What vaccinations need to be current for my dog or cat to board or attend day camp at Kamp K9?

Dogs need to be current on rabies, DHLPP, and Bordetella (kennel cough). Cats need to be current on rabies and distemper.
(Note: a vaccination does not guarantee that an animal won’t contract an infection. It’s like a human getting a flu shot: New strains of viruses and bacteria are appearing all the time, so there is still a risk that infection will occur, but if it does happen, the vaccination might help lessen its severity.)
Regarding Titer testing: Antibody Titer Testing is the process of examining the ability of an animal’s immune system to resist infections from various conditions. Some pet parents prefer to use this method rather than have their pets subjected to a lot of vaccinations (especially if they have bad reactions to vaccines). This can mean, however, that an animal might not be “legal” in the eyes of the state. Kamp K9 will consider accepting such animals, on a case-by-case basis, provided that results are available for review.
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My dog hasn’t been spayed/neutered yet. Can they still come to Kamp K9?

That depends. If they’re still very young and the alteration is planned, but just hasn’t happened yet, an exception can be made. However, any male dog that is older than 1 year who hasn’t been altered, or any female who hasn’t been altered and has had heat, or a dog whose owner does not plan on altering them due to a wish to breed them cannot attend Kamp K9.
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My dog has never boarded or attended day camp at Kamp K9 before. Can I send him/her over any time?

The main advantage of Kamp K9 is that no one is ever caged or put into a separate pen of any kind…and that means that it’s extremely important that every animal gets evaluated prior to being able to attend day camp or board at Kamp K9. An unevaluated animal coming in out of the blue could introduce a potential loose cannon into a mix of otherwise happy, safe pets. Therefore, we typically cannot accept boarders or day campers at the last minute who have never been evaluated by Kamp K9 staff. Hopefully everyone understands that the safety, comfort and happiness of Kamp K9’s clientele are paramount.
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What does the evaluation process consist of?

It’s very simple. The dog is brought in and allowed to meet Luc in the front office, and get a few sniffs around the office, feeding, and grooming areas. Depending on how timid the newcomer is and how many dogs are already present, the other dogs might be removed from the common room and kept outside while the visitor is allowed to explore the common room undisturbed. (This is not done for a dog who very obviously is excited to meet all the others.) Then the outer door is opened and everyone is allowed to meet the “new kid.” Everyone is taken outside and the newcomer is allowed to sniff and be sniffed, and check out the outside surroundings, all under supervision.
What is being watched is the new comer’s sense of canine manners, how they handle being set upon by a lot of curious dogs in an already-established pack, and their curiosity of their surroundings and their new playmates. Their level of anxiety is also watched.
If the prospective pup looks like they’ll do well here, it’s recommended for boarders that they attend a day or half day of day camp prior to their first overnight. While not a requirement, it has been proven to help make a newcomer’s first overnight stay easier. If that’s not possible, another recommendation is to drop them off early in the day. This gives them more time to acclimate to the facility and the routine here, and it gets them in the ground floor, so to speak, of the day’s new pack.

Most dogs do just fine; most owners have a clue as to how their dogs are with others, and people with aggressive dogs don’t tend to try this place. The most common reason for a dog not being accepted here is due to a high level of anxiety. An overly-anxious dog is, at best, very unhappy and scared, and at worst, destructive in their attempts to get out and/or violent in their self-defense.
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Do all the dogs REALLY get along with each other? Don’t fights break out sometimes?

Yes, they really DO get along with each other. This is because of two reasons. Firstly, dogs are pack animals by nature, and as such, they will seek out each other’s company. They LIKE to be with other dogs, although for some dogs it’s not something that they are often exposed to. Secondly, when they’re here, they have a human pack leader (me!), whose status as pack leader is unquestioned. (This is accomplished through a calm-assertive bearing and general strong mindset, not to mention being the one who controls the play and the food. It is NOT done through intimidation, yelling, etc.) When dogs have a strong pack leader, the can relax and enjoy life, because they don’t have to shoulder the responsibility. Most dogs don’t want to be the leader, but if they sense a power vacuum, they will feel compelled by instinct to step into the role of leader, which is when you start to have problems. That doesn’t happen here.
Scuffles very rarely occur, and when they do, it’s either over a toy because one dog has fixated on it (dogs who are overly possessive of everything are dangerous to the others, and do not get to stay here), or because someone just isn’t getting the hint that his/her advances aren’t welcome. Such scuffles are extremely short, are usually just a lot of noise, and don’t result in any kind of injury. (These are basically one dog giving another a “correction” regarding their behavior, and are normal when first getting to know the others.) Anything beyond that is not tolerated here, and if any dog or cat makes a habit of such behavior, they are separated from the others and not allowed to stay here.
But again, with the knowledge that there is a strong pack leader, life is happy and calm.
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If there are no individual runs, where do they sleep at night?

The cat room has several fleece beds throughout, as well as fleece-lined travel crates with open doors, so everyone gets to choose their own personal space. For the dogs, the interior “common room” has 5 human toddler beds (which are preferred by many dogs), as well as soft bedding left out in the open, and several travel crates without doors, so if a dog prefers a human bed, an open floor bed, or a crate or something cave-like, they can have it. At the end of the day, everyone is so tired that they simply pick their favorite spot and crash for the night. It’s just about the cutest thing you’ve ever seen.
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How many dogs are there at any given time?

The total amount of day campers and boarders typically averages around 8-13. Obviously, around vacation weeks and holidays, that number jumps significantly. The highest number of dogs over the course of a day has been 26, and that’s pretty much the limit here.
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Does anyone ever escape?

The layouts of the office area, cat room, and the dog common room are such that there are multiple doors and safeguards in place, and the fencing surrounding the outdoor play yards is solid, so even with the freedom of movement that everyone enjoys here, escape is not an occurrence here.
Now, a dog will only try to escape in cases of extreme boredom or separation anxiety. Both are alleviated here by the near-constant activity going on and the amount of human interaction and attention they all get. In other words, they’re having too much fun to even think about trying to get out.
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Why do you recommend that dogs spend some day care time ahead of their first boarding stay?

Why do you recommend that dogs get dropped off for boarding early in the day?

We strongly suggest it for a few reasons. The first is that they can have the large part of the day to run and play, and therefore get themselves tired out. This makes for a dog who’s much less wound-up their first night. The second is that it’s very tough to have a fresh, energetic, excited dog coming in here at a point in the day when all the others, who have been here all day long, are tired from having played for several hours (and are also anticipating their being picked up by their parents). Such a dog can often be frustrated by the lack of play response from the other dogs, increasing anxiety. Lastly, late in the day is a busy time for day care pick-up, and thus we get called out of the yard and into the office many times. After, or sometimes during that period, it’s feeding time for the overnighters. It’s therefore difficult to be outside with a newcomer and devote time to getting them acclimated and play with them to try and burn off at least some of their energy. Again, we’re not trying to squeeze every last buck out of our clients – we’re trying to help their dog(s) be as happy and comfortable as possible.
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