Ya Gotta Tell About Your Pets!

Ya Gotta Tell About Your Pets!

Susan Thixton

I read an article recently about a family whose dog escaped from a Dog Day Care Facility. The family was a new customer to this Day Care and when they returned to pick up their dogno dog. The article didn't share if the dog was later found, but what it did share was that after the escape, the owners told the day care the dog was a fence climber.

The moral of the storyshare information about your pet's habits and behaviors with pet care professionals. I used to own a kennel and training facility in Louisville, KY. One time - over the Christmas and New Years holiday - a new family brought me two Cocker Spaniels to board for two weeks during their vacation. The wife dropped the dogs off and shared with me that both dogs needed to have their ears cleaned every day (Cockers - with those heavy ears are prone to ear infections and tend to need extra care). Since I was not familiar with the dogs - I questioned the owner about how easily the dogs would allow a stranger to clean their ears (things are better these days - but back then many Cockers were very 'bite' prone to strangers - add an ear cleaning to the mix and now you know why I asked that question). The owner assured me this gets done everyday and that both dogs were fine with it. They seemed friendly enough, soday one I get the dogs out and play with them a bit to relax them. With my ear cleaner and cotton balls at hand, I went to one of the dogs to begin the cleaning. I promptly received the worst bite (still the record holder) of my entire career working with thousands and thousands of dogs. I thought the dog crushed my finger actually. And he wouldn't let go. It was one of those moments (probably would have been comical had it not hurt so bad) where while one hand was locked between the jaws of this dog - the other hand had to pry open it's mouth to get my hand back. He made a very strong point he didn't want his ears cleaned!

Forward two weeks, the husband came to pick up the dogs. As soon as he walked in the door I shared with him what happened. His reply"I'm sorry, they bite us too - we muzzle them to clean their ears."

The point to my sharing these storieswhenever you take your pet to a Groomer or Vet or Kennel - please tell the pet care provider things that you know about your pet's behavior and personality. If the Day Care had known the dog was a fence climber, they could have taken precautions to make sure he did not escape. If I had known the cockers were biters, I could have put a quick muzzle on them and been able to keep their ears in good health and my hand in good health. I could share a million more stories just like the two above - my only guess as to why they happen so often is that some pet owners might be a little ashamed of their pet's behaviors sometimes. My advice to you is to get over the embarrassment and tell pet care professionals what they need to know to keep your pet safe.

Sadly, there are some pet care providers that just don't care enough. I cringe when I think about the outcome of reckless pet professional behavior. I cannot tell you exactly how to avoid reckless pet care businesses, but I can give you some suggestions.

1. The pet business should be clean. I firmly believe that if a pet business owner doesn't care enough about the cleanliness of the facility, what else don't they care about? The pet business does not have to be 'state of the art' in design - but it does need to be clean.

2. Meet the staff. Not just the person at the desk - try to meet, look in the eye, and talk with as many of the employees as you can. That's a little difficult - especially from the business owners perspective - but those are the people that will be caring for your baby, try your best.

3. Get references. The best information can be learned from other customers of the business. Get several references and call them.

4. Depending on your state - some pet care businesses are guided by local Animal Control licensing. If that is the case in your state, call the licensing agency and ask about any reports of abuse or misconduct with this business. At the very least, check with the BBB.

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