Your Pet's Happiness: Our Guarantee 

Here at Five Pups we strive to ensure the safety and happiness of those entrusted in our care. We are avid dog lovers here and we know that they can be work but for us they are part of the family. For us, family deserves the best and that's what we are guaranteeing to you.

We started with a vision to provide an experience like no other for you and your buddy; with outdoor outdoor play areas in the countryside just minutes away from the nations capital, pampering treatments that would keep them happy and healthy, and for you the owner we will give you the peace-of-mind that your dog is well and truly cared for. 

why five pups?

Michael and Arthur met several years ago when they both worked in the upper tier of DC hospitality. They married in 2018 on the heels of their successful careers and pivoted from serving finicky politicians to pampered canines.

Five Pups is so-named because at the time they started the business, 2017, they had five dogs of their own —Lulu, Hampton, Oliver, Toby, and Mochi.

Michael shares: “Arthur had always wanted to work with dogs and had grown up raising Dachshunds and White German Shepherds in the Philippines.” 

He and Arthur had had difficulty finding care for their dogs when they worked long hours. “Almost all the options for dog care either involved hiring a dog walker to come let the dogs out for 15-30 minutes or taking them to a daycare that was inside a warehouse-type space in the city. We both felt that there had to be a better way both for dogs and for pet parents.”

Today, Arthur focuses on the daycare and boarding while Michael, who is the lead-trainer, proudly follows The Monks of New Skete’s approach: including the proper use of rewards, using discipline with meaning and care and never calling a dog by name to punish him or her.

Equal care is taken with pups in daycare and boarding. Not only are dogs chauffeured individually by van and returned in the evening – unless they are boarded – but they are afforded the royal treatment on the property. Five Pups boasts over 2 acres fenced-in dog-friendly acres on the couple’s multiple acre space in rural Maryland.

“Few places, we found, had sufficient outside space, and we wanted our dogs to just be dogs and play outside,” Michael says. “Even with most other dog daycare or boarding places, the dogs are taken for an outside walk for a few minutes or only have access to a small outdoor space, usually for an extra fee. We believe that dogs should be allowed to just be dogs.” 

yOur co-Pawrents

michael king

Michael, a Maryland native, has always loved service. A hospitality professional at heart with a keen mind for details. He has had a storied career in the DC restaurant scene. He loves teaching and training anyone who is willing to learn and put in the work. For him, anyone is capable of greatness as long as there is a commitment to doing better.

He has always had a love for dogs. He even showed retrievers. His hobbies include cooking and gardening. 

arthur tanwangco

Arthur Tanwangco is from Manila, the Philippines, and like his husband Michael, he has a hospitality background. He came to the U.S. in 2002 working at the Inn at Little Washington. He speaks Filipino, English and is conversant in Spanish. 

When he’s not playing with the pups, you’ll find Arthur with his knitting needles or employing some other kind of “crafty” pastime. He loves crafting, quilting, gardening, cooking and baking.

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