A day in the life of Kerna...

Kerna is a French Bulldog, who just moved to the area.  She is a rambunctious pup who loves to play.  Kerna recently started attending daycare at Preferred Pet Care and she loves it!  Kerna has spent the last two evening boarding with us.  This early afternoon Kerna was kind enough to take a break from playing to tell us about her experience at Preferred Pet Care so far. 

Kerna:

Well, I’d love to tell you about my stay at Preferred Pet Care.  I was napping at home on Monday when I was woken up by my parent’s friend.  They told me it was “time”.  Time for what I wondered?  I assumed playtime.  Great!  I love playtime.  I was right; I was going to Preferred Pet Care.  But why did I have a bag coming along with me I wondered?  Oh well, no big deal. 

I played with my friends all afternoon on Monday, and even had dinner at Preferred Pet Care.  I was a little nervous at first; this is after all my first time boarding at Preferred Pet Care.  Is mom and dad coming back to get me?  Thankfully one of the humans told me Mom was having the babies so I’d be having a slumber party at Preferred Pet Care until they arrived.  GREAT!  PARTY TIME!  I’d never had a slumber party at Preferred Pet Care before; to say I was excited was an understatement. My room was setup with a soft blanket, with a BIG fluffy bed, and my sunflower towel.  Well, I was so excited about the slumber party I thought I’d have a pillow fight… but the bed was too big for me to pick up, and the blanket was so soft.  Hmm… my towel!  I guess I was a little too eager and I ripped my towel a little bit, oopps.  Hopefully mom and dad don’t notice. 

The next day I woke up really early.  Another full day of playing with my friends!  By the end of the day I was zonked out, thank goodness for my soft fluffy bed that I could relax on. 

Despite that I was having tons of fun I started to wondered, how long does it take for the babies to get here?  Did they get lost?  Where are they coming from?  I heard two of them are coming, maybe one got lost and the other went back to find him?  I’m really excited to be a big sister, but a little nervous too.  I wonder if they’ll look like me, or if they will take after mom and dad?  I’ve been told I’m a real cutie.  Since the babies are taking their time to arrive I have no problem playing the day away. 

Today’s the day…  At least that’s what they tell me.  The babies are suppose to be arriving today, and then I will be going home.  When I meet them I will have to ask what took them so long.  Apparently mom’s been carrying them for nine months.  I don’t know what she’s talking about because I haven’t seen her carry any babies in her hands, but then again I don’t know what they look like.  Maybe they’re invisible?  Hmm… strange thing these babies are.  Maybe I should ask my friends. 

Today I had a delicious breakfast and was eager to ask my friends more about these strange things known as babies.  I decided I would ask my friend Lucy.  Lucy comes to daycare a lot she’s a beagle mix of some sort.  Once Lucy arrived I asked her and told her that I think the babies might be invisible and that they must have gotten lost or are being held up somewhere.  She explained that maybe the babies are Jewish and they’re arriving today because it’s Yom Kippur. 

Invisible babies, Yom Kippur?  I’m so confused!  So I asked Lucy if she would explain to me more about what Yom Kippur is all about.  Lucy explained she was playing all day today because it’s the Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur, and her family is at synagogue services.  Lucy told me about how it is one of the most important Jewish holidays and the name “Yom Kippur” means “Day of Atonement”.  It started on Tuesday evening and ends this evening.  Lucy asked me if I’m Jewish.  I don’t know, maybe? That would explain why the babies are running late, they must have stopped at the synagogue along their way to our house.  Clearly, now I understand. 

Well, I think that’s about all I have to say about my stay so far at Preferred Pet Care.  My room is nice and cozy, my meals are prepared perfectly, I’m really enjoying playing with my friends, and I love all the staff attention with belly rubs!  I have to get back to playing with my friends; my parents could be here any minute with my new brothers!  Thanks for letting me tell you all about my slumber party.

*This blog was written by Crystal.  The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog authors, and does not reflect views/opinions of Preferred Pet Care Inc. We will only endorse products or services that we believe, based on our expertise, are worthy of such endorsement. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer/provider.*

A taste of fall

Unfortunately all of our pups today were extremely busy playing and enjoying the cool weather.  So instead of having one of our canine friends sit down and tell us about their day we decided to blog about a seasonal delight for your pups!

 

Fall is here!  Well… technically it will officially be autumn this weekend.  It was certainly in the air today at Preferred Pet Care, low 70’s, high 60’s.  Soon it will be brisk air, leaves falling, apple and pumpkin picking and before you know it Thanksgiving.  I decided to take my pup’s apple picking this past weekend.  And of course I ended up with a surplus of apples.  What can I do with all these apples?  Apple bread?  Apple Pie?  Apple strudel?  Apple Cake?  Apple Turnovers?  Hmm… what about Apple dog treats?  My pups love Apples!  

Apples are nutritional powerhouses for humans, they have tons of fiber, Vitamin A and C, Omega-3 and -6, antioxidants, flavonoids, and polyphenols.  They also are great for dogs too (not the seeds though).  The seeds of apples contain a form of cyanide, which our systems can filter out, however our pups can’t.  Though just like with anything you should speak with your veterinarian before changing your pet’s diet, and remember everything in moderation.  Too many apples can lead to diarrhea and because of their high sugar content weight gain.  

What about homemade apple dog treats?  Doesn’t your pup deserve a treat?  Well, I decided why not treat Dallas & Natalya to a little treat while my husband enjoys his baked apple treats.  I decided to try my hand at making homemade apple dog treats.  

Don’t worry the recipe is a simple enough to make with your kids (or husband).

Ingredients: 2 ½ cups whole wheat flour, ½ cup cornmeal, 1 finely chopped or grated apple (depending on the size you can increase it to 2 if they are small apples), 1 egg beaten, ½ cup vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon brown sugar,  and  ½ cup cold water.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease cookie sheets.  Blend together the flour and cornmeal in a large mixing bowl, then incorporate the apples, egg, oil, brown sugar, and water until it’s is blended.  (Just until all the ingredients are wet.)  Sprinkle some flour and roll out the dough to your desired thickness.  (I’d suggest about an inch so it’s easy and thick enough to move onto the cookie sheets).  Cut cookies into desired shapes and sizes.  Why not use a doggie bone cookie cutter?  Or maybe a gingerbread person cookie cutter?  Place cut out treats on a baking sheet and bake for ~35 minutes then turn off the oven and leave the cookies in there for another 30-45 minutes until they’re crisp.  Voila!  Look at you!  You just made homemade dog treats!  And of course the last part to this, give it to your pup (after it cools of course) and let them enjoy!

My pups absolutely loved this recipe & I’m sure it put them in the mood for fall.  I hope you, your family, and of course your pup(s) enjoyed our little taste of fall this week!

*Blog written by Crystal at Preferred Pet Care.  She has a background in Pre-Veterinary Medicine and has taken animal nutrition courses.  Crystal is currently attending culinary school.*

 

A day in the life of Bunny & Galileo

Today we traveled inside the minds of Bunny & Galileo to hear about their day at Preferred Pet Care.

A little bit about Bunny & Galileo:

Bunny & Galileo are frequent boarding and daycare customers.  Bunny & Galileo are Preferred Pet Care’s special needs pups.  They are currently looking for a home, until they find their forever home they are currently boarding with us.

Bunny is a small boxer mix who is deaf.  Bunny lives a quite life.  She enjoys spending time with Galileo as well as basking in the sun.

Galileo is a Doberman who suffers from a form of Canine Lupus.  He enjoys people attention and running around with his friends. 

On to their day…

Galileo was kind enough to sit down with us for a few moments to tell us about Bunny & his day.  (Bunny was going to tell us about her day, but her paws got tired from all the sign language.) 

Today we waited semi-patiently for the taxi to arrive.  I mean how can you NOT be excited to go to daycare and play?!  The bus is coming, the bus is coming!  Mom explained to us that today we were going to daycare, but it would be awhile before we would see her again.  Don’t cry I said to her, we’re going to our favorite place, what’s there to cry about? 

Our taxi arrived.  Doug came inside and leashed us up.  We were ready to go!  “Don’t forget our food”, I shouted back to him.  “Don’t worry,” he told me, and went back in to grab our food.  I have a sensitive stomach sometimes and wanted to make sure I’d be in tip top shape to get as much playtime in as possible.  One of the 1^st pups on the bus, great, where should I sit? 

When we arrived at Preferred Pet Care we were escorted to a yard to have some alone time with Dave to stretch our legs.  Bunny and I need to stretch a little and run around before we are ready to see our friends; after all we’ve just been relaxing on our car ride to Preferred Pet Care.  Dave tossed the tennis ball and we played fetch for a little before we decided to join our friends in the group.  We joined the group and saw our friends Leo, Bailey, Buddy O, Hopi, Huey, and Pepper were all there waiting to play. 

After playing for a little while Bunny decided to do some sunbathing on this beautiful day, and take a nap in the sun.  “Make sure you wear sunscreen.” I said to her.  She never listens though.  After her nap Tim called us to come inside.  Hmm, this is odd.  We normally just have a room setup for us when we’re boarding and staying overnight.  Oh well, I guess we’re having a slumber party.  Great that means more time with our friends!  Our room was setup with a nice soft cushy bed, which I warned Bunny not to nibble on.  I decided to claim that bed for myself.  Bunny claimed the white fleece bed and curled up instantly for a mid afternoon nap.  Oooo… FOOD!  Dinner Time!  Perfect timing Tim, I’m famished from playing.  “But there’s food,” I shouted at her, no bother, she was already fast asleep.  Oh well, I’ll save it for when she wakes up from her nap. 

“Time to go out & play”, Brian stated.  I had to nudge Bunny to wake up.  She sleeps so peacefully.  Back to playing already?  Okay, sounds good to me.  While we were inside for our dinner some of our friends must have went home.  Oh shoot, I forgot to say goodbye to Tecumseh.  Apparently he was named after a Native American leader and a Civil War general.  He must really like history, maybe one day he’ll tell me all about it.  Oh well, I’ll play with Bevo and Lady Bird instead, they’re apparently having a slumber party at Preferred Pet Care too. 

Bunny & I played and before we knew it, it was bedtime.  Wow, was I exhausted.  A full day of daycare really tires me out!  Good thing we had nice cozy beds to curl up in.  Oh no!  I almost forgot!  Crystal’s suppose to stop by and I’m supposed to tell her about our day.  I must stay awake.  I must stay awake.  Eyelids are getting very heavy.  “Bun Bun! Gally!” I could hear someone say.  Oh, perfect, Crystal had come to hear about our day, just in the knick of time.  I told Crystal all about our day coming to daycare with Doug, playing fetch with Dave, playing in the group with Brian and Tyree, and finally bedtime.  She tucked us in for the night and turned off the lights.  Ahh, another successful day at Preferred Pet Care.  I can’t wait for our adventure tomorrow. 

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If you or someone you know is interested in finding out more information about Bunny & Galileo please visit our Facebook page www.facebook.com/PreferredPetCareInc and click on our “Adoptable Pets” photo album.  They are currently looking for a new home, but until then they will be calling Preferred Pet Care home. 

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*This article was written by Crystal, with a little help from Bunny & Galileo of course.*

After all... tomorrow is another day

Normally Wednesdays is our Blogging Wednesday, “A day in the life of a dog”, where we feature one of our guests at Preferred Pet Care.  We are postponing our weekly blog until tomorrow, Thursday, September 13^th, when we will be featuring a day in the life of two special dogs that are looking for a home.  We are hoping by sharing their story we can aid in finding them a forever home.

A day in the life of Oscar

A day in the life of Oscar…

Oscar is one of our frequent daycare pups, who comes for daycare on a daily basis.  He’s a large white Akita mix, with the distinguishing feature of having one blue eye and one brown eye.  Oscar enjoys cold weather, frolicking with his girlfriend Gritz and spending some guy time with his buddy Eddie.  When’s he’s not at daycare he enjoys sleeping and treats.  It’s a rather rough life he leads.  Today though, he’s decided to fit us into his busy schedule to tell us about his day.  I wonder what he has to say….

I moseyed on into daycare like any normal day, shopped around to see what was on sale and to make sure everything was where I had left it.  I figured I’d sleep a little and maybe if the weather was cool enough I’d play a little.  I arrived midmorning, saw that my girlfriend, Gritz (a flat coat retriever mix with the most beautiful black and white spot pattern was already there).  I saw my good friend; Eddie was already waiting for me, ready to play. 

When I entered the group I saw a lot of familiar faces.  My usual group that had been gone for the summer was back.  There was talk of “back to school”, whatever that means.  I guess dogs go back to school today? 

It was a little overcast so I decided this was prime time to take a nap.  Hmm… where's is the best spot to nap is always an important question on my mind.  I found a shady spot in the middle of the yard.  I figured this was a good place to nap because I was completely covered in case it rained. 

How rude!  I was awoken by wet dogs crowding me.  Apparently it had started to rain when I had drifted off to sleep.  And now, I had to share my warm dry spot under the tent with other dogs.  Well, on the bright side the rain storm didn’t last long, however after the rain the sun decided to make an appearance.  I guess it’s time to play.  I ran around and chased Eddie.  Then I’d stop and he’d chase me.  Then Spud & Gritz joined in.  Pretty soon it was all of us playing chasing one another and back and forth.  After what seemed like hours of playing I decided it was time to take a nap.  Most of my friends had started to leave.  I decided it was time to get in my evening nap position, which consists of feet in the air right up against the fence with my head in the complete opposite direction. 

“Oscar is going home.  Oscar is going home.”  Could it be?  Dinner time!  Yes!  Dad was here to pick me up!  It was time to put my game face on, perk up time.  Food was in my near future, I was going home to dinner. I was leashed up in my stunning red leash and collar—which I must admit really brings out the colors of my eyes—and brought up to go home.  

At last my busy day of daycare at Preferred Pet Care had come to a close.  But no worries, I shall be back tomorrow.  Until then I hoped you enjoyed a peak into my hectic day of daycare at Preferred Pet Care.