Nauset Kennels

My parents are here visiting and helping out with the kids so Kirsten and I can work (still trying to get into the new building while operating out of the old building). We love having them around and are so happy to have the help. They are not, however, animal people.

Scout is continually underfoot, waiting for my mom to drop her a tidbit now and then. I am shocked that mom hasn’t tripped over her and suffered a bad fall.

Pecan is still suffering from whatever is wrong with his stomach and esophagus and regurgitates for hours at a time. It really is a pain (both for him and us) and gets old quickly. In an effort to stop the regurgitation, we are experimenting with feeding him three meals a day. And did I mention that he is still skittish and barks at people in the house even though he just saw them two minutes prior?!

Needless to say, my parents will not miss our dogs when they head home next week. If anything, I am sure they will be scratching their heads wondering why we even have animals.

You have all known people who are just not that into dogs or cats, or even the less popular animals like ferrets and birds. There is probably even a hierarchy amongst animal lovers as to what level of commitment they are willing to make. Some people are just into dogs, some are into rabbits, while others have the whole menagerie.

Back to my folks though. They cannot fathom the amount of money we have forked over for our pets (sometimes I can’t either though!!). Nor can they understand the nature of our business and why anyone would go on vacation with their pets. My dad guffawed last night over a conversation abut CPR for animals. Over the laughter I think I heard him say, “Don’t expect me to ever perform CPR on your animals.” If Pecan comes over seeking affection from my mother she sort of looks around to see if we are close by and then quietly tries to shoo him away. This is too good - I can actually hear her right now telling him to go away as I am sitting here typing!

Non-animal people just don’t get it. I suppose we could create a window sticker for our cars proclaiming our feelings like Jeep owners with their “It’s a Jeep thing,” but ours would say, “It’s a dog thing,” or “It’s an animal thing.”

For the moment we are all coexisting in the house with animals, using a lot more of the industrial size lint roller sheets than usual and vacuuming a ton. And thank goodness for the kennel - Scout and Pecan have been spending a lot more time than usual with us at work! Mom and Dad pretend they like the animals to a point (kudos to them for even trying) and do make it a point to remember to feed them and let them out as needed. To animal lovers this probably sounds cruel on their part, that they “make it a point to remember to feed them.” But when it comes to non-animal people, we should remember our new motto. It really is an animal thing. Isn’t it?

We went shopping in town yesterday at a store owned and run by a local. While we are not friends with her, we are friendly. She asked us about business and the construction, and we asked how her business was going. At some point in the conversation she said something along the lines of how she really should use our kennel, but she had been using another kennel for over ten years and she is very comfortable there. She couldn’t have sounded more apologetic. Kirsten immediately soothed her worry, saying how great this other kennel is and how you should stick with what feels right. And while the business person in me screamed, “No! We are better than that other kennel! Come see for yourself!” I knew that ultimately, she has to do what feels right for her. We’d love for her to come and see what we have to offer, but she, and most importantly her dog, are comfortable at the other kennel.

How does a pet owner decide on a kennel, particularly when there is more than one in the area? There are a lot of opinions on this subject, but for me, it comes down to a few simple factors.

First, what do other people have to say about the kennel? Don’t just ask or listen to one person; ask lots of people. Listen carefully. Sometimes people just always have to have something negative to say, or there are those who will not ever be really happy. There are also those people who truly could care less where their pet goes, so filter those out too.

Second, visit the kennel and look at what it has to offer. Don’t necessarily be blinded by the newest and the best (ironic that I’d be saying this, what with our construction!). Does the kennel offer what your pet needs? For example, we have an open cat room, where cats can wander, even going outside into their own enclosed area. Most cats love the freedom. Some owners, though, do not want to vaccinate for feline leukemia, a requirement for us because of our open cat room. Owners who don’t want to vaccinate might opt for a kennel that crates the cats, thus nullifying the need for the vaccine. Another example concerns the actual kennel. Some people are very impressed with kennels that offer hotel-like accommodations for their pets, complete with a bed and a tv. Heck, I’ve even thought that those places look like fun. Sometimes such establishments offer themed rooms: does Karl the dog want to stay in the jungle room or the cartoon room? For some people, this option is truly important. Our kennel doesn’t offer such rooms. We do offer amazing care, fresh bedding every night, and while we don’t have t.v. in the kennel, we do have beautiful classical playing that many of the dogs enjoy singing to. (Personally, I don’t want my dogs minds infected by t.v. - too much violence!).

Finally, how do you feel when you drop off and pick up your pet? Go with your gut on this one, but don’t overreact either. Some animals are, by nature, going to make you feel terrible for subjecting them to a kennel and not allowing them to go with you. Kids do the same thing a lot of the time. Most of our boarders who act this way could win Academy Awards for Best Performance in Creating Guilt and Anxiety in your Human, because the minute you leave, they are either romping with the other dogs or preparing for an afternoon of sleeping, eating, checking out the others, and stuff like that. Another question: is your pet coming home relatively clean? While it is unfair to ask a kennel to bathe your pet at no charge every single time he boards, it is not unreasonable to expect your pet to be clean and not covered in feces or urine. When you are away from your pet, you need to be able to enjoy yourself. If you are constantly doubting your decision, you might want to try a new kennel on your next trip. Only then can you figure out if you are just a nervous owner who can never fully relax while you are away or you realized that something about the other kennel didn’t sit right until you tried somewhere else.

And remember, while it is our goal to make every experience a “tail-waggin’” one, things happen. Allow a kennel or any business, to explain themselves. If you have a question or a problem, ask! As a business owner, I need to know the good, the bad, and the seriously ugly. I may not know about an incident unless you tell me. And I certainly can’t be expected to fix something unless I know about it. Truth be told, I have just started practicing this as a customer. It has never been easy for me to complain. However, I realized that if I want to know about people’s experiences at our kennel, then other business owners need to know about my experiences as a customer as well. It might surprise some of you that I go through a mental list of customers on a regular basis. I called Kirsten in a panic the other day saying, “Where is so-and-so? We haven’t seen her in a long time! Is everything alright?!” She laughed because I do this regularly and told me that we haven’t seen the dog in question because she is recovering from knee surgery.

Perhaps some day our business acquantaince will come by and check us out. We sure hope so! In the meantime, I will keep asking Kirsten, “Hey - did that other business owner come by yet and take a look around?”