Bark City Doggy Daycare

Here is an official price list for services. Please keep in mind that I have not made the price list for "amenities", yet. That will be coming soon! The Enrichment Gym standard price will be included in the amenities list. So, don't panic! You will still be able to use the Enrichment Gym even if you don't have a Club Membership.

Before I get into the gritty details of our new prices, I want to first introduce something more exciting than the rest of the exciting stuff I have introduced: THE ENRICHMENT GYM . This gym will not only be new to Bark City, but also to the whole Valley! Montana can get really cold in the winter... too cold... to do anything. We found a solution to this problem: We will have a new indoor gym! You will now be able to come exercise your dog(s) without fear of frostbite on your nose or your dog's paws. Ok, now for the Nitty-Gritty.... With all the new programs and services we will be offering, some of our prices will be changing... by a minimal amount...like $2. Staring February 1st, 2016 prices will be $22 for full-day daycare, $16 for half-day and $28 for overnight. This will keep us competitive with other daycares in the area. Our VIP Membership will no longer be available, though we will still honor the current VIPs. Instead, we will be offering a "Club Membership...

I've been pumping out a lot of information these past weeks on our expansion. Last week, I wrote a lot about why sleep is important for your canine . This week, I have decided to keep it short and simple with a few fun facts about a dog's sleep position and what it communicates:

Our next expansion announcement: Puppy Preschool! We will no longer be taking puppies 4-months-old or younger in our daycare programs. Puppies need more socialization than just daycare. The first 4 months of a puppy's life is the most critical period for socialization. Positive experiences help him learn that new things are fun, and hopefully he will remember the good association when he encounters them again later in life. It's important to take advantage of the socialization period and provide the puppy with as many positive experiences as possible in the world. Having a young puppy attend daycare is great for socialization for the first time or two. After that, the puppy knows the staff, he knows the environment and he has met some of the dogs. Things are no longer novel to him and therefore, no longer counts as socialization. Daycare becomes a safe and healthy outlet for energy, but that's about it. This is where our new program fits in. How it works:  The Puppy...

The expansion is getting close to being finished! Once it's done, Bark City will be adding new programs to the facility! Since opening in 2005, we have been blessed with the opportunities we have been given. When we first opened, we were one of the only facilities in town that offered "all day play". This was a new concept in the dog boarding world and to the pet owner. I can't even tell you how many times I heard, " Sooo.... people really just drop their dogs off while they are at work?" Back then, it took a lot of convincing to show people that it can be done safely and is actually good for their dogs. Fast forward to today, everyone knows what a dog daycare is and there are more and more opening everywhere. Because we have been lucky enough to thrive in this industry for 10+ YEARS, we have been able to master what works and what does not. Every dog is an individual. As much as we would love for every dog to thrive in a standard daycare environment, for ...

Bentonite clay is mud. But it's not your everyday run of the mill, make a mud pie sort of mud. It's a healing mud that can be eaten or used topically. There are three types of Bentonite clay depending on the dominant mineral within it, but the clay I will be talking about is food grade Calcium Bentonite Clay (aka Animin) . Bentonite clay is a negatively charged, highly absorbent substance that is mainly comprised of volcanic ash. It contains around 50 trace minerals and has historically been used for centuries as a healing remedy for a variety of ailments: Yes and more! In fact, animals in the wild will instinctually search out and eat clay to get rid of pests or if sick. They aren't all "scientific-y" like us humans but somehow they know it works and in Layman's terms, here's how: Bentonite clay is negatively charged, when ingested the clay's negative ionic charge pulls positively charged particles (such as parasites, toxins, allergens and bacte...

Fleas- They are nuiances. If you have pets, you have to deal with them. There are many products on the market. Some are chemical and some are natural. A lot of us use a chemical treatment, such as Frontline. But, there are a lot of animals and people out there that are allergic to chemical treatments. The natural treatments composed of essential oils can sometimes have adverse effects on animals (or humans) as well. Whether chemical or natural, you need to research your product and decide for yourself what is the best option for your household. I also like to recommend that pet owners "know their enemy", which means you need to do a little research on the life cycle of a flea. Some products help eliminate all stages of a flea from larvae to adult and some just eliminate the adult stage. The product I am showing you today, is a natural, non-toxic substance that eliminates ADULT fleas (and other insects as well): Diatomaceous Earth. Diatomaceous Earth is a fine powdery subs...

Canine Parvovirus is a viral disease that attacks rapidly dividing cells in a dog's body. It affects the intestinal tract of canines as well as the white blood cells. Young animals can also suffer severe damage to the heart muscle. This disease is HIGHLY contagious and resistant. It can live in an environment for months and sometimes for over a year on organic material (grass). The most susceptible to contracting this disease are puppies, adolescent dogs and unvaccinated canines. It affects all members of the dog family including wild members: wolves, coyotes, foxes, ect. Because of it being highly resistant in an environment and affecting wild animals as well as domesticated, unvaccinated dogs could contract this disease from the streets or wilderness. Treatment for this disease is very intensive and expensive. Without veterinary care, it has a high mortality rate. Parvo is transmitted through contact with a dog's feces and is highly resistant to most disinfectants. T...

Taurine is an amino acid that is vitally important to a mammal's body function. It helps regulate heart beat, maintains stability of cell membranes, transports calcium in and out of cells, regulates the activity of brain cells, facilitates the absorption of fats/ fat-soluble vitamins and is an antioxidant. Most humans and canines can manufacture taurine through the body unless there is a medical or genetic condition. Cats cannot and some dogs, particularly large breeds, have trouble producing taurine making them susceptible to deficiency. Before WWII, pet food was 90% canned and made of mostly meat. Once war hit, the metal used for canning was needed by the military. Dry kibble became the #1 pet food. Gradually, over time, the pet food industry started to cut corners and introduced more and more grain to their product. A diet rich in taurine comes from eggs, dairy, fish and red meat. Cereal grains contain no taurine. Deficiency of this amino acid is a slow progression and could t...

For the last couple weeks, I have written about two products Honey Bees produce: Honey and Royal Jelly . This week, I will write about:  Bee pollen is the plant pollens collected by worker bees that is combined with plant nectar and bee saliva. It is then packed into pellets in the hive and used as a food source for male drone bees. Historically, it has been touted as a complete food source. It is composed of about 40% protein , free amino acids, a multitude of vitamins, minerals, folic acid, enzymes, co-enzymes, antioxidants, Quercetin , carotenoids and rutin . Once ingested, it is rapidly and easily absorbed into the body. Within just two hours of ingestion, it can be found in the blood, cerebral spinal fluid and urine. Throughout history, Bee Pollen has been used for a multitude of medical problems as well as to correct an unbalanced diet. It should be noted, that not much research has been done on the actual validity of the health claims other than case studies by in...

Before I start in on the benefits of Royal Jelly, I would first like to make a BIG announcement!!! After 2 years of planning and changing things, Bark City is pleased to announce that we will be EXPANDING!!!!! 2015 will be a very big year for us as we will be doubling our square footage!! We will be staying open during the whole process and it won't interfere with the dogs having fun. With the expansion we will also be adding NEW SERVICES!! I am SO excited about what is to come. It has been a dream of mine to have a facility like this and to have the dream come true is such a blessing. I would like to Thank all of you for helping this dream become a reality. I would also like to Thank my wonderful employees (past and present) for working so hard to make sure all the dogs are taken care of I really couldn't have done it without them. And now onto Royal Jelly: Royal jelly (RJ) is a milky white substance produced by worker bees in a colony and is used in the nutr...

Bees are one of nature's little miracles. Everything from their little stings to the honey they produce have been praised for their human health benefits. Currently, experts are finding that honey may also help your dog's health. Over these next few weeks, I will talk about a few of the products honeybees create and how they can be used to enhance your dog's health. This week, I am going to talk about the most obvious product- honey. In this post, when I talk about honey, I am referring to raw honey. Raw honey is not heated, pasteurized or processed which can destroy the nutrients.... and nature has packed A LOT of nutrients into this syrup... Isn't that amazing? Honey contains glucose and fructose which are simple sugars (monosaccharides) and are more easily absorbed than disaccharides and polysaccharides which are found in table sugar and starchy vegetables. Honey also contains live enzymes, such as amylase. Amylase facilitates proper digestion of ca...

Last November, I was introduced to essential oils and started doing research on using essential oils for  pets . Unfortunately, there is so little research on the subject and so much misinformation, it can get quite overwhelming. One of my favorite websites for learning how to safely use essential oils on humans is Learning About EO's . I have learned so much, but feel as if I have only scratched the tip of the iceberg. As a result of this newly found knowledge, I have also developed a new pet peeve-- people posting natural essential oil recipes for pets on Pinterest without really taking into regard the power of these oils.... and they can be SUPER POWERFUL. There are a lot of oils out there that are NOT safe for pets and can be quite deadly. Therefore, I have compiled a list of oils that I have read can be toxic to pets. I always encourage you to do your own research as well, because I am obviously not a licensed aromatherapist nor am I a chemist or a holistic Veterina...

 For the last few weeks, I have been highlighting different dog treats that can be found in our candy store.The next company (and last for a while!) is Polkadog Bakery . Polkadog is a small canine bakery in South Boston. All of their treats are handmade from scratch every morning. Their ingredients are locally source from neighborhood suppliers. Large dog treat manufacturers often have raw materials shipped to them from all over the country or world. This causes a decline in quality and increases the risk of food contamination. Because Polkdog gets all of their ingredients "right around the corner" they have optimum control over what goes into their treats and what stays out. In fact, they control every aspect of their bakery from resources, to mixing and baking the ingredients to even hand-packing the finished products and shipping! Their treats are superb and dogs absolutely love them!

The candy store treat company I am going to highlight this week is Bosco and Roxy's . We first learned about them at a dog convention in Las Vegas this past summer. They are based out of London, Ontario Canada and founded by fellow dog boarding facility owners, Michelle and Jamie Crook. Michelle and Jamie wanted to give the dogs special treats while they were boarding, so they started baking from scratch. Word slowly spread about their treat's awesomeness and soon people were asking if they could take them home. The treats have quickly spread across North America, yet they still retain that homemade touch. This image was found on their Facebook page. Click here to "like" them. All of their cookies are hand cut, baked and decorated. Their ingredients are human-grade and they carry wheat-free options for those sensitive stomached pups. We also like that they have many different themed cookies to choose from, so we can pick our treats according to what...

We launched our Dog Candy Store in December. It took us quite a while to decide what treats to carry. After all, we only want the best treats available to our clients! I would like to take these next few weeks to highlight the companies we decided to use. Today, is Bubba Rose Biscuit Company . Bubba Rose was started in 2006 by Jessica and Eric Talley. They started making dog treats for their two rescue dogs, Bubba and Rose. From there, it kind of took off! Now they have been featured on NBC's Today Show, People Magazine, NY Times Style Magazine, Modern Dog...and MANY more... trust me, the list is really long. I didn't feel like typing them all out. They also have a cook book you can buy. (See picture to immediate right.) What I like about Bubba Rose is that every treat is wheat, corn, soy, gluten free AND baked in small batches in their bakery in NJ. All the meats are locally sourced, free-range, grass fed and hormone and antibiotic free. They not only care about dogs,...