Share with your Pet Care Professionals | Dogs

By SusanThixton
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I recently read an article about a Dog Day Care who had the unfortunate experience of a dog escaping the facility in the middle of the day and no one noticed. At the end of the day, the dog's owners (brand new to this daycare) returned to pick up their dog andno dog. The article did not provide any information if there was a happy ending to the story - so we don't know if Fido returned home. But what the article did share was that - after the fact - the owners told the day care that the dog was a fence climber. Everyone assumed the little guy (Beagle) climbed the six foot fence and was gone before anyone noticed the escape.

I used to own a boarding kennel and dog training facility. Over the Christmas holiday one year, a new family brought me their two Cocker Spaniels to board for two weeks. The wife dropped the dogs off and instructed me to clean the dog's ears daily. Knowing that not all dogs enjoy an ear cleaning and since I was not familiar with my new guests, I questioned her how well the dogs would accept the cleaning. She assured me they would be fine. On the first attempt to clean the ears I received the worst bite of my professional career. I thought the dog crushed my finger - had it not been so painful, it was almost comical. One of those moments where the dog had my hand locked between his jaws and I had to use the other hand to pry open his mouth! He made a very strong point that he didn't want to have his ears cleaned.

Fast forward two weeks to when the owners were to pick up the dogsthis time it was the husband who picked them up (wife dropped them off). As soon as he came in the door I informed him that the dogs never got their ears cleaned and that the male bit me badly on my first attempt. His reply"oh yeah, I'm sorry, they bite us all the time when we do that too!"

The point to sharing these stories is to encourage you share information about your pet's behavior and personality with pet care providers. If the Day Care had known the dog was a escape artist, they could have taken precautions to make sure he did not escape. If I had known the cockers would bite with ear cleanings, I could have taken precautions and kept their ears in better health and my hand in better health. I could share a million more stories like these - my only guess as to why they happen so often is that sometimes pet owners might be a little ashamed of their pet's behaviors. My advice to you is to forget about the embarrassment and share with your pet care professionals what they need to know to help 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, clean, clean! To me, if a business owner doesn't care enough about the cleanliness of the facility, what else don't they care about? The kennel or grooming shop or daycare doesn't have to be 'state of the art' - but it does need to be clean.

2. Meet the staff. Meet as many of the staff as possible. This is difficult for the business owner because employees have other pets to take care of possibly when you'd like to meet them. Be patient and understanding with the business, but try to meet as many of the care providers as possible.

3. Get references - and call those references. There is nothing better to calm the nerves of a nervous pet owner than to talk with other pet owners who have experienced the care provided by this pet business.

4. In most states pet care businesses are guided by local Animal Control licensing. Call the licensing agency and the Better Business Bureau and ask about any reports of abuse or misconduct with the pet business you are considering.

About the Author

To learn more dog and cat care tips and advice on choosing a healthy dog and cat food and treats for your dog or cat, visit www.TruthAboutPetFood.com. Make sure to register for the free Truth About Pet Food newsletter! dog and cats, dog and cat food, dog, dog food, cat, cat food

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