Complicated meals are not uncommon here, but just tell us the details and we’ll let you know if it’s do-able. Oral medications are not a problem, but fragile dogs with life threatening conditions will be referred to veterinary kennels or in-home caregivers.
There are many factors involved when it comes to dogs exhibiting symptoms of illness or showing up positive asymptomatically on a routine test. The fact of the matter is that when groups of dogs get together, they bring with them all the diverse bacteria, viruses, and parasites that they were exposed to in their own separate lives. Then they play with each other and breathe on each other, lick each other’s eyeballs, and swap saliva to the max. It’s a recipe for a germ superspreader! Will your dog get sick though? That all depends on what exactly was passed around and your dog’s individual immune response (which can also depend on your dog’s age, breed, genetic predisposition, energy levels, diet, etc) and any supportive measures they are given (like adequate rest, nutritional supplements). Our team carefully monitors all the dogs in our care for signs of illness in order to identify and immediately isolate any potentially sick dogs, but that doesn’t mean that something can’t get passed around even before symptoms show up. Fortunately, the most common of these are considered by veterinary professionals to be self-limited and not life-threatening. Dogs can also pass around serious diseases that are almost completely preventable through vaccination and we require up to date vaccinations for those diseases based on the advice of our consulting veterinarian. Never say never though, and we will be the first to freely tell you that if you want to avoid an environment where dogs will be exposed to communicable diseases and parasites, you should certainly avoid daycare. And any public place where dogs are allowed. And all other dogs in general. But if you want your dog to engage socially with other dogs and experience the world beyond their home and your veterinarian considers your dog to be healthy enough to do so AND you feel comfortable with your ability to care for your dog should they fall ill, then honestly, then we’re with you!
Listed here are some of the more common diseases or conditions that are found amongst dog daycares in general. A reminder that we are not veterinary professionals and that what we say here is our opinion. You should always consult with a veterinarian for your dog’s health needs:
Upper respiratory infections (AKA kennel cough)
Puppy warts (papillomas)
Giardia
Puppy pinkeye (conjunctivitis)
Our only breed restriction applies to wolves and wolf hybrids. Because pit bulls have been so widely bred, there are many who do not follow the original breed prototype of dog aggression. Similar to the way that some popular breeds with a seemingly positive reputation can have individual dogs who are aggressive. We absolutely believe in evaluating each dog as an individual. Except for wolf hybrids, because we are not wolf daycare, although that sounds fun.
As social creatures, most dogs do not want to injure or harm each other unless they feel threatened. However, we screen those occasional dogs with a personality type that falls to the far end of the dog sociability spectrum and can exhibit aggressive behavior. We do this by introducing them to one of our resident staff dogs or regular client dogs designated as a temperament tester, in a safe and controlled manner. This way we can examine each dog’s behavior and reactions for aggression around other dogs. Dogs can also change in their sociability levels as they mature and become more selective or intolerant as adults and while it’s important that we differentiate between aggressive versus intolerant dogs, it’s also crucial that we identify both types of behavior as they develop and discontinue services should they become a problem. We define aggression as “the desire or intent to do physical damage to another dog or a human.” Therefore, we count all interactions between the dogs that are accepted into our daycare as communication. Just because you see some teeth or hear a growl does not necessarily mean someone is being aggressive, it’s just how dogs communicate with each other. However, just like any social creature including humans, misunderstandings, overreactions, or mistakes can happen during those communications. It’s more common to have scuffles for the younger dogs due to their social skills and emotional maturity still developing, but it can happen to anyone. It’s an unavoidable part of the joy of socializing!
Dogs are physical creatures and use all parts of their bodies to communicate and socialize and play. Even friendly play can leave nicks and scratches and even friendly dogs can have misunderstandings or make mistakes that cause mild to moderate injuries. And sometimes dogs can experience “predatory drift” and behave in a more predatory manner simply because the reality is that they are animals first, and our beloved housepets second. If ever a serious injury is incurred, we will be contacting owners immediately. Additionally, because we are providing direct social interaction in a group environment, there are many communicable diseases and conditions that are inherent to such an environment, just like kids at school or adults in an office. If you should ever feel uncomfortable with the condition your dog arrives home in, please let us know immediately so we can address it.
Then daycare may be a place for them to be exposed to those people they are biased against, while in a safe and familiar environment. Not only that, but many dogs develop these biases because of uncomfortable interactions with well-meaning, but non-dog-savvy people, and by interacting with our experienced and skilled staff instead, they can re-learn to trust those they were once suspicious of. It’s not a guarantee, but it’s a possibility. Many dogs that are suspicious of strangers have a great time with us here because we become like family to them.
We do not accept dogs with a history of aggression to people or other dogs into our program. We do however perform evaluations on dogs who meet our requirements and what we find may surprise you. Many dogs who display aggressive-seeming behaviors while on leash or with their owners can sometimes show completely different behavior outside of that situation. We define “aggression” as the desire to do physical damage to another dog or person, so we trust owners to let us know the background and tendencies of each new dog as much as possible and we will take it from there.
We will provide immediate basic first aid and then contact you first and if you are not available, we will notify your emergency contact. Then, we will take your dog to get immediate veterinary attention as needed. In emergency situations, we typically use the closest available veterinary clinic, but can use any local vet of your choice if you have a specific need. All vet bills incurred are the responsibility of the owner.
While sometimes caused by underlying health conditions, poor hygiene in the infant stage, or other social-behavior reasons, eating poop is generally not an unnatural behavior. Dogs especially like the poop of other animals, like cats, horses, and cows. Many of you who share your homes with cats probably also have some stories about your dog looking for treats in the litter box. Our cute dogs have evolved as opportunistic scavengers, so if something on the ground smells like food to them, many of them will decide to try it out. We work very hard to prevent this from happening and to teach dogs that it is unacceptable behavior. We have noticed that there are some dogs who are dedicated poop seekers, and some dogs are offended by the very idea. But sometimes, the poop of a certain dog will have some kind of magical quality and EVERYONE will decide it’s the equivalent of a roast turkey on a silver platter. Our best guess for most cases? The preservatives, artificial flavorings, or undigested ingredients of processed foods, like kibble, remain present in their poops and disguise them as food and smell very appetizing to the dogs. Somes dog food brands have such a strong and distinct smell as poop, that we can correctly identify them by the odor of their poop or the common reaction of other dogs to it. If all dogs consumed a biologically appropriate diet of fresh, unprocessed, easy to digest foods, we believe this might not be such a common issue, but with modern times, come modern problems. Like poop eating.
Depending on each dog’s play style, some will go home as clean as when they arrived and some will go home with dirty pawprints, crunchy drooled on fur, and someone’s else’s hair all over them. Possibly even soaking wet paws because they tried to go for a swim in the water bowls. However, we do try to clean up those enthusiastic attendees as much as possible before sending them home. Occasionally, something strange will happen, like a male dog lifting his leg to affectionately urinate on his favorite female or a silly puppy who jumped on his best friend who was mid-poop, in which case we will bathe the victims of those extreme encounters. Hey, these are dogs, weird things happen! But seriously, if you are ever unhappy with the cleanliness of your dog, please let us know, and we will make sure to address it.
While our new facility now offers daycare in outdoor yards, we still want to keep this FAQ on our website to provide clarity regarding Indoor daycare. An indoor daycare environment is not the same as the inside of your home. It’s an entirely different environment in your dog’s mind and amazingly, most dogs learn that very quickly. They consider indoor play spaces to be an indoor dog park. We have personally raised many dogs from puppyhood while attending indoor daycares and have not had issues with them learning the difference during house training.
