Holiday Rules for Dogs

Important Rules to remember during the holiday season

The holiday season can be a very strange time when you’re a dog.  People are decorating their houses with lights, humans put trees in the house and put lights on those too, the humans wear ugly sweaters, they make huge feasts that we’re not allowed to snack on, the list goes on and on… and apparently some fat guy checks that list twice.  Be especially patient with your humans during this time. They may appear to be more stressed-out than usual so remember to remind them that petting you helps to relieve some stress.  They may come home with large bags of things they call gifts. Do not assume that all the gifts are yours. They also wrap these said gifts with paper, make a note that you’re not supposed to rip the paper off these gifts.  Be tolerant if your humans put decorations on you.  They seem to get some special kind of pleasure out of seeing how dogs look with fake antlers.  Crazy.  However if they put bells or sweaters on you, well you’re going to need to sit down and have a talk with your human. 

The Christmas Tree: 

They may bring a large tree into the house and set it up in a prominent place and cover it with lights and decorations.  Bizarre as this may seem to you, it is an important ritual for your humans, so here are some things canines need to know:

· Don't pee on the tree.

· Don't drink water in the container that holds the tree.

· Mind your tail when you are near the tree.

· Don’t eat those fun looking objects on the tree, apparently they’re not edible.

· The tree is unfortunately not meant for you to rub up on.  Seriously who puts a tree in the house?

· If there are packages under the tree, even ones that smell interesting or that have your name on them, don't rip them open.  Just keep saying the mantra, “I will not eat gifts, I will not eat gifts.”

· Don't chew on the cord that runs from the funny-looking hole in the wall to the tree.  I once saw in a movie how that didn’t end well for a cat. 

Discretion:

Your humans may occasionally invite lots of strangers to come visit during this season. These parties can be lots of fun, but they also call for some discretion on the part of we dogs:

· Not all strangers appreciate kisses.  We need to talk to our owners about these people, maybe they need new friends.

· Do not eat off the buffet table, apparently that’s frowned upon. 

· Beg for goodies by all means but do it........ subtly.  Use those puppy dog eyes, don’t nonchalantly take a snack from a plate. 

· Be pleasant, even if unknowing strangers sit on your sofa.  Tis the season for sharing!

· Don't drink out of glasses that are left within your reach.  Those humans are crazy, who know what they’re drinking.

Manners:

Likewise, your humans may take you visiting at Christmas.  Here your manners will also be important:

· Respect the territory of other animals that may live in the house.  Remember you’re a guest.

· Tolerate children.  I know this can be hard when they’re grabbing your ears and your tails.  But I promise your human will reward you for your good behavior. 

· Turn on your charm big time.

· A big man with a white beard and a very loud laugh may emerge from your fireplace in the middle of the night.  Do not bite him.  He brings goodies, and if you’re lucky he might even share his midnight snacks with you.  

Thanksgiving Dog Poem

Here's a special poem for all the furry paws under all the Thanksgiving tables!

Family gathers ‘round the table

Set with turkey, yams and dressing,

Holding hands and bowing heads

Thanking God for every blessing.

Platters steaming, bowls are brimming,

Dishes circle like a wreath.

Though the tabletop is tempting,

I’m drawn to something underneath.

At my feet I feel a tapping

A paw that tells me someone’s there.

Perhaps he’s hoping for a morsel.

But instead, I say a prayer.

Thank you God for furry paws

That sweetly nudge and jump and run.

Thank you for the tail that wags

Unceasingly, never done.

For ears that hear me drawing near,

For the nose so cold and wet,

The fur so soft (unless it rains)

That’s warm and comforting to pet.

For the eyes that tell me how he feels,

And the gaze I never tire of.

The tongue that kisses sloppily.

The faithful heart so full of love.

Thanksgiving is a time of year

Acknowledgments abound.

Appreciation multiplies

For loved ones all around.

So, I’m thankful for friends and family

And each gift God shall enable.

And I’m thankful for my loyal dog

Who waits underneath the table.

A few of our Favorite Pups...

At Preferred Pet Care the staff gets the amazing experience of meeting literally hundreds of dogs.  Despite that we love all of the pups that come in, we would be lying if we said we didn’t have our favorites.  However of course when we say “favorites” it ends up being a long, long, long list.  So we thought we would feature some of our favorite dogs and blog about them.  And don’t worry if you don’t read about your dog right away, I’m sure you’ll end up reading about them sooner or later.  

I cannot even fandom how many dogs I have had the pleasure of meeting over my +8 years of being with the company.  So today I thought I’d tell you about one of my favorite dogs that is a regular at Preferred Pet Care Inc.  Magic: One of my favorite dogs is Magic, he started coming to doggie daycare in December 2012.  Magic is a Tennessee Tree hound.  What makes Magic special is that he’s very much a dogs dog.  When he first started coming he was a ball of nerves.  Saying Magic was shy with people would be an understatement.  I certainly wouldn’t describe Magic as cowering in the corner when people came near him.  He was more less extremely guarded, fearful, and didn’t know what to expect of people.  I guess the other dogs must have talked to him and told him how awesome Preferred Pet Care Inc is, because he soon realized that he loves Preferred Pet Care Inc.  He barks to come in, he barks to go home.  Magic is truly one happy pup when he’s here.  Magic curls up when he’s in his room and when you go to pet him he just melts into the ground expecting belly rubs.  He nuzzles his head on you for you to continue petting.  It’s remarkable though because if he doesn’t know you he instantly will revert back to his old ways.  He’s a pup where you have to earn his trust, and with that comes tons of doggie kisses. -Crystal

Faraday: One of my favorites is Faraday.  First of all the name Faraday is just fun to say.  Secondly he’s just such a big goofball, he’s the kind of pup that could put a smile on anyone’s face.  Faraday just seems to be aloof to everything that’s going on in the world, he’s just doing his own thing.  All the other dogs could be having indept conversations about politics and Faraday would be over on the side chasing a butterfly marveling over the pretty clouds.  Faraday is a large white, short-haired, maybe husky mix that has freckles that appear depending on the season.  Despite Faraday’s size he is a big baby.  He’s scared of hats, balloons, plastic bags, anything new, and probably his own shadow.  Instead of standing big and tall he crotches down as low as he can possibly get to the group and maneuver over to whatever scary thing.  You can’t help but laugh when you see him do this, it’s like really Faraday you’re afraid of that?!  Tell me really how could you not fall in love with this goofball?- Joe

Just Like Us

 

JUST LIKE US

Our dogs are members of the family.  Children are not kept at home to protect them from colds and tummy aches, skinned knees or broken bones.  People are encouraged to play and explore.  They require socialization and experience in order to mature and have a complete life.   Our dogs are just like us.

When I was a child our dogs stayed home all day waiting for our family to return, they did not interact with other dogs or have proper stimulation.  We did not board our dogs because overcrowded, caged boarding was the only option.  Today with Daycare, Social Boarding & Dog Parks, our dog’s life experience has changed for the better.  Our dogs are exposed to a lot more than they used to be, both intellectually and physically.  Although the positives vastly outweigh the negatives, there are some things that we need to be aware of.  Socialization increases the risk of catching a cold, a stomach bug or anything else that can be passed along from one dog to another.  Preferred Pet Care (PPC) was designed and is maintained with health and cleanliness in mind.  However, our dogs are just like us.

Preferred Pet Care provides a clean and safe environment for your dog during their stay with caring professionals to supervise them, play with them and give them love and attention.  Some of them are graceful and full of energy, some are clumsy and goofy, some of our dogs move carefully around as they play, and some of them are like bulls in a china shop.  Whichever category your dog falls into, even with the closest and best supervision, accidents or injuries may occur.  Our dogs are just like us.

Just like us, dogs do not always show symptoms of a cold when they are contagious.  Just like us, even the most graceful of dogs can have a not so graceful moment.  Just like us, dogs don’t always let their families know when they aren’t feeling well and come in to daycare or boarding before anyone realizes it. 

Although injuries and colds are extremely rare here, they do occur.  If we notice a dog with the sniffles or coughing, we remove them immediately to our isolation room and seek medical help for them.  We notify our customers as best we can when we are aware of a cold going around so YOU can make the decision as to what is best for your dog.  This information can be helpful whether you are checking in or checking out from participating in our services.

With all of the ways our dogs are just like us, there is one very important way our dogs are NOT just like us, and that is that they cannot tell us how they feel (although some of our clients will strongly disagree with that).  It is for this reason that we always recommend that if you suspect your dog may have caught a cold, has a tummy ache or doesn’t seem right for whatever reason, bring them to your vet.  Just like us, our pets can get better on their own, or they can get worse.  Without being able to tell us how they feel it is always safest to have a doctor examine them.

Following are some quotes from customers:

1.  If I kept my child home every time we were aware of a cold going around they would never leave the house.
2. We don’t want to put our dog at risk, but at the same time they would be missing out on so much if we kept them sheltered at home all the time.
3. My kids hurt themselves goofing off at home as much as when they are out.  My dog is no different.
4. At least at PPC, unlike the dog park, we know all the dogs are vaccinated and someone is always watching them.
5. My dog can hurt himself or catch a cold anywhere, but my dog loves it here so much he may as well be having the time of his life.
6. My kids caught everything under the sun at daycare but when they went to school, they were the ones that never got sick.

Dogs are better than human beings because they know but do not tell.
—Emily Dickinson

Boarding Reservations...

We have a maximum number of individual dogs that we can take.  Individual dogs are those dogs that are on our “Rotation” program.  Rotation dogs receive individual staff attention for at least ten minute every hour.  Unfortunately once we hit that maximum number we cannot take any more individual dogs, we refuse to compromise the quality of care of the dogs.  At Preferred Pet Care Inc. our motto is, “Dogs come first”. 

Furthermore we have a maximum amount of dogs that we can take for boarding.  Just like a hotel, once all the rooms are booked up that’s it.  There’s nothing else we can do.  We unfortunately can’t just make more rooms. 

Trust us we hate to turn away business.  We would love to never have to turn customers away, but unfortunately we have to once we hit our maximum for individual (rotation dogs) and when we have filled all our boarding rooms.

The best suggestion that we can give is to make your boarding arrangement as far as in advanced as possible.  A good rule of thumb is that anytime the schools are closed (major holidays, school events such as spring break, summer time) to book your boarding stay as soon as you can.  

Featured Pups of the week 5/23-5/31

5/23: Barney- The Commodore Barney can only be described as a knucklehead.  He is a big dopey puppy.  He is only a year old and he has no idea he’s not that small puppy anymore.  He’s now ~100lbs.  Barney loves when he comes for a visit to North Jersey to see all of his friends.  He actually is so excited that he had trouble staying in the playgroup, Barney will often escape from the playgroup just so that he can be the first dog to meet whoever is coming into the group.  When he’s not hanging with all his friends at Preferred Pet Care Inc. he’s gallivanting in South Jersey going fishing, going for mile long runs, or playing in the water. 

5/24: Hank & Frankie-What can we say about Hank & Frankie?  Well let’s see…  Hank like everyone enjoys a good slice of pizza or two.  In Hanks youth he got whatever his little heart desired for what he wanted to eat.  He has the Garfield of the dog world menu.  Unfortunately now that Mr. Hank is up there in age he’s like so many of us and is on a restricted diet.  Shockingly Hank doesn’t mind and enjoys his food just the same.  Frankie or Francis (that’s his proper name) is a quirky fellow.  Frankie takes time to warmup with people there are only a select few that he likes (can’t blame you on that one Frankie).  The most amusing thing about the Hank & Frankie duo is when they’re in their room laying on their beds.  Frankie always feel he should have the biggest bed, and somehow Hank allows it and always ends up on the same bed.  Oh Hank, you’re so silly!  Shockingly I was able to find a picture that we took of them when they’re both on their correct beds. 

5/25: Oscar- So despite that Oscar is no longer with us and crossed over to the rainbow bridge a while ago since so many people remember him I felt we had to make him a featured pup of the day in remembrance of him.  Oscar was our big white Akita mix that it seemed everyone knew.  He was always at Preferred Pet Care Inc., if he wasn’t here for daycare he was here for boarding (Don’t worry he had a loving family away from his Preferred Pet Care Inc. family too).  Oscar retired to Preferred Pet Care Inc. in 2013 and spent his last year living with us at his doggie assisted living.  Besides from being a big white teddy bear for the small dogs to nuzzle his other noticeable feature was his two different color eyes.  Oscar was such a character he would spend his days napping but then suddenly wake up with spurts of puppy power.  Despite that many of us at Preferred Pet Care Inc. only knew about Oscar in his older days I’d like to share with you how the owners actually acquired Oscar.  He was found by the owner’s son when he was away at college.  Their son was living with a bunch of his friends.  A house full of college guys and a big dog what could possible go wrong?  Over the course of living at the house apparently Oscar would get himself into some trouble.  Eventually the owner’s son gave Oscar to his parents.  Of course that didn’t stop him from getting into mischief.  For such a big dog in his youth he was a master escape artist.  So basically what we can gather is in Oscar’s youth he was partying away at college and going on adventures in the neighborhood meeting new people.  What a life that dog led! 

5/26: Maisy S.- Maisy Sassy Lady!  Maisy Sassy Pants is a Portuguese Water Dog.  Maisy absolutely loves playing with the hose.  Of course she also loves tennis balls.  When Maisy isn’t running amuck at daycare she can be found at the reservation.  She’s often there running rampant in the woods, playing in the water, and occasionally I’m sure getting into some mischief. 

5/27: Birdie L- Birdie’s best friend is Daisy G.  Birdie and Daisy are nonstop players.  Birdie loves to smile.  Birdie is an absolute sweetheart! 

5/31: Dallas- To end the featured pup of the day our head of Security, Dallas...  So Dallas decided to write about himself (if you’ve ever had the pleasure of hearing Crystal’s Dallas voice you basically need to read it in that voice): So umm I’m Dalla Beau, also known as Dallas, or my gansta name as D-Bone, you know from my short lived rapping career.  I was born down in Dallas, North Carolina.  By the time I was two I had numerous different owners and five different names (Kenu, Blue, Keanu, Indigo, Indy).  My last owners gave me up right before Christmas, so I spent my first Christmas in a shelter.  I was finally adopted 5 years ago in May by my forever family.  Since then I’ve been getting spoiled nonstop.  I use to be a group dog and would come to Preferred Pet Care Inc and play with my friends, however I got in one (or maybe more) little fight and got booted out to be an individual dog.  Since then I’ve become head of security greeting everyone that comes in the door, taste testing, testing out the merchandise, sometimes I even roam in the back to help check rooms.  Mostly though I’m typically sleeping on the job (shhh don’t tell my boss), I mean it’s a hard job and being as good looking as I am you need a lot of beauty rest.  

Pup of the Day week of 5/16-5/20/2016

5/16/16: To start the week for the pup of the day is... Bella H. has been a long time customer. Before Maplewood she was a regular with her sister Maggie at the West Orange location. (Rip Maggie ) Now Bella H is a regular with her brother Ranger. Bella is a ball fanatic! When we had our first ball day (Yes, there will be more!) her parents said she was one exhausted puppy dog. Bella is like a professional ball boy. Every time we threw a ball she zoned in on it and was determined to fetch it.

 
5/17/16: Our pup of the day goes to... Little Miss Izzy Azalea is a regular for doggie daycare. Izzy has many names that she goes by: Izzy, Azalea, and Little. She is a pint sized chocolate lab with a lot of spunk! Her best friends are Kili and Jagger, the three of them basically all grew up together over the past two years. What more can you say about Little?

5/18/16:For today's featured pup of the day it is Nacha & Stella. Nacha & Stella are a packaged deal. They’re both two of the sweetest dogs that you will ever meet. Nacha absolutely loves to play fetch, she will do so for hours and has no concept of when enough is enough. When she retrieves the ball/stick/etc. she will drop it at your feet, if you don’t toss it soon enough she will gently nudge it towards you to suggest you throw it. Stella is one silly girl she will chase after a ball even though she has one in her mouth, with no plans of dropping it. When they’re not running around playing they absolutely love to get staff attention.

5/19/16: For today our pup of the day is- Teddy F! Teddy is an old soul. He is a wise pup. Teddy always has something to say to the younger dogs. He loves getting staff attention when he’s in with the taxi group. Teddy will often mosey around meeting and greeting all the other dogs that are here for daycare and boarding. When the younger dogs get too rowdy he always polices them to let them know they need to calm down.

5/20/16: Who is our featured pup of the day you ask? Well let us tell you... it's Nika! Bad girl Nika as she goes by at Preferred Pet Care Inc is just that she’s a bad girl. But she loves being bad. Nika can’t contain herself she just loves to get herself into trouble. Nika is an aspiring artist. Apparently we just don’t appreciate her abstract artwork when she destroys her bed. All kidding aside she’s a sweetheart that just has a mischievous side to her.