What's a "snow day"?

“What’s a snow day?  Who has one of those?”

Our staff is often shocked when we’re asked by people (customers, friends, family, etc.), “Well, what do you guys do when you have a blizzard or a hurricane?  Do you still have to work?”.  Many of our employees are surprised when people ask us that question.  Well, what do you think?  We have live animals here.  If we’re not there to feed them or take them outside who is going to? 

In the 20 years since we have opened our doors we have never missed a day due to bad weather.  We’re thinking about adopting the U.S. post office’s slogan of “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds”.  I guess we would have to change that just a little.  I think our motto of, “Dog’s come first” is pretty good on its own; what do you think?

During Hurricane Sandy many of our staff lost power.  We ourselves at Preferred Pet Care Inc. lost power.  Did we close our doors?  No, we did just the opposite.  Many of our customers were in the same predicament of us with losing power.  Some customers left their homes to stay at friends or relatives or to stay in a hotel.  Unfortunately some of them couldn’t bring along their furry friends.  So even with no power we had our doors opened for both boarding and daycare.  We had overnight boarding guests and we had pups for daycare too.  We operated on a slightly altered schedule, however overall it was business as usual.

Every winter when it snows we still have staff members here taking care of the pups.  Not only are we here feeding, cleaning, and playing with the pups but we’re also here shoveling to make sure the pups have a lush green yard to play in. 

The dedication our employees show is outstanding.  This past weekend with winter storm Jonas both our Saturday & Sunday weekend crew were here providing the same fantastic care that we always do.  What’s a little snow?  (Alright maybe a lot of snow depending on who you ask).  The snow would not deter our employees from coming in and taking care of our overnight guests.  Many people had a “snow day” today due to the aftermath of the storm, but here at Preferred Pet Care Inc. we wonder, “What’s a snow day?.”  Just another day at Preferred Pet Care Inc., business as usual, and that’s all thanks to our outstanding employees (Thanks everyone!).  

Are you just like your dog?

Are you just like your dog?

Pet Products News International December 2015 Issue:

Study Finds People Choose Dogs That Act Like Them

We’ve all heard the old cliché that people look like their dogs, but would you be surprised to find out that people and their dogs tend to socialize, eat and learn new skills in very similar ways, too?

            According to the Natural Balance Canine Personality Study—a survey of 1,015 U.S. dog owners conducted by Burbank, Calif-based Natural Balance Pet Foods in conjunction with Learndipity Data Insights—Americans love dogs who often are just like them.

            Sixty-six percent of extroverted people have extroverted dogs—and there’s a 65 percent chance that an introverted dog will have an introverted human owner.  If you’re a choosy eater, your dog is three times more likely to be one as well.  If you identify as a lifelong learner, then there’s a 72 percent chance your dog will be good at learning new tricks. 

            Dogs display complex emotions, just like we do.

            Dogs’ personalities are highly nuanced, and they experience many emotions that are all too familiar to us humans.  If you’re hurt or late coming home, 90 percent of dog owners believe your dog is worried about you.  Seventy-nine percent say dogs can feel embarrassment, while 93 percent are certain they’ve seen their dog smile. 

            Dogs strongly influence the emotions of their human owners.

            According to 79 percent of dog owners, their dogs consciously and actively attempt to comfort them.  Fifty-five percent report that their dog looks at them with loving eyes that communicate deep emotion; 52 percent say their dog is able to accurately sense when they are sad.  

Holidays-Boarding Stays

Even though the holidays just came to a close it is never too early to book your dog’s boarding stay with us.  A good rule of thumb is that anytime schools are out that we are busy and may potentially be booked.  Some holidays/times to keep in mind are as follows: New Years, Martin Luther King Jr Day, Presidents Day (*may schools have winter break over this time), Spring Break/Easter, Memorial Day, 4^th of July, the months of July & August, Labor Day, Teacher’s convention (typically the first weekend in November), Thanksgiving, and Christmas season (typically from December 22^nd thru to January 2^nd).  Our best suggestion is to reserve your pup’s boarding reservation at least 4-6 weeks before your planned vacation.  If you’re unsure if you may need to cancel or change the boarding dates we highly recommend purchasing boarding insurance.  The boarding insurance is an additional fee, however it does allow you to cancel up until 6pm the day before the scheduled arrival date. 

This past year 2015 we booked up for the Christmas season before the end of November.  If you call and we are booked for the time frame you are looking for always ask about a waiting list.  We did have some people cancel their plans and therefore allowed for some of our customers on the waiting list to have a spot open up for them.  However please keep in mind we do only have a so many rooms that we can book.  Unfortunately once we are full we can’t just make new rooms to accommodate everyone.  We hate turning of customers away, and we wish we could accommodate everyone.  But unfortunately it’s not always possible. 

Additionally we do have a limit for how many individual dogs we can take, so that means if your dog is not with the other dogs (if they are not in our playgroup: if they don’t get along with the other dogs, or if you would prefer them not to be introduced) they are considered to be an individual dog.  Each “individual” dog receives at least ten minutes every hour of individual staff attention.  We will NOT compromise on the quality of care therefore we have a limit for how many individual dogs we can accommodate.  

Preferred Pet Care Inc takes care of our overnight guests 365 days a year (366 this year thank you Leap Year).  We are only closed six days out of the year: New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, 4^th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.  Even though our front office is CLOSED on those holidays there is still staff who is away from their family and friends working taking care of all our pups here.  

Fromm Promotion

What dog food are you feeding your dog?  Do you know what’s in your dog food?  Does it contain by-product meal, corn gluten meal, corn, wheat, or meat & bone meal?  Do you know how much fat or protein your dog should be getting?  Or even know what that information translates into? 

If you don’t know these questions I encourage you to check out your dog food bag today.  You just might be surprised at what you find is lurking in your pup’s food. 

Does your dog board with us?  While they stay do they have our “House” food here?  Can you name what our “House” food is?  Our “House” food is Fromm Adult Gold dry kibble.  What was that?  You said you’ve never heard of Fromm before?!  No way!  Well let me tell you about Fromm.  Fromm Family Foods is a fifth-generation family owned and operated artisan pet food company that is based in Wisconsin.  The Fromm Family has been maintaining a tradition of quiet innovation dedicated to the health and nutrition of animals since 1904.  They actually helped developed the first canine distemper vaccine in the 1930’s.  In 1949 they even introduced the concept of premium pet food by pioneering the process of cooking meat and grain together to create the dry kibble food that is so popular today.  Because of their tradition of quite innovation that’s why you won’t find Fromm products at big name super stores.  Fromm’s belief is that, as a family owned and operated business themselves they understand the kind of commitment pet specialty store owners have to their customers, employees, and communities.  Their retail partners are exclusively independent businesses and family owned businesses. 

Now of course I’m sure you want to know a little more about the dog food.  You wouldn’t want to eat Italian food every day, would you?  So why should your dog have to eat the same thing?  With Fromm’s line of artisan dog food you can interchange the flavors so if your dog is feeling “Chicken a la veg” one day they can have that and change to “Whitefish & Potato”  the next day without doing a transition from one to another. 

So here is Fromm’s proposition to you…

• ·         1 FREE 4lb or 5lb bag or Fromm when you buy any size one bag (1 per customer)-also for existing Fromm customers! (This also means you already have 2 UPC codes already towards the Frequent Buyers program! 
• ·         Or bring us your empty bag of food (that’s right we want the empty bag of dog food that you’re currently feeding) and we will give you one free 4lb or 5lb bag of Fromm (1 per customer). –Unfortunately NOT for existing Fromm customers. 
• ·         Lastly price match- You’re interested in changing your pup’s dog food to Fromm, but are you worried about the cost?  Fromm is sure that you will see the quality in their food that we will match the price.  Bring us the receipt for what you’re currently paying for your pup’s food and we’ll match it. 

*Additional Fromm Promotions:  Frequent Buyer Program buy 12 bags of Fromm and we will you give your 13^th bag free.  Just cut out and save the proof of purchase from each bag and place them in our frequent buyer envelope.  Return the completed envelope and 12 Proof of Purchased UPCs to us and we’ll give you your 13^th bag free! 

Not sure which Fromm flavor or line to try or to switch your dog to?  Ask us!  But make sure to give us the whole picture of your dog’s eating habits.  What food is your dog currently eating?  If you have the bag bring it in that will assist us with what food we should direct you to try.  Does your dog have any “allergies”?  Do they have any medical issues?  Do they have a “sensitive stomach”?  Does your dog tend to not like certain flavors?  We would be delighted to explain to you more about the different Fromm lines.  

Read Now & Safe for Later…

Yearly Halloween Reminder with some important information:

With Halloween right around the corner don’t forget about Fido.  Doorbells ringing, children in scary costumes, candy everywhere, loud noises, and all these things can be a danger to your pup. 

Some dogs get stressed out during the day from the doorbell constantly ringing, if your dog is one of these pups consider perhaps having them come for the day for daycare 9am-6pm or stay overnight for a boarding stay. 

Remember to make sure that all candy is a safe distant away from dogs.  Many of our sweet delicious treats are hazardous to our pups can in fact cause them to become extremely sick.

Xylitol is a 5-carbon sugar alcohol used as a sweetener that’s in sugar-free gums, candies, and baked goods.  When a dog ingests Xylitol it can cause vomiting, collapsing, loss of coordination, seizures, and in severe cases liver failure.  It many cause symptoms will develop within 15-30 minutes of ingestion.  However sometimes symptoms can be delayed for up to 12 hours.

If you think your dog may have ingested something call your veterinarian or if it is after hours call one the local emergency veterinarian offices.  Westfield Veterinary Group & Wellness Center is located at 562 Springfield Ave in Westfield (908)232-1048, they’re open 24/7.  Animal Emergency & Referral Associates is located at 1237 Bloomfield Ave in Fairfield (973)788-0500.  Oradell Animal Hospital located at 580 Winters Ave in Paramus (201)262-0010.  Red Bank Veterinary Hospital offers 24-Hour Emergency and Critical Care and has five locations throughout NJ (732)747-3636.  

The debate continues who is the best dog?

Apparently the debate was not as clear cut as we thought it would be.  The other pups at Preferred Pet Care got in on the debate of who is the best dog.  So we decided to sit in and listen to why some of these dogs think they're the best.

Spud & Gritz think that they should be in the running for best dog ever because they are the real package deal.  Their names say it all Spud & Gritz, you can’t have one without the other.  Spud is working on his singing career; to you and me it may just seem like howling but Spud is convinced it’s the next big thing.  He’s been practicing all summer long and is thinking about trying out for The Voice.  Gritz on the other hand is the brains of the operation.  She apparently is the songwriter for Spud.  So all those beautiful words that Spud is singing is really Gritz pouring her soul for Spud to sing.

Hobie is working on becoming a professional wrestler.  You wouldn’t know it from his size but he’s one mighty dog.  Hobie has been practicing his wrestling skills with Zoey, Batman, Zak, and Parker.  Despite that Hobie doesn’t have an amusing wrestling name he’s confident his skills will speak for themselves.

Athena & Teddy think that they also should be declared the best dog ever.  Athena is—hmm, how shall we put this—she’s a sassy girl.  Athena is a beautiful Chihuahua mix with a gorgeous white and tan coat with a fluffy tail.  Her tail really encompasses her personality showing she’s a sassy lady.  Athena prefers the finer things in life such a bologna.  She also enjoys hanging with her companion Teddy, being carried, and of course getting lots of individual attention. Teddy on the other hand well he’s an absolute sweetheart; he’s a cream morkie (Maltese/Yorkie).  All Teddy wants is to play, play play.  Teddy is an equal opportunity player and with play with anyone who agrees to play with him.

Where’s Waldo?  Probably one of the more common questions the group person asks upon entering group.  Waldo is a staple at Preferred Pet Care Inc., just like Rufus, he’s one of our regular pups.  Waldo is a big dog trapped in a small dog’s body.  Waldo likes to announce himself when he enters the front office and when he enters the group.   Waldo really thinks he’s a king; he expects trumpets and horns to play upon entering the front office.  You can’t really blame him though because we do spoil him.  Waldo thinks he deserves to be voted the best dog, because plain and simple he thinks he is the best dog. There’s really no use arguing with Waldo because he does what he wants.  If Waldo wants company when he eats well then you will just need to keep him company.  If Waldo wants to make a nest of blankets, well then guess what he’s going to make a cozy little nest of blankets.  He’s a king.

 Faraday thinks that he should be voted as best dog ever only because he heard there was a crown involved.  Faraday would really like to wear a crown.  Beside from that he’s too busy playing with all of his friends to be involved in the debate.

Rigby practices Yoga with his mom.  He’s a professional at downward facing dog, that’s essentially his go to move in yoga.  Rigby has been working on developing his own type of yoga called Dooga (pronounced du-ga).  It’s completely different from Doga, because he practices it all on his own without any help from his human. Dooga is essentially down facing dog, upward facing dog, and playing with friends- at least that’s how it looks to us at Preferred Pet Care Inc.  I’m sure it only appears that way because Rigby is only at the beginning of developing this new practice.  Rigby thinks that if he is awarded the best dog award that it may add some credibility to his blossoming new practice.

 

So that’s what is currently going on with the Preferred Pet Care Inc’s  best dog debate, stay tuned because I’m sure other dogs will be adding to the debate of who should be in the running.

The debate continues... Who is the Best Dog?

For the past week there's been an ongoing debate at Preferred Pet Care Inc.  It's been all the dogs can talk about.  There's what some might call a family feud going on.  So to our faithful customers we decided to give you a peak at what that's bark going on at Preferred Pet Care Inc.

So, here's the scoop...  Maggie and Cooper have been arguing with their cousin Craig as to who the best dog is. Apparently Maggie & Cooper are a package deal so they've been debating with Craig which one between them and him is the best dog.  Here was their latest conversation that we had the pleasure of sitting in on.  Due to our “magical” dog abilities we were able to translate their communication for you. 

Hi my name is Craig.  I'm Maggie!  I'm Cooper!

Craig: Forget those two this is all about me.  I am the best dog there is.  First of all there's no denying I'm the best looking. I have this beautiful lush rust coat.  I’m so fluffy and soft. 
Cooper & Maggie: You may have a pretty coat Craig, but you shed.  We don't shed.
Craig: I don't shed I merely get lighter in the summer months and my hair thins out.

Cooper & Maggie: Enough of you Craig we all know we're the best dogs.  We're whoodles!  Have you even heard of a cooler breed of dog?  And it's sooooo much fun to say, Whoodle!  Whoodle!  We could say it all day.  Craig what kind of dog are you even?
Craig:  Well, I'm an amazing breed of dog....  I'm a Craiganator.  It means I'm an original, one a kind, there's no one like me.  Can you guys top that?

Cooper & Maggie: That sounds like a made up dog breed.
Craig: You're right a Whoodle does sound like a made up dog breed.  You're just jealous because you know I'm the best dog.

Cooper & Maggie: Okay fine then.  Well we're the best dog because we're a package deal.  We're the dynamic duo, we complement each other.  Plus we go with everything.  Umm, hello we are black and white, classic colors.
Craig: Alright, I'll give you that one you two go with everything.  You two are certainly the dynamic duo you can't have one without the other.  I don’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing.  That may just mean that it’s double the trouble.

Cooper & Maggie:  Or it means we’re double the fun!  Double the best dog ever!  We are obviously winning this debate. 

Maggie: Plus... I can drive.
Cooper: You cannot drive you just think you can.
Maggie: Well Craig doesn't know that.
Craig: No, I've seen your attempts at driving, you can't drive.  That's why Cooper & I stay in the back seat.

Craig: Well I'm the best dog because I share my food.
Maggie: Well I do too.
Cooper: I don't share my food.  It's delicious, why should I have to share?
Maggie: Cooper you're making us lose points for the best dog award.

Well the debate is still going on.  This is why they all have their own rooms.  Ah, pups, they can't always agree.  Well, we all know Dallas is the best dog....  No, it’s Rufus!  No, it’s Faraday!  Or maybe it’s Spud & Gritz!  Is it Dutchess?  Could it be Ruby?  What about Daisy?  Perhaps the best dog is Waldo?  Or is it your dog?  I guess we can all agree to disagree?