So...I think it's safe to say that Gil & I are going to end up being neurotic parents. Here's why.
We had been talking about having Laila start going to doggy daycare once a week instead of just getting her normal walks each day. Since I am going out of town this weekend and Gil is going to be busy, we needed to find a kennel for Laila.
So I began the search and found a dog "camp" that sounded good and brought her for a trial run. Welllll...I got there and got a tour of the place and have to say, not as cute and fuzzy as the website made it out to be. Yes, it was clean and safe but I was surprised at how loud it was in there. The barking...ugh, how do those people work their all day?? I wasn't thrilled with the size of the play area either (I think we've been spoiled at the huge dog park) and the kenne
l situation seemed a bit overwhelming. The cages were lined up one after the other and were just wire, so the dogs could see into each other's cages. Seemed stressful to me.
So by that point, I knew I didn't really want her staying overnight in that setting, but I felt okay about the daycare part so she stayed to play. This particular place has cameras so you can check in on your dog during the day. I left to do errands and because he knew Laila was there, Gil checked the doggy cam from work to see how she was doing.
A while later, I got a text from him saying that another dog was harassing Laila and wouldn't leave her alone. So of course I got worried and decided to go pick her up. Shouldn't the employees be watching them?? So just as I was arriving at the doggy daycare, I got another text from Gil that said, "It was actually not her. She's fine." Either way, someone's dog was being harassed even if it hadn't been ours. All in all, although nothing traumatic happened, Laila will not be returning to that "camp".
Today she went for a trial run at a different place, closer to our house, and on the way to work so it'll be convenient for dropping her off. She did great and I'm much happier with the kennel situation there. Dogs that are being boarded have a separate room, away from the play area, the kennels are bigger, and it was a much calmer environment. The dogs can't see into each other's crates, so she won't be stressed out.
So there you have it...we are the neurotic parents of a four-legged, furry baby.
This is what puppies look like four hours after doggy day care...
You aren't neurotic . . just good puppy parents (and will be good parents someday too). When we were going to go camping for the first time, we were worried about how Sparty would do at night in a tent, so we not only bought a travel kennel but borrowed a tent to camp out in the basement with him to try it out . . .we were going to camp outside too but he did just fine in the basement so we didn't have to go that far. And it is good to be safe and do your research :)
ReplyDeleteHaha I love that you slept in the basement in a tent...That's too cute. :) She ended up being just fine!
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