Thursday, February 28, 2013

A day in the life of your favorite dog(s)... can you guess who it is?

The pups at Preferred Pet Care LOVE to play games.  So today one of our daycare pups had the genius idea of playing a guessing game- their version of 20 questions.  One of our pups is going to tell you about their day and let’s see if you can guess who it is.  They’ll be giving hints thru out the day of who they are.

Can you guess what dog(s) this is a day in the life of?

We arrived mid morning, dad as usual dropped us off.  I tried to tell Dad though that he was probably going to be in big trouble with mom since he forgot our collars.  He didn’t seem too concerned, oh well.  We were super excited (as always) to come to daycare.  My sister’s has a huge crush on Oscar, I’m not too sure the feeling is mutual.  I like to often pretend that I am a circus dog and jump from one tent post to the next tend post. 

We come to daycare practically every day.  You may have seen a snazzy picture of us on Facebook- well you’ve probably seen numerous pictures of us on Facebook.  However there is one especially adorable picture of my sister ying-yanged with another pup named Ginger. 

When sis and I arrived we went over and greeted Oscar.  Oscar has been boarding at Preferred Pet Care the past couple days.  Oscar doesn’t seem to mind, he thinks he’s boarding so his parents can have a good night of sleep.  He doesn’t understand why people don’t want to be woken up at 4am; sometimes he evens let his owners sleep in and wakes them up at 4:30am.  He’s merely trying to make sure that everyone gets everything they need to get done for the day.  Oscar is all about time management- that is after all how he’s able to take so many naps throughout the day- all thanks to excellent time management skills. 

We unfortunately were unable to socialize with Oscar too long.  He’s the newly appointed Mayor of Preferred Pet Care, and he takes his title very seriously.  He had to make sure to greet all the dogs coming in for daycare as well as all the current boarding guests.  He tries his best to make sure that everyone has an enjoyable stay at Preferred Pet Care.  Oscar is even lobbying for a treat fountain.  I think his dreams are sometimes a little too far fetched, but Oscar is a dreamer.  He says he gets his best ideas when he’s sleeping, that’s why he does it so often.  We will see how far he gets with his treat fountain idea.  Who knows, it could happen. 

Sis decided to hang out with Oscar and be his arm candy while he made his rounds.  I decided to go over and hang out with Sammy B.  Sammy B hasn’t been to daycare in such a long time, but he’s finally back to his regular schedule now and I am overjoyed!  Sammy & I we are practicing to be in the circus.  We jump up on the tent posts and jump from one to the other.  I must admit I am better than Sammy, but then again Sammy is out of practice.  No worries though now that he’s back we will have plenty of time to practice. 

After practicing our act from sometime I decide to check in with sis who was hanging out with another sibling duo, Bailey and Leo.  Bailey & Leo are also frequent daycare pups who have been longtime customers of Preferred Pet Care.  Bailey & Leo were playing with Shilo.  I decided to join in on the fun.  While I was playing the chase game with them my sister was playing her own chase game as well.  My sister played the chase game with her tail.  She’s so silly.  She even catches her tail sometimes.  That sister of mine, she’s so silly!

When it’s time to get picked up Mom or our human sister comes to pick us up.  We usually go home at around 5pmish.  When we hear our names over the radio we go crazy!  My sister just cannot help herself and grabs my leash and tries to walk me sometimes she even tries to walk herself. 

Can you guess who we are? 

The answer will premier tomorrow! 

Monday, February 25, 2013

Preferred Pet Care's Oscars...





Preferred Pet Care Proudly Presents our version of the Oscars!

For Friendliest pup the Oscar goes to Ruby W & Ike H
For the Sweetest pup the Oscar goes to Rocky, Winnie & Shaina
For the Mayor of Preferred Pet Care the Oscar goes to no other than… OSCAR
For Sergeant at Arms the Oscar goes to Waldo G
For the Most Miniscule pup the Oscar goes to Rosie L & Pepper F
For the Best name the Oscar goes to Petey Pie
For the Oddest Pup Behavior the Oscar goes to Zoey
For the Best Smile the Oscar goes to Lucy W
For the Nicest Eyes the Oscar goes to Lizzy B.
For the Class Clown the Oscar goes to Hogan Y.
For the Biggest Party Animal the Oscar goes to Maisie F & Sadie H/M
For Teacher’s Pet the Oscar goes to Nacha & Rockie J
For the Most Athletic the Oscar goes to Tucker P/F & Dexter C
For the Bromance of a lifetime the Oscar goes to Oscar & Eddie C
For the Best Thelma and Louise the Oscar goes to Stella M & Reilly P.
For the Best Bonnie & Clyde impersonation the Oscar goes to Spud & Gritz
For the Most outgoing Preferred Pet Care proudly presents the Puppy Class of 2012: Floyd, Faraday, Martin, & Maise M.
For the Best Hair the Oscar goes to Chase H.
For the Most Photogenic the Oscar goes to Boyd & Blanche
For the Fluffiest the Oscar goes to Buddy W/S
For the Softest Coat the Oscar goes to Ginger W
For the Quietest the Oscar goes to Maggie Y
For the Strangest Bark the Oscar goes to William F
For the Big Dog trapped in a Little Dog body the Oscar goes to Rufus
For the Best Sleepers, (this was a close one with Oscar)…..but the Oscar goes to Petunia & Pepina
For the Pup who should be Preferred Pet Care’s Secretary the Oscar goes to Sammy B/R
For the Best Dressed the Oscar goes to Chippy M.
For the Biggest Class Cheerleader (always excited to be at Preferred Pet Care) the Oscar goes to Atticus

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Happy National Pet Dental Month!



How many times a year do you go to the dentist?  Probably once or twice a year.  What about your pup?  February is National Pet Dental Month.

So in honor of National Pet Dental Month we’d like to dedicate this week’s blog to all about your pet’s dental health.

Bad breath in a dog may be a sign of periodontal disease which is the most common ailment suffered by dogs and cats over 3 years old.  8 out of 10 pets will have dental disease after the age of 3.  Preventing periodontal disease can result in longer, healthier lives for your pets.  Unfortunately since Fido can’t brush his or her teeth, learning how to or taking the necessary steps to help prevent plague build up is essential.

Have you ever brushed your pup’s teeth?  It may seem like a challenging task, so for a little help we have Dr. Sheldon Rubin give easy step-by-step instructions on how to teach your pet to accept a daily tooth brushing.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wB3GIAgrTPE

So you think brushing your pet’s teeth is too hard?  Well, don’t worry there are other alternatives that can at least help with your pet’s plague.  TropiClean has an entire line of dental products to suit your pup’s needs.  They have water additives, clean teeth gels, fresh breath treats, and more.  Check out their website to learn more: http://www.tropiclean.net/categories/fresh-breath.php.  Preferred Pet Care carries many of their dental products and we have had great success and wonderful reviews about the product.  If you haven’t tried it yet what are you waiting for? 

We love to see your pup smile & we know you do too.  Happy National Pet Dental Month! 


Thursday, February 14, 2013

A day in the life of... a kennel attendant

The day of a kennel attendant… the day is never done. 

We wake up early.  On a cold wintery day not wanting to roll out of bed, and in the summer we dream of going out to the beach instead.  But we get out of bed and arrive to work on time.  Knowing that the day will only get better from here.

We arrive 5-10 minutes early to ensure our staff and customers do not wait.  Sometimes even earlier to get a jump start on the day before we even open.  The building is typically pretty quite until someone accidently makes a loud noise, or until we turn the lights on.  Once a noise is made or the lights go on we’re greeted by the familiar sound of barking (don’t worry we’re use to it, it’s merely white noise). 

We begin our days by running all of our group dogs out to a play yard, where one of our staff members is patiently waiting for them.  (Neither rain, no snow, no sleet, heat, or power will keep us from taking care of our pups).

Once they are out of their rooms, we begin to bring one by one our individual (or rotations as we like to call them) out to their own individual yard.  In between doing so we get what we refer to as “the light”, which is our lovely bell that’s up front that we ask customers to ring for service.  In case you ever tried and couldn’t hear “the bell” that’s why, it’s a light, it’s not a bell only the dogs can hear. J

While all the pups are out in a yard we clean their rooms and prepare their breakfast as quick as possible (of course still paying attention to all the little details).  Once their meal is prepared and their rooms are cleaned we begin with bringing in our individual dogs back to their rooms one by one, followed by our group dogs coming in to their rooms. 

While our opening crew has been taking care of our current boarders and incoming daycare pups we also have a taxi person, out on the road picking up some of our daycare pups.

At about 9:30am/10am: Our taxi arrives.  Our daycare taxi pups are taken to their own yard so that they may have an opportunity to relieve themselves and stretch their legs before they join the playgroup.

Right around this time is when we typically have the most pups.  At this point we like to evaluate what dogs we have for the day and make the decision on how many playgroups we should have going on.  Depending on a variety of factors (activity level of the dogs, weather, and staff members present) we will decide how many play groups we should have going or if some high energy pups just need to get some extra attention.

While the group dogs are getting playtime with the other dogs our rotation dogs are also getting lots of TLC and attention from the staff too.  For our individual dogs (rotations) they are brought out to a play yard for at least 10 minutes every hour.  If there are only say 3 rotations that mean each of those rotation dogs are getting at 20 minutes of loving every hour. 

Also the staff during this time is taking care of our routine operations.  Cleaning the facility to make sure it’s spic and span.  Not to mention taking care of our customers with returning phone calls and checking in/checking out daycare, boarding, and grooming customers.  Some of our other staff is checking our boarding guests rooms (again) and preparing lunches for boarding and daycare dogs (daycare dogs only get fed if requested/food is brought in). 

At around 11:30am/12pm our lunch pups and all of our boarding guests are brought inside to their rooms for a lunch time break.  They are typically inside for about an hour.  Depending on the weather this will dictate if the playgroup is inside or outside. 

At about 1pm the lunch boarders/daycare pups are brought back out to the playgroup to continue their romping, sniffing, and lounging. 

The playing continues until about 4pm when it’s dinner time (boarding guests, and again daycare pups are only fed if food is provided). 

At about 4:15pm our taxi driver begins gathering their taxi information and begins getting their taxi dogs ready for their journey home.  The bus departs depending on how many & where our daycare pups are being dropped off.

Roughly at 5pm our dinner pups are brought back out to the playgroup getting a couple more hours of playtime before bed at 7pm.  During this time many of our daycare friends bid us farewell for the evening.  Our staff is again checking our boarding guests’ rooms to make sure they are nice and cozy for the evening double checking to see if any of our boarding guests get any bedtime snacks—of course refreshing waters as we check each pup’s room. 

At 6pm special attention is made to make sure each of our rotation dogs have at least one more opportunity to relieve them selves before bedtime.  Remember though they have been getting continuously (nonstop) getting attention for at least 10 minutes every hour from when we open until we close. 

As close to 7pm as possible we bring our overnight guests back to their rooms and tuck them in for the evening.  *We hope that by 7pm all our daycare pups have been picked up.  But if not all our daycare guests have left we will contact the owner and go from there.* 

At 7pm we lock up for the evening, but our job is not done.  We double check to make sure all the pups are snug in their beds and tucked in for the evening.  All the lights are off (so they can have a peaceful evening), and we make sure the building is all locked up.  Before we leave we prep for the next morning making sure we have a heads up as to what boarding guests we will be expecting to see.  Finally we say goodnight to the pups and then we’re back the next day to do it all over again. 

Exhausted at the end of the day, but smiling because hey, who can’t smile when they’ve been spending the whole day with dogs!  In the end a tired dog is a happy dog and that makes our day all worth wild. 

I hope you enjoyed just a little peak into the day of the life of a kennel attendant.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

A walk down memory lane... Maggie O

A Walk Down Memory Lane
If you didn’t already know the dogs we see certainly become apart of our Preferred Pet Care Family, even if you may not come every day for daycare, board all the time, or come on a regular schedule for grooming.  Each of our customers and every one of the pups that comes to Preferred Pet Care is very special to all of our staff members.  We try as best as we can to establish a relationship with each of the four legged friends who walk through our doors (the two legged ones too).
Maggie O moved here from sunny California.  She began coming to daycare in 2008.  I can still recall her first day, her trial day.  Maggie’s parents are very protective of their little girl.  A new environment, a new state, a new house, lots of new things for Mags.  So being a little nervous was no surprise.  Maggie’s father dropped her off, he was a little nervous—as is many new parents when they send their children off to daycare. 

Brian did the introduction of Maggie.  "Shy at times.  Will keep to her self.  But does enjoy interacting with the other dogs.  No problems. A real sweetheart."  Since then Maggie has been coming to daycare a couple times a week.  She is still her same "Maggie" self.  Still getting use to Jersey- not sure if she really enjoys all four seasons, but certainly enjoying her time with her friends at Preferred Pet Care.  Maggie is not a big player but she does have her moments.  Since coming to daycare Maggie has come out of her shell and it's always exciting to watch when she finds a playmate.  Maggie had her first long boarding stay over Christmas and she did wonderfully at Preferred Pet Care.  She loved getting the staff attention, and she was simply amazing for boarding- one might even say she was a model Preferred Pet Care boarding pup! 
When Maggie started her owners estimated her to be around 7 years old, now it's been (a little under) 5 years later from when she started coming to daycare.  She has certainly grown to know and love our staff.  Thanks for choosing Preferred Pet Care for Maggie! 

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Fundraisers

Unfortunately, today we’d like to dedicate“A day in the life of a dog” blog to something very important that we’d like to address with everyone. 


Dear Customers;

We appreciate your business.  We understand that each of you have varying causes that you support, and we’d love to support each of those charities.  But unfortunately we are unable to do so.  If you are having a fundraiser or event we’d certainly love to know about it.  We can help you advertise for the event by putting up your flyers on our bulletin board and marking it on our calendar (which is also on our Facebook and/or blog).  But unfortunately we cannot donate to every cause.  Preferred Pet Care does support a variety of animal related causes (with donations of food, services, etc).  We appreciate your understanding on the matter.  Thank you for your continued support and business.

Sincerely;

Preferred Pet Care

Friday, February 1, 2013

February Calendar!


◄ January     ~ February 2013 ~     March ►  
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday  
                    1   2    
            Groundhog Day!  
            Happy Birthday Clementine!  
               
               
               
3   4   5   6   7   8   9    
Superbowl Sunday! Happy Birthday Dog of the Week! PPC Trivia! Blogging Thursday PPC Trivia! Happy Birthday Luna!  
Happy Birthday Java!            
Snickers K !              
               
               
10   11   12   13   14   15   16    
Chinese New Year! Walk down Memory  Mardi Gras Happy Birthday Blogging Thursday PPC Trivia!    
  Lane (PPC staff Happy Birthday Crosby! Happy Valentine's Day!      
  shares a memory) Sammy B/R! PPC Trivia!        
    Dog of the Week!          
               
17   18   19   20   21   22   23    
  President's Day! Dog of the Week! Love your Pet Day! Blogging Thursday! Walking the Dog Day! Seth Boyden   
  Regular Hours   PPC Trivia! Happy Birthday PPC Trivia! Demonstration  
  Happy Birthday      Cairo M!   School Auction  
  Shiva!         *See Flyer for details*  
               
24   25   26   27   28   Notes:      
The Academy Awards Preferred Pet Care Happy Birthday Rockie PPC Trivia! Blogging Thursday! National Pet Dental,    
aka the Oscars.. Don't Superlatives aka  J & Will C!     Responsible Pet    
worry we plan "Oscars" are Dog of the Week!     Owners, Responsible    
on doing our own announced       Animal Guardian    
version w/ Superlatives         Month