Nauset Kennels

post by Leslee, our fabulous groomer

Opinions vary on shaving dogs, but I feel keeping a dog’s coat longer in the winter and shorter in the summer has no impact on whether it keeps them warmer or cooler.

In the summer months I look around and see the shaved Golden panting just as much as the thick coated Husky - when it’s hot, it’s hot regardless of what you’re wearing. However, one point to consider is this: taking your pet short in the warmer weather will help those pets that are prone to skin issues and can be helpful in locating fleas and ticks. Shorter cuts, while they may seem to be more work because you have to make regular visits to the groomer, actually make for much less work in the long run. No mats, less fur to catch things in, easier to wash and dry, the list goes on.

Winter is a different story. In the colder, snowy months your dog’s coat will keep your pet warm IF he has a coat designed for the cold weather, such as the double coated dogs. Double coated dogs, Malamutes, Collies, Pomeranians, and Newfoundlands are just some examples,where the nice soft fur is next to the body with the more wiry coat on the outside. Even then, I have to ask: How much time does your dog spend laying around outside in 20 degree temperatures or during a snow storm? There may be some dogs doing that, but my guess is most are hanging out in a nicely heated home, in front of the fireplace or woodstove.

So we let our thinner coated pets, such as Poodles and Yorkies, grow longer fur for the winter. It gets cold so you dress them up in doggie coats and sweaters to keep them warm. But didn’t you let their coat grow longer to keep them warm? If your pet does not sport a double coat that is naturally designed for the cold, then growing the fur long is not helping keep the dog warm. Instead, if you are growing but not maintaining grooming along the way, the fur will become matted, particularly with those doggie coats and sweaters.

As the winter months come upon us and you’re wondering what to do about your pet’s fur-style, ask yourself these questions:

Is my dog’s coat designed for cold weather? If you answered no, then consider regular grooming to keep your dog’s coat in tip-top shape and invest in a coat or two.

How much time is my pet actually spending outside during the winter? If you answered not much, then remember that your pet’s cut can still be short in the winter.

Does my pet still need a coat or sweater when it gets really cold? If your answer is yes and you can’t wait to break out the designer doggie clothing, then by all means, bring it on! However, remember that these cute sweaters and coats love to mat hair, so again, maintenance is key.

Do I have more time to spend brushing and combing all that extra fur to prevent uncomfortable mats? If your answer is a resounding ABSOLUTELY NOT, then think about the message here and make regular grooming appointments for your dog.

Then, keep your pet in much , more manageable shorter cut and remember that those adorable coats and sweater are mat magnets with longer hair. And always feel free to talk to your groomer about your pet’s style.

Wow! Who would have thought that constructing a new building would cause us to change almost every aspect of our business? Silly, naive, girls we were! We just thought we would have a little bit more elbow room. Instead, we’ve spent the last year examining our business. Our construction turned into a business exercise that I think all business owners should go through even without the new building!

So what’s new you ask? Let’s start first with the most noticeable things. After 38 years, our wonderful logo, originally designed by Kirsten’s mother, is now more reflective of who we are as a business and the lighthouses that are the Cape. The new logo moves from the dog and cat with their suitcases going on vacation concept (see below) to a lighthouse totem pole of pets (see above), a shining beacon in the pet care industry.

We are also in the process of changing our name from Nauset Kennels to Nauset Pet Services. Similar to our logo, we are no longer “just a kennel.” We’ve always offered many of these services, but on a much smaller scale. We have always offered day care, but no one thought of it in terms of advertising. Seventeen years ago, Brewster was our one day care dog, hanging out in the grooming room with Nancy.

New logo, new name, what else? Well, as Kirsten likes to remind herself, we really aren’t the little mom and pop kennel that we used to be. Like so many of our colleagues, our industry has changed dramatically. Look at your own attitude towards your pets - like so many others, I bet your pet is far from just the family dog or “that cat” anymore. We are constantly re-educating, learning new things, trying to make each animal’s experience with us the best it can be. Just today I realized that even the food we feed in the kennel is vastly different from the food we fed when I first started so long ago.

In that effort to create the best experience for each animal, we started offering pet sitting knowing that not every animal is comfortable in a kennel environment. This idea, which used to seem contrary to the concept of the kennel, now compliments our services quite well. We love going to Jake and Cali’s house, feeding them, making sure they have been out, and sitting on the front stoop snuggling with them in the sun.

We now offer pick-up and delivery to more than just Provincetown and for more than just grooming. Katie used to climb in the Subaru wagon twice a week. We now have three vehicles of all different sizes going two different directions!

Perhaps some of the more difficult but important changes are in our policies. We require deposits on holiday and summer reservations. We won’t waiver on your vaccinations and have implemented more stringent requirements. Your pet’s paperwork needs to be in to us before your first visit.

What hasn’t changed though is our commitment to your pets. Yes, we are “bigger” now. Yes, we have a new name to reflect what we truly offer. And yes, we’ve added staff and changed some of our more relaxed policies to stricter policies. But all of these changes were made and implemented with you and your pet in mind. Our deposit requirement is to ensure that people don’t just make reservations on the off-chance that they might be going away for Thanksgiving and then decide not to show up (which happened with enough regularity that it became a nightmare having to turn away so many clients every summer weekend or holiday).

Along the way we’ve been having a ball. Not every change is easy to implement and not every customer gets it or agrees with it. Change is hard. But we are loving the challenge of continuing to provide the absolute best care that we can for your pet.