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 had to scratch our heads this morning when someone brought it to our attention that they saw a posting on Craig’s List about kennel cough and our facilities. We scratched our heads for a number of reasons, particularly the fact that we haven’t been contacted by any of our clients to let us know that their dog has kennel cough, nor have we ourselves noticed anything (we often are the first to notice and will let our customers know if we suspect a case of kennel cough).

Hmmm…a disgruntled customer? An angry neighbor? We won’t know because this person posted anonymously on Craig’s List. If you suspect your dog has kennel cough, call the kennel or day care facility directly. Posting anonymously to Craig’s List doesn’t allow us to address your concerns, nor does it allow us to follow a procedure we have in place to track kennel cough. As my friend Karen would say, “Put on your big girl panties and call us. Don’t hide behind anonymous postings!” (Sorry for offending anyone, but unless your job is in jeopardy or your family is at risk, own up to any criticisms or comments.)

I would like to thank you though for the opportunity to do another informative blog! Sometimes I need an idea, so thank you for that!

We have indeed suffered through cases of kennel cough throughout our almost forty years of business. In fact, three summers ago we even shut down our facility for two weeks to try to clear it out. Sixteen years ago, I knew of kennel cough, since it has always been a required vaccine, but didn’t ever hear of it. In fact, we were somewhat lax about the vaccine, even letting people have their dogs vaccinated the same day the dog was due to come in for boarding.

Like everything, kennel cough seems to have changed a bit though, and we are indeed seeing more cases of it in our area. Typically when we have it, other areas of the Cape will have it as well, usually in pockets. And, like the flu or a cold, it can be mild to severe in the numbers of dogs it affects. In certain areas of the country, veterinarians require the vaccine to be given every six months due to a higher incidence rate in that area. Here, the vaccine is usually an annual vaccine, but it depends on your vet.

Perhaps I should provide a definition of kennel cough. Kennel cough is a respiratory infection caused by both bacteria and viruses. It is rarely serious, but should be treated by a veterinarian. While there is a vaccine, like our human vaccines, it only covers so many strains of kennel cough, so yes, your dog can still get kennel cough even though she has been vaccinated. Signs of kennel cough are pretty simple: a hacking cough or “hard sneezing” like sound. Watch this video for an example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx7tveHyFqk

Some vets treat kennel cough with antibiotics, while others take a wait and see approach. On our end, we require all our boarding and day care pets to be vaccinated for kennel cough, following manufacturer’s guidelines that the dog be inoculated seven to ten days prior to boarding (I can’t tell you how many customers we have to turn away because of this policy). If we receive a phone call from a customer or suspect a dog staying with us has kennel cough, we start tracking. All employees are notified to keep an eye out for any potential new cases. From there, we keep an eye on a dog we suspect might have the cough if it is actually with us and will often call the vet immediately as a precaution. If we find that there are more than three confirmed cases, we start to let our customers know, focusing specifically on any pets for which the illness might actually be worse for them (puppies, elderly, ill, etc.). Our cleaning regime is stepped up to include bleach - bleaching the floors, the walls, the runs, sponges and cleaning towels, toys, the vacuum filters, the vacuum, the wash, etc. Our cleaning routine, while already at a high standard, is the main focus if we suspect any type of bug, not just kennel cough. We will also lime our play yards and let them sit a few days. And yes, we will even shut down our operations if need be. The wonderful thing about our new facility is that we can now shut down just the affected side if necessary.

We certainly don’t try to hide kennel cough from anyone. In fact, we even call around to other kennels and day cares in the area to inquire about their dogs, so we certainly put it out there so customers can decide what to do.

Kennel cough is a part of running a kennel, just like coughs and colds are a part of running a school or a day care. Some dogs will get it, others won’t. Most will have mild cases, but a few won’t. We’ve even known families of dogs where one will get it and another will not. If you suspect, call. Be responsible and let your kennel or day care know. Keep your pet away from other dogs until you are sure he isn’t coughing on anyone else. Call your vet. And don’t be ashamed and feel the need to post anonymous postings on Craig’s List! You aren’t helping anyone by fomenting anger (yes, some of our customers and our employees are angry at your post) and fear. Be informed and take corrective measures to insure the safety of your dog and others.

For more information, check out the following sites. They are all pretty similar in what they say, but are presented from various angles - boarding dogs, training dogs, day care, etc.

http://www.kennelcoughindogs.com/

http://dogs.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Kennel_Cough

http://www.workingdogs.com/deboerken_cough.htm

http://www.kgun9.com/Global/story.asp?S=11339267 (just a note - this one is fascinating because the owner of this facility doesn’t even require the vaccine!)

As I entered checks on the deposit slip the other day, I happened to glance at the “For” line on one particular check. Usually people write things like, “Barney - bath.” Sometimes dates are jotted down or an invoice number is provided. This check was different though, and it so perfectly sums up why doggy day care is important and why people use it: “For: peace and quiet.”

“How perfectly simple!” I thought. From our end, we often see the purpose of day care as tiring out your pups. I’m sure that for most of you, this is the reason why you bring your dogs to day care. Some people have different reasons though, such as providing an owner with peace and quiet. Guilt probably plays a big role too; we feel guilty when we don’t have enough time for our dogs. For those of you who wonder what would prompt someone to bring their dog to day care, I’ve compiled a list of reasons, many provided by owners. Please let me know if I’ve there are any I’ve missed.

Why We Bring Our Dogs to Day Care

- “Peace and quiet” (as quoted from a check)

- Exercise

- Socialization

- To acquaint the dog with the kennel as an introduction to an overnight stay

- To allow the exterminators, painters, carpet cleaners, etc. time and space to work at your house

-”Because, while I love my dog, he drives me crazy!” (quoted from an actual customer, not the same customer who wrote about peace and quiet though)

- Guilt over working so much that the dog isn’t getting out

- “To allow me rest after my medical treatments”

- “So I can get ready for our party and not have the dog in the way”

- and along the same lines as the above, “Because our guests aren’t dog people.”

I can’t say that any reason given has surprised me yet, but I live by the mantra of “Never say never.”

The sun came out yesterday and we were all just thrilled! I can’t speak for the dogs, but I could swear their tails were wagging just a little bit more. Some of them might have even been smiling; I know I was!

The parents of our day care crew love the pictures and I love taking them (the dogs are hams!). They don’t always sit as still as I would like, but you get the idea even if it’s a bit blurry from the motion!

It is so much fun to watch them all at play. They wrestle, dig, race around the yard, and do a lot of sniffing! Some are more laid back than others and just sit back and watch. Ozzy Pug is our referee, running around herding everyone where he wants them to go and doing the equivalent of blowing his whistle by barking at them. Some go just wild when one of us is out there, vying for our affection, while others only want to be with the dogs.

I am off to get dirty with the pups. Enjoy the sun! We are!

Customers are always saying that they would love to watch their dogs playing at day care, particularly when we share news from the day: Shayna and Summer are best buddies; Scout and Cue shared a blanket; Hannah played well with everyone; Danzig played with two of his girls today, Stella and Lucy. The conversation then turns to the idea of webcams. Webcams are a great concept, and I will cover them in another blog. This blog is my attempt to share some videos from day care. I haven’t edited them, so you might want to keep the volume down since my voice is pretty loud coming through the mic! I hope this is just the start of sharing some of what we get to see during the course of the day. If you keep tuning in, I’ll keep working on my videographer skills!

Day Care Video 1

Day Care Video 2

Day Care Video 3

Although rain poured out of the sky the other day, we had about fifteen of our day care dogs looking for some fun. As we watched, each dog’s personality and actions reminded me of children on a school playground.

Some of the bolder dogs raced right through huge puddles, not caring about getting paws wet (obviously not my dogs!!!). A few stepped daintily around the puddles; you could almost hear them fussing about the mud and the wet clumping their hair.

On days when the weather is more cooperative and we have twenty or more running around the yards, it is even more fun to watch. My own dog is the one who wants to play, play, play and will run with anyone, not caring about size, breed, etc. To him, there is no such concept as too much playground time! My other dog is the kid on the playground who kind of wants to play with the others, but really doesn’t know how. She ends up annoying everyone and then sits at the gate looking sad that no one wants to be her friend. And yes, we even have the popular crowd comprised mostly of the “regulars.” They seem to be in charge on the playground, not by bullying but through that often envied, “I know what’s going on around here” mentality. Like real playgrounds, there is lots of yelling: “Hey! I want you to play with me! Yes, you! Can’t you see me over here with the stick?” The school yard bully is here too, playing just a bit too rough and almost daring us to put him or her in a time out. There are even the playground ouchies, sometimes equivalent to a skinned knee, sometimes more so. Heck, I remember as a kid throwing a rock directly at a neighbor boy (sorry Chip!). I wasn’t trying to be mean, but a total lack of common sense took over and the poor kid almost lost an eye. Dogs, and kids, sometimes have those moments, don’t they? The nice thing about a playground is that more often than not, it will very quickly return to normal.

Watching the dogs play is fun. It reminds me of my own days spent on a play ground, with mostly good days and the occasional bad day. I usually always left with a smile on my face. It seems like most of our day care dogs do too! “Great day, mom, but ready to have some dinner and rest my head!”