Howie, upon noticing approaching people, rises off his green bed and trots to his glass door.
The barking ensues.
"Oh Howie, come on now," said Bob Youndgblood, chief financial officer of the Old Dominion Animal Health Center, located in McLean at 6719 Lowell Ave.
But with nine years and six months under his belt, it doesn't look like this bellowing Golden Retriever is going to calm down for anyone.
Is he just exhibiting a normal dog trait that has been with him or his life?
Or is he expressing his love for his recently constructed neo-design dog room, nicknamed a "penthouse."
Youngblood would argue the latter.
"They've been a hit," he said.
Words Youngblood probably hoped he would say when he and Dr. Gordon Davis began plans for the design of these penthouse rooms for dogs in 2003. Now, having finally opened the last of the penthouses on May 15, Youngblood, who said the project cost around $250,000, couldn't be happier with its results.
"It's just gone really well," Youngblood said.
The penthouses, located on the center's second floor, consist of 31 rooms, 22 at 54 square feet and nine at 60 square feet, more than doubling the 25 square feet of space for standard courtyard boarding, which has 176 units.
Each room is enclosed on the sides with glass and connects to windows.
Covering the walls above the units are murals drawn by Patrick Kirwin, who currently teaches at the Art League in Alexandria.
"We wanted it to feel like an actual room in someone's house," Youngblood said.
The penthouses cost $48.50 per day, compared to the price for the standard housing at $25-29, depending on the pet's weight. Youngblood recommended making reservations six weeks in advanced during holidays.
Ideas for the penthouses began formulating as a result of client requests. According to Cassie Foster, chief operations manager, some customers wanted something more flashy.
"They were just looking for more extravagance," Foster said.
So Younglood and Davis began research. They examined over 50 places with similar designs both in person and on the internet.
Design began in 2003 and lasted until February of 2005. Using a storage room of 3800 square feet, they went to work with a special emphasis on windows, giving the rooms a view and "real natural light," according to Foster.
"We wanted to make sure that we accessed and used the windows, and that's what the design was based on," Youngblood said.
One area of contention was the number of rooms necessary.
"We tried to determine what was a good balance for the pets, and what was a good balance for Old Dominion financially, trying to balance what was a good number of rooms" Yonugblood said. "We could have put 60 up there if we wanted, or we could have put 10 up there if we wanted to."
Youngblood described construction as smooth, except for the application of fire-glazed tile the walls. They had to go through three subcontractors before they properly installed the tile
"That part of the project was probably the largest headache."
Despite the headache, Youngblood said he was satisfied with the end result, although he is open to the possibility of adjustments in the future.
"I may find something that I would like to improve on in the future,î Youngblood said. "You never know."
"It's a more relaxed atmosphere," Youngblood said.
Except, of course, when Howie's barking.