The Dog Knowledge, Charlotte

Along the main promenade in Sam's Town, a row of lush lawns borders one another, cordoned off from the pavement by a white picket fence lined with potted mums. When a hand pushes open the front door of a gable-roof ranch house or cottage, it's attached not to the body of Donna Reed but to that of a yelping canine, one of the overnight guests staying in each of The Dog Knowledge's miniature homes. When pooches aren't watching G-rated films on flat-screen TVs or lounging beneath ceiling fans in their private or bunk-bed abodes, they can venture out to play in a 2-acre facility or relax in a homey lounge filled with couches, tables, and framed photos of Roosevelt's scottish terrier signing The New Deal into law. The Dog Knowledge also grooms dogs' unkempt coats and chips away at unruly behaviors with one-on-one behavioral training, boot camps, and a therapy dog-training program.