ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Play N Stay Co-owner Jessica Barclay believes the pet services industry will continue to evolve to match pets’ changing role in the household from furry friend to family.

Play N Stay provides luxury pet hotels, dog daycare and puppy training services at three locations in the region. Its facilities accept a variety of animals, including dogs, cats, guinea pigs and parrots.

Barclay has been involved in her family’s pet business since she was a child. Over her many years in the pet services industry, she has witnessed the role of pets in the household grow.

“Back when I was a kid, the family pet was tied to a dog box outside, and we wouldn’t even think of doing that today,” Barclay said. “Pets are a part of the family, so they share our homes, beds and sometimes dinner. Play N Stay is geared towards caring for the most loved pets on the planet.”

Barclay said Play N Stay was founded 20 years ago when there was a need for “fun and interactive” dog boarding services in the area.

“Dog boarding at the time was basically a dog storage facility,” Barclay said. “It wasn’t a happy place for pets to be, and we wanted to create a place where the pets went home tired, happy and with a smile on their face. That’s what we sought to create with Play N Stay, and that’s what we did.”

Pets are treated like family at Play N Stay through the in-depth care given to each one. Every dog that stays at a Play N Stay facility is observed and paired to play with dogs of a similar temperament to “play like kids on a playground,” Barclay said. Less social dogs may spend more time relaxing and being petted by employees.

“We have all kinds of different ways that we study what pets like and then figure out how to get them to engage,” Barclay said. “We want their experience to be interactive and enjoyable for them.”

Barclay said the business’ goal is for every pet to leave the facility with a low stress level. She said giving owners the reassurance that their pet enjoyed their time away from them at the facility was why pet owners use the facility.

“Our goal is that when a pet owner comes back from vacation, their pet has had a wonderful time and is eager to come back,” Barclay said. “We want to make sure the pet has had a fun-filled, active day, so when it’s time to go to bed, the pets fall asleep instead of staying wide awake wondering where their owner is. We deliver peace of mind to owners so they can enjoy their vacation and not worry that their pet is lonely or sad.”

As pets become more like family in their owners’ eyes, Barclay said Play N Stay will continue to offer new services for pets to enjoy. Many owners treat their pets like children and want them to be involved in “extracurricular activities.” Additional activities Play N Stay offers for dogs include birthday and holiday parties as well as ice cream socials.

“We had a Super Bowl party, and the dogs got to play with footballs and have referees,” Barclay said.