March 2023 Daycare Newsletter
Vaccines
We understand that most people prefer doggie daycare to local dog parks as we can give you peace of mind that the dogs have been vetted and gone through a behavior analysis to be accepted. With this being said, it is your responsibility to ensure the vaccine records are up to date in your dog's Gingr profile.
If you show up for daycare with expired vaccines on file, you will be allowed to leave your dog for daycare IF you can assure us that we will receive your dogs vaccine records that day. Sometimes when the lobby is busy, we may not catch this until you have left, in which case we will text you asking for those records.
For instructions on how to utilize your Gingr portal please visit: http://www.bluecollardoghouse.com/customer-portal.html
We appreciate you doing your part to keep Blue Collar Doghouse a safe and fun environment for your dog!
Kennel Cough
It is time to talk openly about kennel cough..
Unfortunately, kennel cough, properly known CIRCD (Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease Complex) is a highly contagious illness which dogs of all breeds and ages are susceptible to. Because most dogs are contagious before showing symptoms, it is important to understand that catching kennel cough will always be a risk for your dog. Each staff member is trained to recognize symptoms, immediately isolate, and call for pick up of any dog showing signs. Things to watch for at home would include frequent honking or coughing which is often described as a retching or gagging event that can be productive or unproductive. If your dog is experiencing these symptoms, KEEP YOUR DOG HOME until they are symptom free for 10 days. Most dogs will recover with no need for medical attention in 7-10 days though It is important to call your veterinarian and get their recommendation. Maintaining current vaccines can protect your dog from becoming ill as it makes them less likely to develop and spread severe infection to other dogs.
Please understand, this is a risk each client takes when bringing their dog to daycare. Each night our entire indoor and outdoor facility is disinfected using Wysiwash which is effective against bacteria and viruses leading to CIRCD. We do everything within our power to keep your dogs protected however, it is important to understand that in its contagious nature, it will always be a risk you take when bringing your dog. Due to this, becoming hostile or disrespectful with Blue Collar Doghouse staff regarding your dog contracting CIRCD will not be tolerated.
To learn more about CIRCD, please visit: https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/petcare/canine-infectious-respiratory-disease-complex-kennel-cough
Barking
We are very fortunate to have such a wonderful location to care for your dogs! With this being said, it is important to remember that we do reside within city limits and border two amazing establishments which host people to enjoy wonderful snacks and beverages. Due to this, we are unable to accommodate dogs that bark incessantly, out of boredom, or out of demand. While this is something we have said since the beginning of time, we have become a bit lax on this policy. This newsletter is intended to communicate with you that we will be tightening our policies around these types of barking in order to continue our lease within the beautiful city of Edmonds.
If you know your dog exhibits these behaviors, please reach out in order to discuss possible solutions. If you get a message or report card from us informing you of these behaviors, please know we are only trying to open a line of communication to discuss solutions. These reports are not intended to make you feel as though your dog is “bad”. Barking is a natural dog behavior and varies with breed, anxiety levels, stress levels, and levels of excitement. It is important if your dog is a high energy barker when coming into daycare, that you do your best to calm your dog prior to releasing them into daycare. This may mean sitting in the lobby or taking a walk around the complex prior to entering, to get your dog's brain calm and collected, and to set them up for a successful day in daycare.
Behavior Report Cards
Report cards are coming back! These will be used to give you updates on how your dog is doing in daycare. If we see any concerning behaviors such as stress, anxiety, toy possessiveness, ect, the report cards will be used to relay these messages. They are sent via text and it is important to note that you can ALWAYS call or respond via text and ask to speak with someone further about the report card you received. While we try to be as formal in communication as possible, report cards allow for effective and direct communication while allowing us to continue giving your dogs the attention and monitoring they deserve. Please try to be open and receptive to our communications and know that whatever we are relaying, is in the best interest of not only your dog, but all dogs and staff of Blue Collar Doghouse.
Dirty Dogs
We understand that we are an indoor/outdoor daycare that can result in a dirty pup when going home. While we cannot clean or dry your dog for you, we do maintain self-wash tubs which you can use at a discounted rate of $10 on daycare days or you can purchase a monthly self-wash membership. Everything needed to get your dog clean and dry is provided, no need to bring anything from home!
Leashes for Daycare Dogs
The best way to ensure your dog is safe and properly entering daycare, is to bring your dog in, and take them out, on a leash. We would like to go back to an ‘all dogs on leash’ while in the lobby policy. This policy became lax during Covid times as we no longer keep your leashes on site in order to minimize chances of misplacement. It is important to remember that not all dogs that come into our facilities are dog friendly and letting your dogs run around off leash in the lobby is not safe for many reasons. Please bring your dog into daycare on leash, the front desk will walk your dog back to the daycare hallway and bring the leash back to you. For go-home time, please stand directly inside the gate (coming soon, for now hand the leash to the front desk associate, they will let your dog into daycare and hand the leash back to you) and allow your dog to come to you to be leashed. We do not allow clients to walk up to the window as go-home time can lead to small bouts of stress or anxiety for certain dogs, and strangers in the window will only heighten these behaviors.
Watching your Dogs in Daycare
We understand it can be tempting to watch through the window or over the fence line. As many dogs get uncomfortable with strangers and scuffles are not common, having people peer into the daycare yard can cause stress and redirected aggression among the group. Please always stay at least 6-12 feet from the fence line to ensure our pack’s safety. Due to being in a concrete building and the wifi bandwidth, we are unable to provide live streaming of our daycare yards.
Prices
With the price increase in 2022 we do not intend to increase daycare prices for 2023.
Thank you for your continued love and support, we couldn't do it without you! If you find yourself with any questions or concerns regarding this newsletter, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Love,
Blue Collar Doghouse Team
Vaccines
We understand that most people prefer doggie daycare to local dog parks as we can give you peace of mind that the dogs have been vetted and gone through a behavior analysis to be accepted. With this being said, it is your responsibility to ensure the vaccine records are up to date in your dog's Gingr profile.
If you show up for daycare with expired vaccines on file, you will be allowed to leave your dog for daycare IF you can assure us that we will receive your dogs vaccine records that day. Sometimes when the lobby is busy, we may not catch this until you have left, in which case we will text you asking for those records.
For instructions on how to utilize your Gingr portal please visit: http://www.bluecollardoghouse.com/customer-portal.html
We appreciate you doing your part to keep Blue Collar Doghouse a safe and fun environment for your dog!
Kennel Cough
It is time to talk openly about kennel cough..
Unfortunately, kennel cough, properly known CIRCD (Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease Complex) is a highly contagious illness which dogs of all breeds and ages are susceptible to. Because most dogs are contagious before showing symptoms, it is important to understand that catching kennel cough will always be a risk for your dog. Each staff member is trained to recognize symptoms, immediately isolate, and call for pick up of any dog showing signs. Things to watch for at home would include frequent honking or coughing which is often described as a retching or gagging event that can be productive or unproductive. If your dog is experiencing these symptoms, KEEP YOUR DOG HOME until they are symptom free for 10 days. Most dogs will recover with no need for medical attention in 7-10 days though It is important to call your veterinarian and get their recommendation. Maintaining current vaccines can protect your dog from becoming ill as it makes them less likely to develop and spread severe infection to other dogs.
Please understand, this is a risk each client takes when bringing their dog to daycare. Each night our entire indoor and outdoor facility is disinfected using Wysiwash which is effective against bacteria and viruses leading to CIRCD. We do everything within our power to keep your dogs protected however, it is important to understand that in its contagious nature, it will always be a risk you take when bringing your dog. Due to this, becoming hostile or disrespectful with Blue Collar Doghouse staff regarding your dog contracting CIRCD will not be tolerated.
To learn more about CIRCD, please visit: https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/petcare/canine-infectious-respiratory-disease-complex-kennel-cough
Barking
We are very fortunate to have such a wonderful location to care for your dogs! With this being said, it is important to remember that we do reside within city limits and border two amazing establishments which host people to enjoy wonderful snacks and beverages. Due to this, we are unable to accommodate dogs that bark incessantly, out of boredom, or out of demand. While this is something we have said since the beginning of time, we have become a bit lax on this policy. This newsletter is intended to communicate with you that we will be tightening our policies around these types of barking in order to continue our lease within the beautiful city of Edmonds.
If you know your dog exhibits these behaviors, please reach out in order to discuss possible solutions. If you get a message or report card from us informing you of these behaviors, please know we are only trying to open a line of communication to discuss solutions. These reports are not intended to make you feel as though your dog is “bad”. Barking is a natural dog behavior and varies with breed, anxiety levels, stress levels, and levels of excitement. It is important if your dog is a high energy barker when coming into daycare, that you do your best to calm your dog prior to releasing them into daycare. This may mean sitting in the lobby or taking a walk around the complex prior to entering, to get your dog's brain calm and collected, and to set them up for a successful day in daycare.
Behavior Report Cards
Report cards are coming back! These will be used to give you updates on how your dog is doing in daycare. If we see any concerning behaviors such as stress, anxiety, toy possessiveness, ect, the report cards will be used to relay these messages. They are sent via text and it is important to note that you can ALWAYS call or respond via text and ask to speak with someone further about the report card you received. While we try to be as formal in communication as possible, report cards allow for effective and direct communication while allowing us to continue giving your dogs the attention and monitoring they deserve. Please try to be open and receptive to our communications and know that whatever we are relaying, is in the best interest of not only your dog, but all dogs and staff of Blue Collar Doghouse.
Dirty Dogs
We understand that we are an indoor/outdoor daycare that can result in a dirty pup when going home. While we cannot clean or dry your dog for you, we do maintain self-wash tubs which you can use at a discounted rate of $10 on daycare days or you can purchase a monthly self-wash membership. Everything needed to get your dog clean and dry is provided, no need to bring anything from home!
Leashes for Daycare Dogs
The best way to ensure your dog is safe and properly entering daycare, is to bring your dog in, and take them out, on a leash. We would like to go back to an ‘all dogs on leash’ while in the lobby policy. This policy became lax during Covid times as we no longer keep your leashes on site in order to minimize chances of misplacement. It is important to remember that not all dogs that come into our facilities are dog friendly and letting your dogs run around off leash in the lobby is not safe for many reasons. Please bring your dog into daycare on leash, the front desk will walk your dog back to the daycare hallway and bring the leash back to you. For go-home time, please stand directly inside the gate (coming soon, for now hand the leash to the front desk associate, they will let your dog into daycare and hand the leash back to you) and allow your dog to come to you to be leashed. We do not allow clients to walk up to the window as go-home time can lead to small bouts of stress or anxiety for certain dogs, and strangers in the window will only heighten these behaviors.
Watching your Dogs in Daycare
We understand it can be tempting to watch through the window or over the fence line. As many dogs get uncomfortable with strangers and scuffles are not common, having people peer into the daycare yard can cause stress and redirected aggression among the group. Please always stay at least 6-12 feet from the fence line to ensure our pack’s safety. Due to being in a concrete building and the wifi bandwidth, we are unable to provide live streaming of our daycare yards.
Prices
With the price increase in 2022 we do not intend to increase daycare prices for 2023.
Thank you for your continued love and support, we couldn't do it without you! If you find yourself with any questions or concerns regarding this newsletter, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Love,
Blue Collar Doghouse Team