dan are now just waiting for the right dog to make their lives whole again. In Memory of Boris and Joseph.

The Crate Escape, Too was opened in 2007 after receiving numerous requests from clients who lived in the Route 7 area who were seeking out a closer location. In June of 2010, The Crate Escape, Too moved to their brand new eco-friendly South Burlington location at 5 Green Mountain Drive. The facility was built with many green building products, including bio-based tile, energy efficient lighting and appliances, and a state of the art HVAC system. The suspended ceiling system and a variety of other products were recycled from various local jobsite remodels.