It's hard to leave your pet in someone else's care when you have to be away from home. After all, he or she is part of the family. I think it's harder on you, the owner, than it is on your pet. And you can't always understand what they are saying to you - though you can make a good guess. Certainly they will miss you - probably for the first twenty-four hours, perhaps longer, depending on how often they have been to the boarding kennels and how well they have been treated there. You will miss them - and every time you see another dog or cat you will think of your family member and you may even go up to this stranger dog or cat and give it a pat, stroke its ears, say something to its owner about how you have one just like this one - only you had to leave it behind. Sound familiar?

This January Louis and I went out to New Zealand - my roots - for four weeks. I left Lucy, Buddy and Benji behind in the care of Kathy and the rest of our wonderful staff. I was just like you - I felt bad about leaving them, I missed them every day, and whenever I saw another dog I would pat it, stroke its ears, and tell the owner how I had one just like it but I had had to leave it behind - and I'd add that actually I had three. Three Welsh Corgis and then I'd add something about their names and their ages. If by some chance it was a Welsh Corgi that I was meeting then it was worse! Louis says two Welsh Corgi owners can take several hours discussing how wonderful their dogs are - and how much they shed fur and round up cars and other details.

It doesn't matter what breed your dog or cat may be, pure bred or mixed, it's just the same. As pet owners, we will spend time talking about these family members when we're separated from them. We all understand the pain at leaving and the joy when reunited. As the plane flies into Pasco it usually comes over the Kennels and I send a little message down to the dogs - "I'm coming home, I'm coming home!" Don't tell me you don't do this too!

So here's Spring and Summer will be on us before we know it and that means vacations and travel and the Kennels are getting booked up already, so get those reservations in. We really do understand what it's like to be separated, both for pets and for owners, and we take as much time as possible to make sure your pet is given the best care and love we can. They will, however, still be so happy to see you when you return that they will bark, purr, lick, jump up and down, run back and forth and probably pee with delight that you're back.

HOLIDAY HOURS

WE ARE CLOSED ALL DAY JULY FOURTH, THANKSGIVING, CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR'S DAY.

MEMORIAL DAY AND LABOR DAY FALL ON MONDAYS AND WE ARE CLOSED ALL DAY BUT OPEN IN THE EVENINGS FROM 5 P.M. — 7 P.M., JUST LIKE SUNDAYS AND THEREFORE WE CHARGE FOR THE WHOLE DAY ON THOSE OCCASIONS.

WE ARE OPEN FOR CLIENT SERVICES AT THE FOLLOWING 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 another night

Saturday 9 a.m. — 12 noon

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

We charge for the full day on Sundays and Holiday Mondays

"When the Man waked up he said, 'What is Wild Dog doing here?' "And the Woman said 'His name is not Wild Dog any more, but the First Friend, because he will be our friend for always and always and always. Take him with you when you go hunting.'" Rudyard Kipling, from Just So Stories, 1902 (Jenepher's edit - First Friend must have been an English Pointer or a German Wirehaired Pointer. Woman would never have let a Welsh Corgi or an Australian Shepherd leave the cave - they are much too good at rounding up the children and keeping them where she could see them.)

FOOD

      We feed Natural Choice Pet Food and have checked that it is not one of the brands that have been causing health problems in dogs and cats.

      Many of our clients bring their own favorite food with them. We prefer that pets keep to the food they are fed at home because a change in diet may cause diarrhea or an allergic reaction. If you bring your own food for your pet, please make sure you bring enough for their whole boarding stay. A good rule of thumb is if your pet is staying two nights bring enough food for four nights. If staying a week (seven nights) bring enough for ten nights. We will return any uneaten food at time of pick-up. Lately we have had several clients fail to count exactly how much food their pets will eat while staying at the Kennels. We always ask for precise feeding instructions but when we are given instructions to feed a pet one can of food a day for a seven day boarding stay and we are given only four cans - well, you can see the problem! And if the brand of canned pet food is not one we keep, then we wonder what the client would like us to do! Same thing with dry pet food - bring enough. We certainly are not going to let the pet go hungry so we must feed the brand we stock even if it means a change in diet.

SOME WARNINGS ABOUT WHAT YOU FEED YOUR DOG

      We would like to remind those pet owners who are feeding RAW MEAT to their pets that they should talk to Kathy McGuire, our Manager, or to Louis or Jenepher Field, in advance. "Raw food diets remain controversial" according to the editors of Your Dog, a publication from the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, "In guidelines issued in 2005, the FDA noted published reports of gastroenteritis and death in animals eating contaminated raw meat foods. It also warned about the risk to humans handling the food." Since we must take extra care handling raw meat there is an extra charge for this service.

      It's OK according to Dr. Remillard at the MSPCA Angel Animal Medical Center in Boston to put water on dry food but don't let it sit more than a half hour. This will ensure that harmful bacteria already contaminating the food won't have a chance to grow.

      "The Journal Clinical Infection Diseases reports that about 15,000 Americans are hospitalized due to salmonella poisoning each year, with 1% of them associated with contact with companion animals. Dogs can also get Salmonella poisoning from raw food, dried pig ears, cow hooves and other animal-derived dog treats. They can spread it to people even if they don't become sick themselves." Sally Deneen in Your Dog from Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University.

BOOK CHAT

      As a child one of my favorite books was Kipling's Just So Stories - and it still is. Here is a small excerpt from "The Cat That Walked By Herself" and those of us who have cats and enjoy their independent natures will like this piece.

      "...and from that day to this, Best Beloved......all proper Dogs will chase him up a tree. But the Cat keeps his side of the bargain too. He will kill mice, and he will be kind to Babies when he is in the house, just as long as they do not pull his tail too hard. But when he has done that, and between times, and when the moon gets up, and night comes, he is the Cat that walks by himself, and all places are alike to him. Then he goes out to the Wet Wild Wood. ...waving his wild tail and walking by his wild lone."

      Also look for "Hi! It's Me, Your Dog!" by Lisa Mendoza. If you have ever wondered what goes on inside your dog's mind, this book is the perfect guide, answering questions such as do they feel the same emotions as humans? And how does the breed affect a dog's behavior? And what should I do to keep Buddy off the sofa?

      "The Dog Owner's Manual" by Dr. David Brunner and Sam Stall, includes, as all manuals should, operating instructions and troubleshooting tips, even instructions on how to clip toenails and perform the Heimlich Maneuver on a choking dog. There's a Cat Owners version too. Look for these - very worthwhile and small enough to keep handy.

SOME DO'S AND DON'TS

DO use our web site - www.sagemoor.com - to find information about our hours, our fees, how to find us, read this newsletter and past ones and even to make your reservations.

DON'T email us without giving a clear subject - just your pet's name or a blank line won't be opened. The words 'reservation' or 'shot records' will always get us.

DO speak slowly when leaving a phone message on the machine and it's helpful to give your name and phone number at least twice.

DO bring cash or a check book when picking up your pet.

DON'T expect us to bill you for services rendered - and DON'T bring credit cards as we don't take them.

DO make holiday reservations well in advance - we fill up as you know. But please make those reservations for times you know you will use. Sometimes folks have made holiday reservations for a two week period - on the off-chance they will use some of that time - but then cancel all but perhaps three days. It makes it difficult for us to fill those times too.

MEET THE STAFF OF SAGEMOOR KENNELS – WHO TAKE CARE OF YOUR PETS

Kathy McQuire, Manager
Cecilia Stickler, Groomer
Angela Sharp, Claire Cielo, Kurese LaBelle, Lori Mattox, Mary Ellen Coulson, Mary Skinner, Natalie Richins
Jenepher Field, Newsletter Editor
Louis and Jenepher Field, Owners and Late Night Pet Checker - uppers.

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

"If man could be crossed with a cat, it would improve man, but it would deteriorate the cat."
      - Mark Twain

"No matter how much cats fight, there always seem to be plenty of kittens"
      - Abraham Lincoln (1809 – 1865) He kept four cats in the White House

"You come home. The dog throws itself at you.
'Where have you been? You've stayed so long, I missed you, missed you, missed you. I love you, love you, love you. What's in the bag? Something for me? Oh, let me lick your ear. Oh, let me chew your gloves. You're HOME!'"
      - Pam Brown, b. 1928

"And that's what it's all about." Jenepher 2007