PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Kids aren’t the only ones heading to the school bus thanks to one local dog lover.
Arat Montoya started the Doggie School Bus for those around the Portland metro area. It’s an outdoor dog daycare that provides transportation.
The bus takes dogs to fenced-in pastures so they can roam around and get in some exercise while their humans are busy.
On Thursday morning, KOIN 6 News followed the Doggie School Bus as it made its rounds.
First on the list?
Two-year-old golden retriever Forrest, who prefers the bus to a boring day at home.
Forrest’s human, Ellen Worsham, discovered the hard way that her pup can be destructive when he’s locked inside the house with no one else around.
“That’s why we have him go with Arat,” she said. “He goes with him and he goes out and plays and gets all that energy out and then he comes home and then I have a wonderful, tired dog.”
There are 20 pickups on any given morning.
All of the good boys pile into the back of Montoya’s customized dog van.
After Forrest, the van headed to pick up Rufus and Louie — two white Labs.
“They love it and the older one gets super excited when he pulls up and starts barking,” the dog’s human Jennifer Salas said. “He just loves going — it’s hilarious.”
The idea behind the Doggie School Bus is simple — Montoya loves dogs.
“I’m looking always for the best for them,” he said.
Montoya’s morning routine starts around 7 a.m. He picks up dog after dog and takes them to his own space where they have room to run, play and socialize with other dogs. His kids will occasionally play with the pups as well.
When the day’s over, Montoya brings the dogs home.
It’s a win-win situation: Montoya looks forward to work every day while all the dogs get a chance to run around free when mom and dad are away.
