Just as some people heed an inner calling to pursue medicine or ministry, one local woman followed her heart and fashioned a lifework devoted to dogs. To care for canines of all shapes and sizes, Gigi Gustelius founded Gigi’s Flying Dog Ranch, an innovative boarding and day-care facility in Santa Ynez.
Dogs staying at Gigi’s Flying Dog Ranch enjoy spacious kennels—each with an outdoor run—as well as two fenced, quarter-acre fields where they can really stretch their legs. Furry guests get plenty of exercise, attention and everything else they need to keep them tired, relaxed and happy during their visit.
In addition to boarding and day care, the Ranch offers group classes in obedience and agility, with special instruction sessions for socializing puppies. Inexperienced dog owners or those whose pets display behavioral problems can sign up for private, one-on-one training.
Richard Hubach, a dog lover and retired engineer with a PhD in physics, lives on the premises and has helped out at the Ranch since its inception in 2003. In fact, he encouraged Gustelius to start the business and bought the first round of agility equipment.
”I’m very happy to have helped her,“ Hubach says. “I said I’d come and help for a year, so we moved into the barn. I live upstairs, Gigi lives downstairs and the dogs live in the barn, too. We’re here 24/7.
“We really love the dogs and take good care of them,” he continues. “The most important thing is to have them be safe, and in the six years we’ve been here, we’ve never had a fight, never had a stitch.”
With only one other full-time staffer, Sandy Collins, and a part-time trainer, the Ranch team handles classes of up to 12 dogs and boarding for as many as 25.
Whether pooches visit for an afternoon or a week, their owners consistently report that they seem to be happier after a stay with Gustelius.
“Dogs really need to be socialized,” Hubach explains, “or they can turn into fearful dogs that become aggressive and bite people. So we work at socializing them.
“They get lots of interaction with other dogs,” he adds, “which many of them don’t get at home.”
Hubach praises the skill of staffers, especially Gustelius, who studies and attends seminars in an ongoing effort to refine her natural talents with the animals.
“She gets a lot of phone calls from people asking for help with their dogs,” he reveals, “and anything she can do, she’s very free with her knowledge.
“I think that’s one of the reasons this place has been so successful,” he adds. “Gigi knows a lot about dogs and is very willing to communicate with people about their dogs. She’s been a lot of help to a lot of people.”
The name, Gigi’s Flying Dog Ranch, comes from one of Gustelius’s own dogs, a terrier named Rocko who can be seen soaring through a tire on the facility’s logo. The business, which began with a database of just 22 dogs, has now served more than 1000 four-legged clients representing at least 90 different breeds.
Raised in the San Fernando Valley, Gustelius settled in the Santa Ynez Valley about 30 years ago. She grew up around dogs and horses, and reigned as California’s amateur champion barrel racer for two years, proving her innate ability to work with animals.
While managing a fencing supply company in Buellton, she met Hubach, who came in to buy materials for his ranch. The two shared a love of dogs that lead them to attend agility classes together and eventually, form a lasting friendship.
“I’ve learned a lot about dogs from Gigi,” Hubach admits, “and I’m still learning a lot from her. Nobody can handle dogs the way she does and nobody could run this business the way she does. She works really hard at it. This is her love.”