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What vaccinations need to be current for my dog or cat to board or attend day camp at Kamp K9? My dog hasn’t been spayed/neutered yet. Can they still come to Kamp K9? My dog has never boarded or attended day camp at Kamp K9 before. Can I send him/her over any time? What does the evaluation process consist of? Do all the dogs REALLY get along with each other? Don’t fights break out sometimes? If there are no individual runs, where do they sleep at night? How many dogs are there at any given time? 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? |
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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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Why do you recommend that dogs spend some day care time ahead of their first boarding stay? That’s because, in our years of experience, we’ve consistently seen that a dog does better and adjusts much faster, especially for their first night, if they’re familiar with the sights, the sounds, the smells, and the rhythm of the day here. Now, this is honestly not an effort to maximize our dollars out of our clients, and we understand that for some people, this is a potential expense that they weren’t planning for on top of their dog’s boarding, so we offer pre-boarding day care to first-timers at half price. It’s a bargain when you realize the benefits of pre-boarding acclimation.(top) 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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