Follow along as Wag-A-Lot owner Craig Koch shares how his business came to be and details his schedule as a dad, husband, businessman and champion for animals.

Photo by Patrick Heagney

“It never ceases to amaze me how much the relationship we have with our pets improves our lives. It’s wild, but petting a dog can reduce your stress and improve your overall health,” says Craig Koch, founder of Wag-A-Lot. “So, certainly nurturing and encouraging these relationships and making it easier for more humans to have healthy pets is a worthy endeavor.” Koch founded Wag-A-Lot on this premise 23 years go and, alongside hard work and dedication, has watched his dream blossom into three beautiful stores that stretch across the metro Atlanta area: Decatur, Downtown and Upper Westside. At these locations, he employs more than 70 like-minded team players, which allows pups and their humans the ability to trust Wag-A-Lot 365 days a year.

Craig Koch and his Great Pyrenees Lars lounging around custom Wag-A-Lot tennis balls for the stores; photo by Patrick Heagney

As an avid traveler—alongside his husband, Vern Yip of HGTV and TLC fame, and their two human children, Gavin and Vera—Koch is not only the owner and founder of Wag-A-Lot but a frequent client as well. “I love knowing that my dogs are getting exercise and playing with their friends in a safe and secure place full of professionals that care for my pups as if they were their own, while we are out exploring the world,” says Koch. His dedication to and love of travel is a testament to the brand’s mission of allowing humans to get the most out of life and encouraging them to be more like their animals—happy, accepting and playful. Trust between the company and pet parents is really at the heart of everything it does.

Nearly a quarter century after starting Wag-A-Lot, Koch’s love for pets and dedication to the pet care industry has never waned. In fact, it has grown as his success has afforded him the ability to give back to a community that has been so supportive of him, and he is doing so in spades. Most recently, Koch became a board member of the LifeLine Animal Project, an impressive nonprofit here in Atlanta that he has been associated with since its beginnings, donating the build-out and equipment of his original Wag-A-Lot venture in Avondale Estates to this, at the time, up-and-coming pet welfare organization. Koch is very vocal about LifeLine and loves to share the organization’s success, most recently taking Fulton and DeKalb county shelters to a no-kill status. LifeLine takes a 360 approach when working to eliminate euthanasia, first getting more pets spayed, neutered and adopted into loving homes; second, educating Atlanta at large about responsible pet parenting; and third, supporting those pet parents who might be strugg ling to make ends met in order to keep their pets in their homes—all of which are also part of Koch’s mission. In fact, he invites any and all to learn more, donate and/or volunteer. 1919 Hills Ave. NW, 840 Flat Shoals Road SE, 225 Dekalb Industrial Way, wagalot.com; lifelineanimal.org

A DAY IN THE LIFE

5:30AM

Early Bird

“I naturally wake up early; no need for an alarm clock. I get up early to watch the sunrise and enjoy an espresso. Mornings provide me a brief moment to myself before the beautiful chaos of life reveals itself.”

Photo courtesy of Audi

7AM

Rise & Shine

“I feed my five dogs and prepare a breakfast for my family, which usually includes smoothies, omelets, acai bowls, avocado toast and/or pancakes. Then, I hop into my Audi Q7 to drop off my kiddos at Westminster. This campus is impressive and the curriculum is rigorous, to say the least, but we are honored to be giving our kids the opportunity to be real future change agents.”

photo by Patrick Heagney

7:45AM

Playtime

“Next, I’m off to Wag-A-Lot’s Upper Westside location to drop off my canine kids. I’ve got a busy day on tap and having them play with their buddies is a whole lot better than being stuck at home all day. (Who came up with this brilliant idea?) Scheduling them for ice cream service at noon and a departure bath prior to pickup is a no-brainer.”

By Kelly Sikk/Unsplash

Courtesy of Urban Body Fitness

8:30AM

Sweat it out

“After all the drop-offs, I’m headed to Urban Body to work out with my trainer, Nicole Gourdet. This is the only time of day when I actually like being told what to do!”

Courtesy of Treebird Branding

10AM

On the go

“After my sweat, I swing by Star Provisions for an oatmeal milk flat white and a kouign amann... because everything in moderation! It is here that I meet with fellow LifeLine Animal Project board members to discuss community outreach initiatives. This month, Wag-A-Lot is hosting two Bark in the Park events with the Atlanta Braves on the 10th and 24th!”

Photo by Gabriella LePage

1:30PM

The Originals

“After lunch, I stop into Revolution Doughnut to grab an afternoon treat for my staffen route to Wag-A-Lot Decatur. I love catching up with veteran crew here. Store managers Stephanie and Bode have been with me for 20 years, and seeing them grow a family is a super-rewarding part of owning a small, local business that is now nearly a quarter of a century young.”

PATRICK HEAGNEY

12PM

Check to-dos

“By lunchtime, I’ve arrived at Wag-A-Lot Downtown to walk the facility and assess retail with Jen Hunt, my irreplaceable regional manager. Then I walk to Muchacho, just a block away on the BeltLine, to review budgets over chicken mole tacos and Surfer guac.”

photo by Josephine Gasser/Unsplash

5PM

Game, Set, Match

“By late afternoon, I put away work to do something I enjoy—which is playing tennis or swimming laps at Windy Hill Athletic while kids train with their uber-talented HP tennis coach, Marcelo Ferreira. Tennis is our family sport of choice to play and watch. We made it to the US Open for the first time this past year and are hooked.”

photo by Angie Mosier

7PM

Gather Around

“It’s time for dinner with family at Umi (the Agedashi tofu appetizer is something I dream about often)! Farshid Arshid has created a menu and interior that I and my family adore.”

9:30PM

Closing Time

“At the end of the day, I help with homework and, ideally, I love to stay awake after the kids go to bed to enjoy a Netflix show and some quiet time with my husband, Vern.”