FALL AND WINTER 2007
I've been picking the last of the roses for the year – there are still some buds looking like they should be given a chance to bloom, but the wind is cold and it's October now and only a matter of time till the first frost. The colors in the trees and bushes are turning to gold and red and copper. That means I should pick all those green tomatoes hanging heavy on the vines and the summer squash still making a showing next to the green peppers. I'd just like things to slow down a bit so I can catch my breath.
This year has flown by. It's been a good year at the Kennels – we have great staff , all doing a wonderful caring job. The pets we board are such personalities. We talk to them all and sometimes it's hard not to wait for them to answer. Of course they do answer but we're not always quick enough to catch their meaning!
We've been in business twelve years! We still see some of those first boarders, arthritic and grey about the muzzle, some not hearing quite as well, others moving slower but still counting on those playtime walks. There are those that we no longer see since they have passed on and we grieve for their loss almost as much as their owners do. There are new boarders, young puppies, 'adoptees' and those who have moved to the Tri-Cities with their owners. We have given many 'tours' to people new to the area or new to boarding kennels and we are proud to show off our facility.
Why are we in the boarding kennel business? Because of your pets, your dogs and your cats and because we all personally love dogs and cats.
Have you ever asked yourself what your pet does for you? In a national survey by the American Kennel Club owners were asked what was the overriding reason for having a dog and 99 percent said 'companionship'. Another response to the survey was that owning a dog reduced personal stress and enhanced health. Other studies have shown that petting and talking to an animal lowers blood pressure and stress levels and has increased the survival rate of heart patients.
I know how good it feels to pet a dog or a cat. There's nothing like that joyous bounce around the legs that I receive when I come home, even if it's only been a trip to the store, or that purring and rubbing around the ankles from Nicholas, the cat.
Is it too much to say that Sagemoor Kennels is in the healthcare business? Your health that is, when we care for your four-legged companions, those furry healthcare providers?
WHO IS THE BOSS?
"Most dog owners are at length able to teach themselves to obey their dog"
Robert Morley, b 1908
HOLIDAY HOURS
WE ARE CLOSED ALL DAY THANKSGIVING, CHRISTMAS DAY AND NEW YEAR'S DAY AND JULY FOURTH.
MEMORIAL DAY AND LABOR DAY FALL ON MONDAYS AND WE ARE CLOSED ALL DAY ON THOSE HOLIDAYS BUT OPEN FROM 5 P.M. – 7 P.M., JUST LIKE SUNDAYS AND THEREFORE CHARGE FOR THE WHOLE DAY.
OUR REGULAR CLIENT SERVICE HOURS ARE AS FOLLOWS –
Monday – Friday 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Check out time at 1 p.m. Pets picked up after 1 p.m. will be charged 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 Sundays and Holiday Mondays
GROOMING HOURS
Please remember to make an appointment for grooming well in advance. Cecilia gets booked up especially around the holiday times.
Dogs for grooming should arrive between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. unless there has been an arrangement made with Cecilia for a different time. Please do not arrive early. We are not open until 8 a.m., so if you arrive before then, you will have to sit in the car and read a book while you wait!
Check with Cecilia about a time to pick up your dog after grooming and please come as close to that time as possible. Dogs that are groomed do not have a large cage to stay in until an owner arrives and even though Cecilia may have the opportunity to take one out to 'do its doings', a large dog is in somewhat cramped quarters if left for some hours.
Dogs that are not picked up by 5.57 p.m. will be given a boarding kennel and the owner will be charged for one night's boarding in addition to the grooming fee.
Please note that if your dog is boarding over a weekend and a grooming appointment has been made, Cecilia would prefer to groom the dog on Monday. She does not work on Saturday or Sunday, so if a dog is groomed on Friday, it will not have that 'freshly washed smell' by Sunday evening or Monday morning. Dogs groomed on Monday morning do not have an additional charge if picked up after 1 p.m. so you can wait till later in the afternoon for picking up.
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
FOOD, TOYS, AND BOARDING MORE THAN ONE DOG IN A KENNEL
1. We feed Natural Choice Pet Food. Our boarders have done well on it. If, however, you prefer to bring your own pet's food we are happy to feed it and there is no extra charge for doing so. The same with treats – we are happy to feed your pet any treats you bring with you. Our suggestion is that you not make any changes – keep to the food and treats your pet is used to.
We would appreciate it if you give our staff some directions about how much your pet usually eats at a meal time. If you have the time – and we know it's a rush getting away, let alone bringing your pets out here – PLEASE WRITE DOWN THESE FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS and give us the written list – you can add any medication instructions if needed and also where we can reach you in an emergency. I know it's on our Registration Form, but if you bring this list with you, then you don't have to take time filling in that part of the form! We just attach your list!
2. It's fine to bring one or two toys, but TENNIS BALLS are a HAZARD to our septic system when they run down the gutters and into the drains. Also some dogs get their teeth stuck in them. Not yours of course. But we do discourage tennis balls. Other bigger ones are fine – small football or large soccer or basket ball and we will have a lot of fun with your pet on the exercise yard for playtime.
3 We know that you may have one or two dogs and one is a large dog and the other a little, even tiny dog, but we do not board them together – it's one of our safety rules. Even though we have large sized runs, we have found some large dogs have stood on their small companions and hurt the little one. They can share playtime on the exercise yard, but we do not put a large dog and a small one in the same kennel and run. We've had to separate several for their safety's sake.
We certainly let two dogs share a kennel and run IF they have the same owner and if they are close in size. But if your pet's best friend is the Labrador down the street and that lab is boarding too, we will not put them in the same kennel and run. Again, the Kennels is not home and they may have to work out the relationship all over again when they board and this may lead to some heavy duty wrestling. We try to discourage that sort of play.
HOW TO RAISE THE PERFECT PUPPY
Dr. Nicholas Dodman from the Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine has written a book entitled "Puppies First Steps". What's the single most important lesson learned from this book? SOCIALIZATION. If it's location, location, location with real estate, it's socialization, socialization, socialization with a dog.
Take this puppy with you whenever and wherever you go. Hand your puppy to anyone who shows any interest. You've only a few weeks to do this, because puppies grow at a remarkable pace and soon they have lost that cute, all lick and damp nose attraction and their wiggle and squirm becomes too strong to hold.
This summer I was in Alaska for a short while and during that time I visited three sled dog training camps, including that of Jeff King four time winner of the Iditarod. The Iditarod is the sled dog race from Anchorage to Nome that takes the team through 1000 miles of Yukon and Alaskan frozen wilderness At all three camps it was emphasized over and over again, that early socialization was most important if a puppy is to grow up to become part of a winning Iditarod team. All of us who visited a camp were given a puppy to hold and pet. I had my face licked over and over again when I buried my face in that warm furry wriggling mass of future Iditarod winner.
DON'T YOU WISH THEY COULD TELL YOU WHEN THEY HURT?
Seeing your beloved pet in pain can be heart breaking, for owner, or kennel owner. But how can you tell when the pain is hidden? Cats are good at disguising their pain, except to perhaps stop interacting. Dogs may tell you in some subtle ways – just a look from the eyes may say "I hurt/"
Dr. Patricia N. Olson, DVM, from the Morris Animal Foundation writes "Some general signals of pain include decreased appetite, decreased overall activity, decreased interaction with the family, decreased stamina, sleeping more, avoiding stairs, and any other behavior change that could be misinterpreted as 'getting older'." Any time there is a significant change in a pet's behavior one should consider pain as a possible cause.
What to do? First make the pet as comfortable as possible and schedule a visit to the vet for a check up. Dr. Olson cautions against ever giving an animal human medications and says that 'if an animal is already on pain medication and stops eating or shows signs of vomiting or diarrhea, stop the medication and call the veterinarian."
SUBTLE SIGNS OF SICKNESS IN CATS. (from the ABKA Pet Services Journal October 2007)
Inappropriate elimination behavior; changes in interaction; changes in activity; changes in sleeping habits; changes in food and water consumption; unexplained weight loss or gain; changes in grooming; signs of stress; changes in vocalization; bad breath.
At the Kennels we all are on the watch for all those changes that may signal pain or sickness in a pet. That's why we want to have an emergency number where we can reach you, the owner, so you can make the decisions you would want to make for your pet's health.
ALL OF US AT SAGEMOOR KENNELS WISH YOU A GREAT HOLIDAY SEASON AND BEST WISHES FOR 2008 (Imagine! It's almost there!)
Kathy McGuire, Manager, Cecilia Stickler, Groomer
Angela Sharp, Claire Cielo, Kurese LaBelle, Mary Ellen Coulson, Lori Mattox, Mary Skinner, Natalie Richins, Jordan Harwood, Lindsay Crigler
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