NEWSLETTER NO. 18
FALL AND WINTER 2004

So you see, change is in the air, but much is the same, just better. We appreciate the calls, notes, and cards of appreciation for the job we do. And we appreciate hearing from you when something hasn’t gone the way you hoped and you take the time to let us know. That’s how we learn to give a quality boarding and grooming service.

HOLIDAY HOURS:

THANKSGIVING DAY, CHRISTMAS DAY AND NEW YEAR’S DAY, WE ARE CLOSED ALL DAY.

MEMORIAL DAY and LABOR DAY ARE OBSERVED ON MONDAYS AND WE ARE CLOSED ALL DAY BUT OPEN FROM 5 – 7 P.M. IN THE EVENINGS, JUST LIKE A REGULAR SUNDAY.

Our REGULAR KENNEL HOURS:

Monday – Friday 9 a.m.- 6 p.m. with Check out Time at 1 p.m. Pets picked up after 1 p.m. will be charged for the next night.

Saturday 9 a.m. – 12 noon

Sunday OPEN EVENINGS ONLY – Pick up from 5 – 7 p.m. and Drop off from 6 – 7 p.m.

We charge for the full day on Sundays and holiday Mondays.

If you are having your pet picked up by another family member or a friend, please make sure they know our hours and that they have a CHECK or CASH for payment – WE DO NOT TAKE CREDIT OR DEBIT CARDS. For SECURITY REASONS please let us know in advance who will be picking up your pet, their phone number, and please tell them that we will ask for some picture ID.

“Most dogs don’t think they are human; they know they are.” Jane Swan

SOME TIPS ON “CHECK –IN” AND “CHECK-OUT”

• MOST IMPORTANT – IT IS OUR POLICY THAT ALL DOGS BE ON A LEASH WHEN THEY COME FROM YOUR CAR INTO OUR KENNELS AND WHEN YOU PICK THEM UP AND PUT THEM IN YOUR CAR.. This is for safety and security reasons – yours, your pet’s, other clients and their dogs, and the neighbors. When you bring your pet for boarding we will put on our choke chain and leash and return your leash to you. When you pick up your dog , you will have the opportunity to pay the bill and to collect any luggage, food and medications that you brought for your pet before we bring your pet out to your car. We will bring your dog out to your car on either our leash and choke chain or yours. PLEASE DO NOT LET YOUR DOG RUN LOSE OFF THE LEASH WHEN WE BRING HIM/HER TO YOU AT YOUR CAR. Make sure your pet is secure and safe in your car so that you can leave. Your pet wants nothing more than for you to get in the car too and start the engine and get that rig rolling so that you can both get home as soon as possible. That is the time for your pet to run free safely. Our policy about no dog off leash is for the safety of your pet as well as others that may be arriving or being picked up. Cars are arriving or leaving and drivers should not have to be on the lookout for runaway dogs. AND NO, HOWEVER WELL TRAINED YOUR DOG MAY BE, THIS IS ONE TIME WHEN ALL THAT TRAINING GOES OUT THE WINDOW – THEY ARE SO EXCITED TO SEE YOU! So don’t count on ‘sit stay’ on command !

• When you get your pet home it is a good idea to wait 2 – 3 hours before giving any food, treats or water. The stress from the excitement of being reunited with you and chasing the neighbor cat and checking on the neighbor’s boxer, will be too much for the digestive system to tolerate anything just yet. Unless you want a mess on the carpet or elsewhere that will need to be cleaned up, WAIT on the food and water – an ice cube to chew on should satisfy any thirst.

• YES – BEDS, BEDDING AND ONE OF YOUR T-SHIRTS ARE WELCOME and help reassure an anxious pet. So are some of his or her favorite biscuits and one or two toys. But we find that small rolling toys and tennis balls in particular, roll down the gutters into the drains, and that hooves, pigs ears and those green teeth treats seem to be left uneaten for us to give back to you. We would prefer that you not include those items in the travel bag for the kennels. We have a good supply of dog biscuits that seem to be much enjoyed, especially after a walk or a playtime.

• Food – we feed Iams, but only the dry. So if your pet is on a different food, or likes canned food, or cottage cheese, yoghurt, or some carrots, canned green beans or cheese, we are happy to feed those items, but you should bring enough for the time you plan to board your pet.

• Boarding is stressful always, even when your pet enjoys it. But being away from home is stressful for any of us – you know the feeling – it’s just great to be home and in your own bed again! And being away is tiring, however wonderful the accommodation. You may feel tired, even a bit out of sorts, the next day. If you were at one of these occasions when you did a lot of talking and partying, the next day you may find yourself a little hoarse, not want to talk too much. Same thing for your pet. Day after you get them back to their familiar bed, they may not want to leave it – and they don’t have to get to work either. So don’t be surprised if your pet is a bit lethargic, even hoarse – he or she had a lot to talk about with the Labradors on either side in the Kennels.

• If there has been something we need you to know about your pet’s boarding experience, such as diarrhea, not eating, aggressiveness, or some change since the last time he or she was here, we will tell you when you pick up and we will give you something in writing. We will have called you while you were away if it were something serious that needed a veterinarian’s attention. And always feel free to ask us how your pet did.

• Remember – how your dog behaves at home might not be the way he behaves in the Kennels. For instance, we frequently are told that a pet will not go to the bathroom in his or her run. We find that the pet will indeed go to the bathroom in the run, the difference being that the Kennels is not their home and the rules don’t apply! But while they will go to the bathroom in their run, they will almost never use their dog house in this way. But we watch to make sure that all boarders do go to the bathroom daily,

HELPERS

“…people who keep dogs,( or cats for that matter), live longer on average that those who do not. This is not some kind of pro-canine campaigning fantasy. It is a simple medical fact that the calming influence of the company of a friendly pet animal reduces blood pressure and therefore the risk of heart attack”

Desmond Morris

SOME NEW INFORMATIONAL HANDOUTS FROM THE AMERICAN BOARDING KENNELS

Each month the American Boarding Kennels “Pet Services Journal” includes a Clip and Copy page for subscribers to give to their clients. Ask at the Front Desk for copies. The latest ones are:

“Car Safety for Pets”

“Pet CPR”

“External Parasites: Fleas and Ticks”

We found the following recipe in the Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine publication YOUR DOG, with the additional comment that the writer had applied this to dark colored dogs and he had seen no bleaching of the coat since the peroxide is diluted in plenty of water. So stick to the recipe given here.

SKUNK ODOR REMOVER

1 Bottle of hydrogen peroxide

1 cup vinegar

½ cup baking soda

1 tablespoon liquid soap

Combine all ingredients in a gallon of warm water. Sponge on dog and allow to air dry. Repeated applications may be necessary.

Scott Shaw, DVM, Veterinary Emergency Care Specialists, Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine.

Our Groomer, Cecilia Stickler has had no experience with this recipe! She just wants to remind you that it can take some months for that smell to go. Or for us to get more use to it!

“The trouble with cats is that they’ve got no tact.” P.G Wodehouse (1881-1975)

“Cats seem to go on the principle that it never does any harm to ask for what you want.”

Joseph Wood Krutch (1893-1970)

HAVE YOU CHECKED OUR WEBSITE? www.sagemoor.com – You can even make a reservation from it. The Newsletter is on our web too. If you let us know your email address we can send you our newsletters and other important information directly.

OUR SENIOR CITIZENS – or what it’s like to get older when you’re a dog.

According to Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine journal “Your Dog”, older dogs should, like their owners, have their annual checkup with the vet. Aches and pains, loss of hearing, increased sensitivity with growling and snapping are some symptoms that can wait for the annual check up. But the following symptoms should not wait for the annual appointment. Make an appointment as soon as one is available. DON’T WAIT!

Seizures

Loss of interest in food

Slow weight loss

Dribbling urine or more frequent urination

Coughing, wheezing and/or sneezing

Breathing hard, inability to exercise as easily as in the past

Lumps and bumps, particularly on the mammary glands

Sores that won’t heal

Severe itching, hot spots, rashes

Poor appetite and/or sudden weight loss

Increased thirst

Severe vomiting or diarrhea

Lameness, limping

Pain upon movement, yelping when touched

Visual problems, night blindness, irritated or swollen eyeballs

Disorientation, confusion and failure to recognize familiar people or places

Fainting, collapse

When your dog is boarding we pay attention to how your dog is doing and we note any of these symptoms on the kennel card, in our daily log and in a file called Pet Notes. When you pick up your pet we will tell you about what we have observed, give you a brief note and suggest you check with your vet. Kennel staff are in a position to note changes because we are around the pets from 8 a.m. to the last check at about 9.30 p.m.

We like to know the age of your dog so that we can watch for the symptoms such as these that may require prompt attention. But we also pay attention to young dogs too. So please tell us any recent medical problems or treatments that your pet has had before boarding. That way we can make boarding a little easier on your pet. Being away from home and not feeling up to snuff is not good whether you’re a dog, a cat or a person. But it helps if you can talk about it – and your pet has to rely on you, its owner and chief friend, to do that. So please take time to tell us, write it down, or time on the phone, but we want to know.

QUOTES

Giving their Lives: “Excavators digging through the volcanic ash that buried the ruins of Pompeii in A.D.79 discovered a dog lying across a child. The dog, whose name was Delta, wore a collar that told how he had saved the life of his owner, Severinus, three times.” John Richard Stephens

Whose the Boss? “Most dog owners are at length able to teach themselves to obey their dog.”

Robert Morley, b.1908

SAGEMOOR KENNELS FOR PEACE OF MIND BOARDING AND QUALITY GROOMING

7196 COLUMBIA RIVER ROAD

PASCO, WA 99301

(509) 544-9682, fax (509) 544-8851, www.sagemoor.com