Nauset Kennels

We walk a good number of our boarding dogs daily. On our walks, we are very careful with the dogs. We choose the type of collar and leash according to the dog we are walking. We carry an animal repellent to ward off any coyotes that come a bit too close. During hunting season we wear flame orange hunting vests and put one on the dog as well. Basically, we try to control as much of the environment as we can.

What we can’t control though, are other dogs we might encounter on the way. Too often we are out walking a dog and another pooch comes bounding up, sometimes playful, sometimes not so much. Usually, the owner is a few steps behind, not always in site though, and will call out, “Don’t worry, he’s friendly!” For many of the dogs we walk, this is not a problem and a few moments of dog sniffing and frolicking will ensue. For a few of our dogs though, this is a major problem.

The dog bounding toward us might be friendly. But what about the dog we are walking on leash? There are some dogs that do not tolerate other dogs. If another dog approaches us on-leash being controlled by the owner, the environment is controlled. We tighten the leash and keep walking. If the approaching dog is off-leash, well, that is another matter. Most of the time we do the same thing: tighten the leash and briskly walk away. So far, we have been very lucky and have been able to put some distance between us and the other, unleashed dog. All it takes though is one time; one time for that other dog to get a bit too close.

It’s easy to forget that not all dogs are friendly towards others. Even in controlled environments, things happen. Keep all of our dogs safe and walk them on leashes. You never know who else might be out enjoying the day.

We finally took the plunge this past weekend. After many years (yes, years), of debate we decided to go for it started up the credit card processing machine and stuck the Visa/Mastercard sticker in our window.

Many of our customers will be surprised. Some, who are also fellow small business owners currently not accepting credit cards, often complimented our decision to remain free of credit cards. It was as if we were part of this small brotherhood of non-compliant business owners waging our own little battle against credit cards. Battle on my former brothers and sisters! I will keep you posted and let you know if you should wave the white flag with us.

Many of our customers will be thankful. Lots of us no longer carry our checkbooks with us; quite a few have resorted to carrying one or two worn at the fold checks in our wallets for those infrequent times we are informed, “Cash or check only.”

Our employees seem excited with the prospect of being able to swipe that card through and to be able to do away with the conversation about why we don’t take credit cards and yes, there is a bank just down the street and sure, we will wait for you to return. Sometimes the conversation would go like this:

Customer - You don’t take credit cards? Well, I don’t have my checkbook and we didn’t leave enough cash.

Employee -  There is a bank and a cash machine just down the street.

Customer - My bank only lets me take out a certain amount of money at a time. I can’t cover the bill today.

Employee - Well, umm.. 

(I mean, come on, what are we supposed to say here? We will hold your dog until you come up with the money?! No! So what we usually end up saying is this)  

Well. I suppose we can bill you and you can send us a check when you get home.

And that line is  what finally pushed us into accepting credit cards. Too many people were not sending in those checks once they returned home. (There are lots of you who dropped off the check or put it in the mail that same day - much appreciated!). I would like to say it is a sign of the times; however, we have been to the post office too many times over the last few years to mail the certified letter containing the bill that never got paid.

So while I continue to rail against credit cards and how people have trouble managing their money with credit cards and not understanding why we as businesses don’t stand up to the system and tell them where they can put their transaction fees, I do finally raise the white flag, reluctantly.

Please share your thoughts with me on this.

For most dogs, length of stay can be relevant if you are going away for a month or so. There are many factors to consider.

Has your dog boarded before? If not, we would definitely recommend a trial run of at least two nights. See how that goes, but remember that he or she might take few times to get used to boarding. The trial run also allows the kennel staff the opportunity to evaluate your pet, and guide you in your decision. Our first priority is the well being of your pet.

Do you feel confident in the kennel staff? We want to allay all of your fears and answer all of your questions ahead of time. We welcome a visit and look forward to sharing our information with you.

Are you going to be able to enjoy yourself on vacation? We welcome phone calls and emails from clients who are away from their babies. We are happy to email photos or updates and have even fielded international calls for our guests. Not much surprises us! In addition to finding out how you can get info about your dog while you are away, find out how the staff handles dogs that might not be boarding as well as expected. We find that, when appropriate, the dog will settle down when paired with a buddy. We will also give the dog extra time and attention, sometimes even letting the dog “hang out” with us during the day.

Overall, most dogs do very well with boarding, even for two weeks or more. If it’s feasible, extra play times or love sessions can be very beneficial. Many dogs do very well in the play yards; however, not every dog wants to play all the time. The walk guarantees exercise and one-on-one time.

Does the kennel have experience with long-term boarding? We’ve had dogs and cats that spend the winter with us while their owners are doing the snowbird thing. We have had dogs and cats who have moved in and set up shop. And then there was Harry, one of our boarders who ended up living out the rest of his years (six) with us.

One final note: there are differing opinions on whether or not pets have a concept of time. We are not here to debate this issue. However, in our experience, they will always let us know when it is time to eat and go out. After a day of doggy day care or after a month of boarding the reception will always be the same when their owners pick them up.

If only they could talk…

Over the past week, we heard from three of our clients that their beloved dogs had died and gone to doggie heaven. The previous week, we heard from two clients. Each phone call brings the crew around the desk to reminisce and smile with the memories, our memories that we created with each pet that walks through our doors.

We aren’t lucky enough to share the special memories that you have with your pet: the first time you saw him and his litter mates; that time she comforted you when you were blue; or how she would wait for you to sit down and then jump up purring with delight. We are, however, lucky enough to be able to create our own memories and experiences with your animals, much like teachers at school or counselors at camp. There is Sadie, our pet of the month, who doesn’t like to walk across our gray floor, but tolerates the yellow section of flooring and Little Desi, who spends more time in our laps than anywhere else in the kennel. There was Brewster, our very first day boarder, who would greet us every morning from her perch on an old grooming table. And I know that we will never forget Max, a pointer, who was always so excited to come visit the kennel that his whole body would just shiver and shake with anticipation.

Like you, we relish those triumphant moments, such as watching Breezy find her way in the play yard even though it was totally out of her comfort zone. Similarly, we are disappointed when a pet behaves poorly or doesn’t have an enjoyable experience.  And we are truly saddened when we hear the news we seem to be hearing a lot lately: that Dax, Teddy, Uma, Casey and Max have all gone to what we hope is a better place. Thanks for letting us share in your memories…we’ll miss you!

Wow! Here we are, in the midst of major construction, redesigning our logos and brochures, and launching a new website! We sure do like excitement.

Welcome to our blog. We hope to keep you entertained and informed. If there is ever a topic you want us to explore, please email or call and we’ll see what we can do. We welcome feedback on the topics we tackle. If you feel like we’ve gotten it right, please let us know. And if you feel like we’ve really missed the mark, well, we want to know that too. This is one of our basic philosophies: allow the customer a voice and use the experience as an opportunity to provide the best service possible and leave everyone’s tail wagging.

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for future topics on canine cough, constructing a green building, and any other topics that come up during the course of our day.