Ya Gotta Tell About Your Pets!

Summer vacation time is coming and a lot of pet owners will be boarding their pets. This article is a perfect reminder on how to keep you and your pet happy during this process. Sheri


by Susan Thixton

I read an article recently about a family whose dog escaped from a Dog Day Care Facility. The family was a new customer to this Day Care and when they returned to pick up their dogno dog. The article didn't share if the dog was later found, but what it did share was that after the escape, the owners told the day care the dog was a fence climber.

I used to own a boarding kennel and dog training facility. Over the Christmas holiday one year, a new family brought me their two Cocker Spaniels to board for two weeks. The wife dropped the dogs off and instructed me to clean the dog'sears daily. Knowing that not all dogs enjoy an ear cleaning and since I was not familiar with my new guests, I questioned her how well the dogs would accept the cleaning. She assured me they would be fine. On the first attempt to clean the ears I received the worst bite of my professional career. I thought the dog crushed my finger - had it notbeen so painful, it was almost comical. One of those moments where the dog had my hand locked between his jaws and I had to use the other hand to pry open his mouth! He made a very strong point that he didn't want to have his ears cleaned.

Fast forward two weeks to when the owners were to pick upthe dogs this time it was the husband who picked them up(wife dropped them off). As soon as he came in the door I informed him that the dogs never got their ears cleaned and that the male bit me badly on my first attempt. His reply"oh yeah, I'm sorry, they bite us all the time when we do that too!"

The point to my sharing these stories whenever you take your pet to a Groomer or Vet or Kennel - please tell the pet care provider things that you know about your pet's behavior and personality. If the Day Care had known the dog was a fence climber, they could have taken precautions to make sure he did not escape. If I had known the cockers were biters, I could have put a quick muzzle on them and been able to keep their ears in good health and my hand in good health. I could share a million more stories just like the two above -my only guess as to why they happen so often is that some pet owners might be a little ashamed of their pet's behaviors sometimes. My advice to you is to get over the embarrassment and tell pet care professionals what they need to know to keep your pet safe.

On the other hand - there are many pet care providers out there that just don't care enough. I've seen many of them -and I cringe when I think about the heartbreak they could cause because of their reckless or careless behavior. I wish I could tell you exactly how to avoid those type of petprofessionals - but I can't. I can however give you some suggestions from the perspective of someone who took care of pets for a living.

1. The pet business should be clean, clean, clean! To me, if a business owner doesn't care enough about the cleanliness of the facility, what else don't they care about? The kennel or grooming shop or daycare doesn't have to be 'state of the art' - but it does need to be clean.

2. Meet the staff. Not just the person at the desk - try to meet, look in the eye, and talk with as many of the employees as you can. That's a little difficult -especially from the business owners perspective - but those are the folks that will be caring for your baby, try your best.

3. Get references - and call those references. There is nothing better to calm the nerves of a nervous pet owner than to talk with other pet owners who have experienced the care provided by this pet business.

4. Depending on your state - some pet care businesses are guided by local Animal Control licensing. If that is the case in your state, call the licensing agency and ask about any reports of abuse or misconduct with this business. At the very least, check with the BBB.

Visit www.allthingscat.com for more interesting details about cats, and their alternative health care.