Monday, July 9, 2012

Chosing the Right Doggy Daycare

You may be really busy some days. You could be planning an event in your home not suitable for your dog to attend. You might have to work late. It just does not seem to you right that your dog should suffer for your situation. What is the solution? It could be a private dog walker or sitter. It could also be to place your canine in Doggy Day Care.

What Is Doggy Day Care ?

Doggy Day Care is the canine equivalent of kiddie day care. You enroll your doggy. You then drop him or her off in to care of the doggy day care facility. You can leave him or her there for a set amount of time. This depends upon your situation and the hours set by the doggy day care.
In this safe environment, your dog can play. He or she can make new friends - school buddies. Doggy Day Care is a great place to socialize. It relieves you of the guilt of not being able to walk the dog or play with him or her at some times. You are being a responsible owner. You are providing your dog with an alternative. Doggy day care is a solution to your problem and can be great fun for your dog.

How To Find And What To Look For

Doggy day cares are not difficult to find. They advertise. They are in telephone directories. You can also ask about them from friends with dogs and fellow doggy park walkers. There may be a posting at your vet’s or your vet may recommend or know of 1 or 2 operations.
Listening to all suggestions does not merely tell you the location.  It is also a tool in finding the right doggy care for you and your pet.
• Ask your friends who they use and why. Get their opinion on the facilities, the people who operate it and the employees.
•  Pay a visit to the doggy day care when it is in operation. You need to check out the facilities and talk to the employees.
•  See if the facilities are roomy and clean.
• Do the dogs have enough supervision? Are there enough employees for the amount of dogs? Do they supervise or let the dogs do as they please? What seems to be their philosophy of dog handling?
•  Are there enough toys, water bowls and other items to serve the dogs?
•  Does the doggy day care ask the right questions? Do they demand that all dogs have certification of their shots - up to date, of course?
•  Do they ask you for clear instructions? Do they understand what you expect and can they deliver it?
•  Does the doggy day care ask for specific information on you and your dog? Do they know the number of your vet, your emergency number and any other pertinent information?
•  Do the employees care about the animals and deal firmly with bullies and aggressive animals.
Before you enroll your favorite dog, you need to ask all these questions. You also need to visit the establishment a couple of times. Only then can you make a decision that this is the doggy day care for your dog.

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Saturday, July 7, 2012


Teague the Irish Terrier and Cleo the Great Dane are still going steady. Teague gave Cleo his class ring and Cleo is very proud. We have noticed, however, that Cleo tends to eyeball other good-looking guys so we wonder about the future of this relationship!

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Thursday, July 5, 2012

Hate the hat!

" I'm an easy going fellow. I like to party. But this HAT... Not eating my birthday treat 'til you lose it, okay? I mean we had this conversation last year on my birthday and you're still with the hats."
So... we took the hat off and Cosmo tucked into his peanut butter Frosty Paws with gusto. He's four years old!

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Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Three Birthdays This Week



We've had a busy week partying! Lucy the chihuahua mix, Cody the labrador retriever and Houdini the beagle all had birthdays. As you can see, all three tucked into their Frosty Paws treats as though they hadn't eaten in weeks. Lucy only weighs a couple of pounds, but she made the contents of her dixie cup disappear in minutes. Her tongue must have been frozen. Houdini ate the treat then started in on the cup itself. Had to pick pieces out of his teeth! Fortunately we got to him before he swallowed any.




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Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Hi I'm Polaris and I'm an Alaskan Klee Kai

Most people refer to me as a "mini Huskey" but ahemmm...  I am my own breed and I'm very fancy.  Klee Kai.  I'm extremely shy; yet Susan insisted on pointing that black box thing at me for what seemed like forever!


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Monday, July 2, 2012

Floyd wins the Esteemed Elder prize



Floyd the friendly basset turned 11 today! He's our official senior pup though he doesn't act like it. He watches from the couch until he sees something he wants to participate in, then he jumps down and barks his deep WOOF! He loved his treat - wasn't even aware of the party hat. He has very clear priorities: FOOD, FUN, SLEEP pretty much in that order.

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Sunday, July 1, 2012

NAPPS: National Association of Professional Pet Sitters

This weekend (Jan 28-31) I was off to Atlanta (from Boston) for the annual NAPPS conference. It was terrific! There was an unusual ice storm in Atlanta but we holed up in a very nice Sheraton for the conference. There were about 125 petsitters and lots of information was exchanged. I was delighted to spend 3 days with other small business owners, swapping stories and resource hints. NAPPS members come from all over the United States, and it is the most respected professional pet care organization that I know of. While most NAPPS members go to their clients' homes to do pet care, which The Doggie Den doesn't do, we still had lots in common. I found out how others get the word out about their services, especially via veterinarians, pet stores, shelters, and humane societies. In fact, many members volunteer to care for animals at shelters. One woman I met volunteers at a National Wildlife Center in New Jersey where sick and injured wildlife is cared for, then released back into the wild. For more information about NAPPS, or for a list of petsitters in your area, check out www.petsitters.org.