Doggie Daycare

Whoever had the idea for doggie daycare is genius. Without daycare, I don't know what I would do everyday with Mumble, who has endless energy, doesn't like to be home by himself, and is capable of eating through wood doors, puncturing brass doorknobs, and destroying rugs when he is bored.

I pick Mumble up around 7:00pm from The Loved Dog, after my long day at work and his long day playing with other dogs. The Loved Dog is a cage-free daycare and boarding place, and Mumble absolutely loves it there. He runs around this big room all day, where there are things for them to climb on and (most importantly for Mumble) lots of dogs to play with. When I pull up in the parking lot, Mumble is usually over near the big metal-gate-type doors on the side of the building with a gang of other dogs. When he sees me, he either barks and gets all the other dogs barking excitedly too, or he runs over to the gate to where I'll be waiting in the lobby. For a while, Mumble had decided he didn't need to be "let out" into the lobby to me because he could do that himself - jump the small gate and the taller one, push the handle on the door down and attempt to let himself out into the lobby to greet me. They basically implemented a behavior plan (like something that may appear in an IEP for some of the kids I represent!) to correct this and teach him to wait, both going in the door in the morning and coming out. Still, he usually doesn't need them to open that first gate for him, someone just calls his name, and he goes right over it.

Yesterday, when I picked up Mumble I also picked up his friend Charlie, who lives down the street from us. Charlie is new to The Loved Dog, but seems to be enjoying it thoroughly. Mumble was, as usual, completely exhausted from his day of play. The staff say that Mumble goes full-on all day long, even continuing to play when the other dogs stop for a mid-day nap. Mumble was asleep in the car before we even got home. Charlie, however, was looking at me inquisitively in the car, and when we got to my place, she just wanted to run around the apartment smelling everything and looking for my cat, following me around for treats, checking out the toy box. When her mom picked her up, she was leaping with excitement and then trying to engage a sleepy Mumble in playtime. Mumble has days like that too where he is still full of energy, and I just look at him and think "why aren't you exhausted yet?!"

We call it "going to school," and in the morning I say to Mumble, are you ready to go to school, and he runs to the door and sits to wait for his leash. Oh what lucky dogs they are, getting to run and play with their friends everyday! I highly recommend doggie daycare to anyone with a busy work schedule who has to leave their dog at home. Get as much information as you can about the facility, how it is run, and what the clients say about it before you go. Some questions I had were How many people are in the room with the dogs? What is the training of the staff? What happens if a dog is overexcited or shows aggression? What is the screening process for new dogs? What vaccinations are required? What is the procedure if there is an emergency? You need to talk to the staff and make sure you are comfortable with them and the facility before you leave your dog there, but if you find a place that works for you and your dog, it can really be a great option for busy dog-owners, especially in urban areas where the dog may not have as much access to "running-around space," like a big yard.