Bark City Doggy Daycare

A while back, I wrote a blog post about a non-profit organization called Dogs On Deployment . I have been thinking about this organization lately and it gave me the idea to spotlight organizations that are doing exceptional work. Today, I would like to draw attention to Fences For Fido . This 501(c)(3) non-profit is base in Portland, OR and their mission is to create safer improved conditions for chained dogs by providing shelter, a fenced yard instead of a chain, veterinary care, and spay/ neutering services when necessary. This organization was first started in May of 2009 and since then, they have unchained over 800 dogs!! They do not have any paid staff and rely completely on donations of money, material and labor. Fences For Fido also does not pass judgement on their clients. There are a lot of reasons dogs end up on chains. FFF simply wants to remedy the situation, strengthen the bond between humans and dogs and educate. They even visit families after the initial fence and sh...

 Bark City has been planning and plotting some super secret ways to make our facility an exciting experience for both you and your dog. We will be announcing different additions throughout the next year (We like to keep our customers on edge and guessing with anticipation!) Our first announcement happened this Howl-ween: Yep, that's right. We will be opening a candy store for your canine family members. We figured there is enough candy around for humans, but our little pups get left in the dust. We want to change the phrase, "Like a kid in a candy store." to "Like a puppy in a candy store." (I am coining that phrase as of now...) If you happened to stop by our facility during Howl-ween for the costume contest, you probably saw a glimpse of what some of the treats will look like: Aren't they great?! Aside from the candy, we had some great costumed pooches come in for our contest. You can see all of the costumes on our Facebook page . Here are...

Owners are often relieved when their dog(s) pass the temperament screening test and are allowed to participate at a doggy daycare. But, the question that most owners do not ask the daycare is whether or not their staff is trained to handle a large group play structure. At Bark City, our staff is trained through "The Dog Gurus" program . Today, I would like to share with you a bit of their promotional material! This is the staff training program that we make all of our staff study. You could say they are enrolled at Bark City University... These are the two founders of "The Dog Gurus" and their credentials: Robin Bennett is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer who founded one of the largest dog training companies in Virginia. Her first book,  All About Dog Daycare  is the number one reference on opening a dog daycare.   Susan Briggs owned a large pet care center in Houston, TX for  12 years and was an early pioneer of dog daycare se...

How to deal with feral cats in your neighborhood is a very controversial issue. It often elicits fights amongst neighbors, because if affects the whole neighborhood. In fact, it affects a lot more than just your neighborhood, it's an ecological problem. It In this post, I am going to give you a few statistics and websites for educational purposes. I am an animal lover, I have two cats of my own. As a cat owner, I feel it is my responsibility to educate myself about how my actions as well as my pet's actions affect the environment and others. As a side note: This post mostly refers to cats in an urban setting. I realize that on a farm in the country, cats serve an entirely different purpose and some rules/ stats don't necessarily apply to all scenarios.    Cat Stats:  First, I need to clarify the difference between a feral, stray and free-roaming house cat. A feral cat is a wild cat. They are scared of humans. A stray is a cat that is not scared of humans, bu...

Last spring, I planted a few innocent mint plants in my garden in order to ward away pesky bugs that were eating my bean plants. Being a novice gardener, I did not realize how rapidly mint can spread. This year, I have enough mint to start my own mint farmer's market. I've become very innovative on different ways to use my mint. Minty Dog Treats Ingredients: 3 c. whole wheat flour 3/4 c. beef broth (If you want to make your own broth you can follow these instructions , but substitute a meaty beef bone from your local butcher instead of chicken) 1/3 c. unsalted butter 1/2 c. powdered milk 1/3 of a banana mashed 2 Tbs. of minced fresh mint leaves Preheat your oven to 350-degrees. Mix all the ingredients together. If the dough seems too sticky to roll out on your counter, add small amounts of flour to your dough until it is the right consistency. Then, simply roll out your dough and grab a cookie cutter! Cut out your favorite shapes and place them on a greased cook...

I would like to share with you one of my favorite 501(c)(3) organizations: Dogs on Deployment (DOD). This organization helps military members find foster homes for their animals while they are on deployment. This is a need that most of us that are not in the military probably don't even think about. But often, if a military member cannot find someone to look after their pet while deployed, their pet ends up in a shelter. DOD was started in 2011 by husband and wife, Shawn and Alisa Johnson, after they ran into their own obstacles while trying to find a way to keep their dog and fulfill their military commitments. ( Read full story here ) Since then, DOD has successfully place over 500 military owned pets into foster care. AND: Have awarded over $15,000 in financial aid to military members to help with pet care during times of hardship or emergency.  They help active duty, veterans and Wounded Warriors.  Assist all branches of the Armed Forces. They are open to all an...

The summer heat is slowly creeping up on us and it's time to remember to keep your dog cool during these next few months. Last summer, I wrote a post on ways your can Keep Your Dog Cool . Today, I am going to list a few of my favorite pupsicle recipes: There are actually five different recipes on this link from The Dogington Post . There is whole fruit pupsicles (featured above), Apple-honey, bacon, chicken and Banana Peanut Butter. These Gourmet Pupsicles are from Wear. Wag. Repeat. and have THREE ingredients: peanut butter, yogurt and blueberries. Another simple three ingredient recipe for doggie ice cream brought to you by  Dog Milk . The Ice cream pictured above is strawberry, but they also have a recipe for peanut butter. If you are feeling a little crazy, you could probably add carob chips to make it peanut butter, "chocolate" chip! (Remember to always use carob chips for dogs! Actual chocolate is poisonous to our four-legged friends.) I think ...

  Aside from the slight increase in prices, we now offer Special Attention Services: Leash walk, 1-on-1 time, personal photo updates (via email) and Laundry services.  Our intact male policy has also changed a bit: We will try intact males in our groups up to 12-months-old. All intact males over 12-months-old will no longer be allowed in group until neutered. Intact males also have a slightly higher boarding fee. Just marginal price increases on the Luxury Boarding, but still the same awesome services!

Have you ever witnessed a dog DESTROY a toy in what seems like less than a second? Imagine how many toys a doggy daycare could go through in just a day! Not us. We use a special toy from local West Paw Design . These toys are made from a material called Zogoflex. Zogoflex lasts a long, long time. They bounce, float, bend and stretch (great for tug-of-war, fetch and swimming!). They are BPA-free, phthalate-free, non-toxic and FDA compliant. Eventually these toys do start to break down. But unlike most toys, they do not end up in a landfill. They can be recycled almost indefinitely!  To learn more about West Paw Design's "Loop", click here . PLUS... they made us movie stars!!! We also use West Paw Design's beds in our facility. These beds are great because they are SEWN BY HAND in the USA and the stuffing is made from a material called IntelliLoft. ItelliLoft is an extremely fluffy material made from recycled plastic bottles. See how comfy thi...

Since we have a bunch of really cute photos from our Valentine's party, I thought they would be useful for the topic of boarding intact females.Whether you, as the owner, decide to spay or neuter you dog is entirely up to you. We won't stand on any soap box and preach one way or the other. It's your business. But if a female comes into heat while at Bark City, we have the obligation as the responsible caretaker to kennel her. It is for her safety as well as for the other dogs. A dog that is in heat, will release pheromones that will drive dogs CRAZY with frustration.  It is not uncommon for a male dog to scent a female in heat from a mile away. Male dogs will MOVE MOUNTAINS to get to the desired female and will become aggressive competing for her. The female in heat may also become aggressive with other dogs in order to drive them away from a chosen male and/or  because she might be experiencing some pain during ovulation. The female must be kept under constant supe...

The temperatures have dropped again. It's cold outside. One of my favorite comfort foods that are easy make are Plantain Fritters (Yep, your dog can eat them too!.. in small quantities). Plantains are those "giant bananas" you see in grocery stores. Here are the ingredients:  1 cup of flour 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder 1/2 tsp of salt 2 ripe plantains (you can also substitute bananas. Today, I used one plantain and one banana) Throw all of the ingredients into a food processor and puree. Then fry the batter by dropping spoonfuls of the batter into heated vegetable oil (or any oil of your choice). To flip them, I use a fork as a spatula.  Once done, I take them out of the oil with a pair of tongs and place them on a paper towel to absorb some of the extra oil.  This is my dog version with no extra thrills. And these are for me. I sprinkle powdered sugar on the top. As sides, I like to dip them in my homemade cranberry sauce ...