GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colorado — “I am the human chew toy,” says Robbi Villemaire, explaining her job as day care monitor at High Tails Dog and Cat Outfitters in Glenwood Springs.

As she walks into a bright room resembling a handball court in the back of the store, it all becomes clear. Three dogs cavort around the room, chewing on tennis balls, running and jumping on each other, and generally having a good time. After this week's holiday break, three times that many will fill the room.

Villemaire is the playground lady, teaching dogs to play nicely and watching for bad behavior.

“She makes sure toys don't become bones of contention,” quips Laurie Raymond, owner of the store.

Raymond has worked with animals since her teens when she trained and showed dogs in Cleveland. She operated a pet shop on Bainbridge Island, Wash., for 10 years in the late 1970s and was an activist with the Progressive Animal Welfare Society.

“My first job was to stop the Navy from bringing its bottle-nosed dolphin training program to Puget Sound,” she remembered with a smile. “We won the suit the day the first Gulf War started.”

Raymond places high value on dog behavior.

“Dogs have been ill-served by demographic changes in the past 50 years,” she said while sipping tea in front of the store's cozy fireplace. “As more people began to work outside the home, dogs were relegated to the back yard.”

She said dogs are second only to humans as a social species. When they're deprived of stimulation or contact with others, bad behavior begins. Just like kids, dogs need a healthy play group. High Tails' daycare provides grooming, training and social interaction for all kinds of dogs.

But, the store is getting ready for some big changes: Raymond wants to turn it into a co-op, the High Tails Companion Animal Cooperative.

Recession leads to co-op idea

Raymond and her partner, Beth Byerly, opened High Tails on Valentine's Day in 2004 as a full-service store for small pets, offering training classes, pet food, supplements and supplies. PetCo didn't have a local store and High Tails filled a niche left empty by the demise of Marc's Toys and Pets at the Glenwood Springs Mall.

But High Tails took a hit with the recession.

“We purchased our Christmas inventory in July 2008,” recalled Raymond. “The economy tanked in October and no one bought it.”

The couple downsized by getting rid of hard goods such as dog beds, car seats and kitty furniture, and cutting staff hours. Raymond and Byerly also gave up their salaries for awhile. They kept the store afloat by focusing on pet nutrition and customizing pet diets.

Financial hardship also spawned the idea of a cooperative business, but it wasn't until after Byerly's death in 2010 that the idea came together.

“Customers came in and helped the employees keep things going,” said Raymond. “It was clear that people wanted High Tails to continue.”

Raymond believes a co-op will serve customer needs, provide a living wage for employees, and allow High Tails to maintain its integrity.

She cited Natura, an organic pet food brand, as an example. The small, California-based company sold out to Procter & Gamble last year. The owners, in their 70s, were worried about the company's future as an organic supplier.

“If they'd been a co-op,” said Raymond, “they wouldn't have had to worry about succession.” And the brand wouldn't have been swallowed up by a corporation.

She thinks pet food is following human fast-food trends — all taste and no nutrition — and wants to provide alternatives for her customers.

High Tails currently sells USDA-approved raw meats and other ingredients. But as a co-op, Raymond could buy directly from local ranchers and farmers whose products aren't always federally inspected.

The idea is to provide a professional kitchen where customers can learn to make the right kind of food for their animals with healthy, local ingredients. Raymond said she believes High Tails will be the first co-op of its kind in the U.S.

Memberships now being accepted

The United Nations has named 2012 as the International Year of Cooperatives and Raymond is right in step.

“I don't look for causes to march behind anymore,” she said, “because they're right here.”

Raymond has opened an escrow account at Alpine Bank for High Tails Companion Animal Cooperative and is accepting memberships.

Anyone can join by paying a one-time $100 fee. Members have voting rights and will receive annual rebates based on how much they buy throughout the year.

Raymond believes co-ops are the best of capitalism.

“In a publicly-owned company, the employees come in last,” she explained. Not so with a cooperative. “It rewards work and participation proportionately.” And, every member gets one vote, regardless of their investment.

She plans to open the co-op by spring or early summer. The new High Tails co-op will continue to offer do-it-yourself pet grooming, training classes, and ... Robbi, the human chew toy.