Nauset Kennels

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.

We field quite a few phone calls from pet owners throughout the year with concerns about their pet(s). Sometimes it has to do with a lack of interest in food. Many times it has to do with “an upset stomach,” which is often code for loose stools. Still other calls invovle limping. Many of these owners will call us after scheduling a vet appointment, asking questions about shampoos, food or treats, exercise, and other possible contributing factors. Reasonable questions. And while we would never presume to anticipate what your vet would say, we do have up some common-sense practices that we can share.

Sometimes, it helps to remember that our own bodies don’t always act the same every single day throughout the years. For example:

Allergies develop in some people, but not others. You can go for years without having allergies, and then boom, you are sniffling and sneezing with the rest of us.

There are days when I am ravenous, and other days, not so much. 9 out of 10 days I will eat somewhat regularly, yet there’s always that day or two where I’m just not that into food.

Even when I was younger, sometimes I would tweak an ankle or wrist. It would hurt for a day or so and then the pain would dissipate.

And while my mother will have a chat with me about appropriateness and sharing too much information, the same concept applies when that food leaves my body. Some days everything works like clock-work, other days aren’t as stellar.

I know, TMI (too much information). But sometimes, when your dog’s poop is a little softer than usual or you see that he’s not eating with the same gusto as usual, people need that gentle reminder in terms of our own bodies. Sometimes, you can be a bit “off” without being sick. I certainly don’t call my doctor every time my stomach acts a little funny.

That said, when do you call the vet if your dog or cat is acting off? (This is where I’d love my veterinary friends to give some free advice or give me a shout out on any information they feel isn’t up to their standards).

Call the vet if there is blood in the stool and your pet hasn’t experienced any stress ( a long car ride, company or fireworks for example), particularly if the blood continues to be present in more than one stool.

Call the vet if diarrhea doesn’t clear up after two days, assuming you fasted the dog for one day and followed with rice for the second day (dogs only on this one!). Call the vet if the dog’s eyes are glassy or her gaze seems distant.

Call the vet if the pet is having trouble walking that seems more than a “sprained ankle” type injury.

Call if your pet is sickly, elderly, or currently under veterinary treatment.

Call if it just feels like the right thing to do.

Remember: your vet is there to help and will be happy to answer questions. If you feel like every time you call to ask questions you are rebuffed or told that you have to come in, then consider finding a vet that will work with you on a level you feel comfortable with. And if you still want to call us to chat about a problem, we’re happy to oblige.

*Note: We are not vets. We don’t pretend to be vets. And we don’t play vets on t.v.

Does anyone reading this remember the movie with John Travolta where he plays a young man with an immune problem and he can only go out in a bubble? (Yes, I know I just dated myself with that reference!)

This past weekend, we encountered a dog whose parents would like it to live in a bubble. Well, I doubt that they would really like the actual bubble concept, but figuratively, this is what they were asking us to do.

“Please make sure he is socialized with as many other dogs as possible, but we don’t want any scratches, scrapes, punctures or anything like that. Oh, and I only want him playing with other puppies.”

The last time I watched a group of puppies playing together I remember them pulling, tugging, scratching, yipping and all of those cute, adorable things puppies do to each other. Ouch, those tiny, little teeth are SHARP! and can do some damage all in the name of fun. And those nails. My goodness, puppy nails are sharp. Those little guys roll around, pulling on an ear, gnawing on a leg, and just generally learning how to play together. When someone yelps, you can see the offender pull back a bit, as though surprised. Sometimes, a nip is returned as a warning. Puppies play hard.

As I listened to the customer’s wish list, I thought of the movie. At one point, this silly image of a dog rolling across the yard in a bubble actually went through my mind and I had to suppress a giggle. Finally, Kirsten explained to them that they can’t have it both ways. If the dog is going to play and be socialized, which they want, there is always the possibility of scrapes, scratches and more. She reminded them that we certainly don’t want that, nor do we encourage it, but things do happen. And so, with some hesitation and crossed fingers, we all took a chance and practiced some puppy socialization. Although he still needs a lot of practice and time playing with others, a bubble isn’t what he needs. While we never want anything bad, even in a small way, to happen to our dog babies, we have to realize that sometimes things will happen. And yes, we need to teach our dogs how to play appropriately, just like we teach our kids how to play appropriately with others. While we teach them, they are learning. If a dog doesn’t like another dog in its face, it lets her know to back off. As social pack animals, this is how they learn. Without a bubble.

We recently had a customer drop off his cat before a long, overseas trip. As usual, we asked about the unforseen emergency and how he would like us to proceed. Laughing a wry laugh, he said something about really only having about $100 for any such emergency so that makes it an easy decision.

Interestingly, I feel that this crazy economic time almost takes some of that pressure off of pet owners. When you don’t have money to spend on procedures, you don’t have the added pressure of trying to care for your ill pet while at the same time worrying about how in the world to pay for it.

Don’t get me wrong; in no way am I saying that a lack of money makes the process easier. However, for anyone who has ever been in that situation of having a very sick pet and wondering how to pay for it, not having the money decides for you. If you do have the money, at what point are you spending too much? When Scout was so sick, as the bill reached astronomic proportions, I would secretly worry and wonder if our credit card would go through. And then, what if it didn’t??? Would I have to look at the receptionist and say, “I’m sorry, but I don’t have any more money for this? I know we’ve put the dog through however many days of hospitalization and numerous tests and an exploratory, but we’ve run out of money.” When she was so sick, it was easy to say yes to the tests, to anything that would make her better. But then, each visit got harder. Would the hospital think less of us for finally saying that we couldn’t spend anymore on our dog? We own a kennel, for gosh sakes! How would that be perceived? And poor Scout; her last days would be filled with poking and prodding, not peace and love.

Another friend who has a lot more money than I do, said he would spend any amount to make his dog better. Some of my friends with less in the bank avoid the issue by avoiding the vet. If the pet is acting ill, then they try to make it comfortable and hope for the best. Others throw all reason away and yes everything that might prove to be a cure or an answer, only to then find themselves up to their eyeballs in debt.

My suggestion is to actually consider your options before anything happens, even for those of you with pet insurance. How much is reasonable to spend? At what point do you say no more, both financially and physically (thinking of the pet). Have these conversations before your emotions are involved, remembering that emergency vet care is expensive. If you and your spouse or partner are having trouble reaching a decision, do some research and talk with your vet about common veterinary expenses and those more common emergency vet expenses (cancer, renal failure, bloat, etc.). Have the serious conversation now. While you can never fully plan for anything, at least have something to work from, as opposed to sheer emotion.

We’ve been waiting patiently and the great folks at Landmark Fence here in Eastham helped us out (huge thank yous!) and installed the fence for our new play yard. Cape Cod Ready Mix poured the concrete trench that prevents dogs from being able to dig under the fencing. This yard is attached to the kennel and is used solely for boarding dogs.

As you can see, it is HUGE! So, how does it work? Well, we work very hard to try to get every dog out in the yard at some point in the day. This yard is supervised and we usually take groups of 2-6 dogs out at at time. Some get to stay out longer than others depending on how well they are getting along and if it’s a good mix. The dogs love the kiddie swim pool and the opportunity to roam around sniffing all the good doggie smells.

For those unsocial dogs, it can be a bit trickier, but we know that they love their time outdoor too, so we try like heck to get each one out.

Some dogs absolutely cannot go in this yard. Any dog who is actively looking for a way out will be brought back inside. A dog who is just making a huge ruckus cannot stay in the yard. Dogs who won’t come when called or run and play a game of chase when it is time to come in won’t go out again. And any dog who is a known escape artist is not allowed in the yard. We’ll let you know at the end of a visit if your dog falls into one of these categories.

We get a lot of requests from boarders and neighbors to use the yard. Unfortunately, the yard is only for kennel use. We need access to it and couldn’t possibly compete with the numbers of families asking to use the yard.

We also get a lot of questions about the cost. Our standard boarding fee includes the possibility of yard time. I say possibility because it is not a guarantee that every single dog will get out in the yard during a visit. For those owners who absolutely want their dogs to have yard time, we offer a 20 minute play time for $8.00. That time can be designated for walking on the bike trail, playing one-on-one with one of us, loving (what dog doesn’t love a good belly rub?), or socializing with a few good buddies. If you want your dog to be outside for the majority of the day, ask about doggie day care.

We love our new yard and are loving the great weather that we’ve had! We’re sure you’ll find it “tail-waggin’good”!

At the end of the day today, we will grow from two dogs to three. Although Kirsten hasn’t told me yet, I am pretty sure that Lori will be coming to live with us tonight. Lori has been boarding with us for years, only recently coming to stay permanently when her human dad went into a nursing home. We initially asked if we could bring her to the nursing home to see him, but the family thought it would upset him too much, so we have stayed away. In the meantime, Lori has become an honored guest/resident of the kennel, and following in the footsteps of many others, will come to our house for awhile.

Halley, Shasta, Rex, Gilligan - there really are too many to name. Some came home with us “temporarily” and never left. Others didn’t even stay in the kennel very long until we (mostly our fabulous employees) found a perfect home for them. Emily and her brother, Bear came to us through an acquaintance who could no longer provide a home for them. Bear found a home almost right away, but Emily had heartworm. So we treated the heartworm and Emily recovered beautifully and is now living off-Cape with friends. Jake’s previous owner started traveling quite a bit for work and felt it unfair to Jake to spend hours cooped up in the house. It just so happened that one of our good clients had recently lost one of their dogs and was avidly looking for another. Kenny’s family had a new baby and no time or patience to work with him, so they asked us to help them find a good home for him. Kenny now lives with Max and the boys play and romp like they came from the same litter. The stories go on and will continue to go on. Things happen. Life happens. We know that and do our best to try and help. I am sure that most kennels do the same thing. (It’s a darn good thing we own a kennel and not the Animal Rescue League! We’d be up to our eyeballs in animals!)

If you are looking for an older dog to love, give us a call about Lori. I’d tell you to swing by the kennel, but like I said, I am pretty sure Lori will be joining us for dinner tonight.