The month of April means two things at WOOF: Spring break and rainy weather. It adds up to a full (and occasionally wet) house.
 Don’t worry Mr. Bill, we can handle it!
One of the major keys of running a busy boarding facility is organization.
And more organization.
Each of our guests gets a bag with a detailed list of their belongings. (And their own cute little tail hook!)
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But dogs don’t care about organization. All they want to know is:
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1. Is it time to eat?
2. Is it time to sleep?
3. Is it time to PLAY?
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So we organize our philosophy of good dog care under these three very important tenets. (And we humans could benefit from them as well, don’t you think?)
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So without further ado we present:Â EVENINGÂ TIME AT WOOF
Subtitled: EAT, PLAY, SLEEP.
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After a full day of play, we begin ferrying our overnight guests from the Daycare building to the Boarding building. The first round of business is to put everyone in their own, private kennel so they can EAT.
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The dogs wait patiently (mostly) as we dish up everyone’s dinner. And since everyone has their own feeding instructions – and in some cases, medications – we have to slow down and really pay attention.
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For example, Spencer gets carrots in his food.
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He seems to like them.
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 Micky enjoys a classic mix of wet and dry.
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When everyone is done eating, the next question is, of course:
Is it time to PLAY?
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Not yet! We have to have a rest period while everyone digests. For some of our guests, it’s not a problem.
When rest time is over, the dog handlers initiate the evening play groups.
I had the pleasure of taking Leo the German Shepherd to the outside yard. But it was raining and he wondered – why on earth are we going outside?
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After a little encouragement, Leo joined me for a sniff and a potty.
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While Dog Handlers Kyle and Amanda monitored the big dog yard, I took charge of the little dog recess. Everyone was let out into the hallway leading to the upper yard.
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Unfortunately, the little dogs also didn’t care for the rain and were developing a case of their own “Leo-itis.”
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I was finally able to convince everyone to come outside. When they did, the big dogs the next yard over were curious.
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Everyone got into the full swing of playing and (let’s be honest) pooping except for little Mona.
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Her feet were getting wet and she wanted to be picked up.
Of course, I put my foot down and resisted.
But as the evening outside time was winding down, I had to put Mona elsewhere so some necessary clean up could be done.
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While the dogs were finishing up outside, we picked up dinner bowls and fluffed beds.
Their bellies full and their bodies tired, the final question of the night was upon us.
Is it time to SLEEP?
Of course.
Goodnight, sweeties. See you in the morning for more EAT, PLAY, SLEEP.