adventures at the doggy daycare

[charlie116]

Dogs: Harlee (black lab), Sadie (lab/german shepherd/husky), Ben (sheltie), Baby (chocolate lab), Marti (brindle boxer)

I've been here since 7am, & I'll be here til 7pm (long story). Harlee & Marti are playing in the lobby. They've been wrestling w/ each other for a good 1/2 an hour now. At least they tire each other out! Maranda's here w/ me. I've been friends w/ her for about 8 years. She also works here. I have my dog Daisy w/ me, & Maranda has her dog Martini w/ her. Martini (aka Tini) is a mutt. She looks like some sort of jack russell/chihuahua/rat terrier mix or something (I'll post a pic later). Baby is in the back room. She's been there since she got here, which was about 7:30am. She came in & tried to attack Daisy. She was snarling & growling & frothing at the mouth. Daisy is one of the most laid-back dogs you'll ever meet, so obviously if Baby had a problem with Daisy, she'd definitely have a problem w/ the other dogs. After her owner left, I put her in the 2 back rooms, gave her a big bowl of water & some food, gave her 2 dog beds, & gave her a bunch of toys. I checked on her every 1/2-hour to make sure she was ok. I also took her outside to use the bathroom about 3 times an hour. She's doing well so far. She's laying on her bed resting. She doesn't seem stressed or anything. I tried to take her outside w/ the other dogs. She was fine when there was a chain-link fence between them (she was wagging her tail & everything), so I decided to try w/ Daisy again. I brought Daisy into the pen w/ Baby. I had Baby on a leash, & Maranda had Daisy on a leash. They were fine for about 2 minutes, but Baby went to sniff Daisy's ear, & Daisy turned to look at her, & Baby snarled & snapped at her. I pulled Baby away, & took her back inside. I felt bad leaving her in the room all by herself, but I didn't want to risk having one of the other dogs getting hurt. Baby is a big dog. She has to weigh at least 120 pounds. I mean, I can control her, but only to a certain extent. She's great with people, though. She loves to give kisses.

[IRescue452]

I'd be glad to hear all about your job. I've never used doggie daycare as I think there couldn't possibly be enough ratio of people to dogs to stop a fight or keep a good eye on them all. Is there somebody in each room at all times if the dogs are allowed to roam everywhere?

When I worked at a boarding kennel the dogs were not allowed to get close enough to sniff each other. If they were that close they could easily open their mouth and chomp down. I wonder how much insurance a doggie daycare has for incidents like that.

[charlie116]

I'd be glad to hear all about your job. I've never used doggie daycare as I think there couldn't possibly be enough ratio of people to dogs to stop a fight or keep a good eye on them all. Is there somebody in each room at all times if the dogs are allowed to roam everywhere?

When I worked at a boarding kennel the dogs were not allowed to get close enough to sniff each other. If they were that close they could easily open their mouth and chomp down. I wonder how much insurance a doggie daycare has for incidents like that.

When I work, I'm usually the only person here with the dogs. Sometimes one or both of my bosses are here, & sometimes my friend Maranda comes with me. I usually work on the weekends, & the dogs that are here on the weekends are being boarded. There are usually only a few dogs here when I work. The most I've had to watch was 5, which is nothing for me because I have 5 dogs at home. The dogs are usually in the same room as me at all times, unless one of the dogs acts up & has to be seperated. I always keep a close eye on them. I've never experienced a fight. If I even suspect a fight, I seperate the dogs immediately. I have no idea about the insurance thing...They usually just turn away dogs that seem aggressive.

[luvofallhorses]

I am glad you're enjoying your new job! I worked at a dog daycare last year and loved it. I was usually the only one with the dogs, too. The job unfortunately came to an end as my boss couldn't pay me any more, but she hired new people. That's another story, don't want to sour your thread. I LOVED every minute of it though. Get pics if you can. We were fully insured too, Irescue I am certain it's insured.. it's a requirement in my state anyways and a kennel license for the business. She accepts all breeds though, some just don't.

[charlie116]

I am glad you're enjoying your new job! I worked at a dog daycare last year and loved it. I was usually the only one with the dogs, too. The job unfortunately came to an end as my boss couldn't pay me any more, but she hired new people. That's another story, don't want to sour your thread. I LOVED every minute of it though. Get pics if you can. We were fully insured too, Irescue I am certain it's insured.. it's a requirement in my state anyways and a kennel license for the business. She accepts all breeds though, some just don't.

Yea, I'm sure they have to have insurance, & they accept all breeds as long as they're relatively good with other dogs.

[luvofallhorses]

Can't wait to hear about your experiences. Just so you know there will be fights you will have to break up, I think dog daycares are usually under-staffed for that reason. At the daycare I worked at, on Fridays there were 19 at a time and I was by myself. Luckily no big fights broke out, but they do happen. How is your puppy that you got doing?

[Freedom]

This job sounds perfect for a dog lover!

The place we attend our small dog meet ups is a doggie day care called Off the Leash. It is run much as you describe. The dogs have kennels for night time, but for 12 hours daily they are out in the open areas, romping, playing, chewing, sleeping, or just watching all the antics of the other pups.

I really enjoyed reading what you have shared thus far!

Has Baby been there before, or is this her first time? Acting out as she is, will she be allowed back?

[charlie116]

Can't wait to hear about your experiences. Just so you know there will be fights you will have to break up, I think dog daycares are usually under-staffed for that reason. At the daycare I worked at, on Fridays there were 19 at a time and I was by myself. Luckily no big fights broke out, but they do happen. How is your puppy that you got doing?

Yea, I know there will be fights. There have been a few fights already, but no blood. I'm used to dealing with fights because my dogs have fought in the past. It's still a scary thing though.
Honey, my puppy, is doing wonderful. I took her to the vet the other day & she weighs 40 pounds! She's 6 months old, so we're gonna go get her spayed soon.