Back in the early ‘90s in our very old pre-renovated facility, we found what we believed was a stray cat stuck up in the ceiling. We lured it down and placed it in our cattery with a sign that said “cat from ceiling.” A few days later, a client came to pickup “Smokey,” and since our non-computer-using staff could not locate her papers (not a rare occurrence), they had her go to the cattery to claim her pet. As she scanned the cages, she points to Smokey while our quick-thinking kennel associate yanked down the “cat from ceiling” sign! I will forever be thankful for computers and a nice cattery with escape-proof cages and ceilings.

One day our house cat, Puddy, began flailing about and acting as if having a seizure. One of our front desk staff witnessed it and ran her back to the hospital. She continued to attempt to stand up only to fall over again and again, requiring two technicians to hold her still. Finally, our ever-observant doctor calmly reached up and pulled Puddy’s front paw out from underneath her collar where it was lodged. She recovered immediately.

Taneele Smith

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From Our Readers: Question of the Day

What activities or treats did the pets enjoy at your facility this summer?

Home-made frozen yogurt or pupsicles. Pupsicles are frozen broth with a rawhide stick in the center.
– Linda Rubeo Goldner

The pools and balls frozen in a stainless steel bowl. Pop them out and the dogs go crazy over them.
– Lopears Holmes

Sweet Spots frozen yogurts... Favorite flavor: peanut butter and honey.
– Sherri Oberholtzer

Chicken broth pupsickles
– Susan Carol Autry

Frozen Kongs!
– Friendly-Grove Doggs

Puppy pool and gazebo! They thoroughly enjoy it!
– Farrah Chestnut

AC! It’s 103 degrees!
– Barbara Badger Rush

Cage-free... Yay or nay?

Very much a yay for me! I would love more articles about cafe-free in the magazine and seminars about it at the expo!
– Beth Dasenbrock

I do both; free during the day, crated for meals and sleeping.
– Jennifer Price

Ditto with Jennifer Price; 100% cage free all the time is not smart.
– Bruce Darling

I would say it depends on how many dogs you have. I used to board only 10 dogs – cage free, which was great. Now I board an average of 50–60 dogs; that’s just too many to be together all day. They’re together outside, but inside they have their runs.
– Kerstin Seidel Hoeller

We are cage free except at bedtime.
– Lopears Holmes

Yes!
– Marion Westerling

How often do you connect with other boarding and daycare professionals?

Daily either online or by phone
– Gretchen Meienburg

Every day online on the daycare Facebook page and www.thedoggurus.com
– Robin Bennett

I have tried in the past and got snubbed. Even had one lady flat out say “she could not hang with me here (in TX) I’m her competition.” So I pretty much just keep close with my customers now.
– Drake White

I used to work for another kennel in the area and now run a special needs facility less than five miles away. I still keep in contact with the other owner. We have a great relationship and often refer clients to the best place for their pets’ needs.
– Casey Hodge

I post/read the posts in the Dog Daycare Facebook group daily. I don’t connect face-to-face outside of your expo! I speak with trainers, rescue groups, and vets in my area pretty regularly.
– Beth Dasenbrock

I also network through the Dog Daycare Facebook group and the dog daycare Yahoo! group. I also am a member of a couple pet business groups on LinkedIn. The local group in Seattle is very quiet, so I am working on forming my own for face-to-face networking meetings.
– Carol Hibner Saunders

Daily
– Liz Blondy

Want to answer our question of the day and connect with other boarding and daycare professionals? Like Pet Boarding & Daycare on Facebook and join the conversation!

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