Noodle is fired up and ready for 2012!

Noodle and I would like to welcome you to 2012!  What an exciting year it is going to be!  Let’s see if I can catch you up on all the news:

First of all, if you haven’t already heard, DogBoy’s has been invited to try out for a reality TV show called Doggy Day Care!  We are sending our video submission today, and can’t wait to hear back to see if we get chosen.  We spent the Christmas holiday capturing video of puppies, staff, customers and doing our best to capture all the wonderful people and parts that make up DogBoy’s.  Whether we get picked to do the show or not, making this video has reinforced what a special place this is, and how much we have to teach and share with all of you.  Thank you to our clients and staff who were able to participate, and we promise to keep you posted on this exciting adventure!

Next up, our new Spring Classes have been posted on the website, and there are 30 to choose from!  You will never find a better way to bond with your dog, learn about dog behavior in a fun environment and get the results you want than with one of our classes taught by our top notch trainers.  Our team works tirelessly to keep their own behavior knowledge and training skills honed, so that you can be sure you’re learning from the best.  Visit our schedule of dog training classes to see what might be fun for you to try!

Along with the wonderful work we do with the dogs of the Austin Humane Society, DogBoy’s has also begun working with the Friends of Austin Animal Center ‘s Hard Luck Hound program.  These are the 15 dogs who have been in their shelter the longest, and are having trouble getting adopted.  So our up and coming trainers Lydia, Jeanie, Kelly and Alice are taking on these special projects to see if we can teach them some manners and coping skills.  We will be giving these dogs some much needed training, lots of one on one time, furthering the behavior knowledge for our trainers in training, and hopefully increasing the chances of a successful adoption for these forgotten animals.  Giving back to our dog loving community is a win-win for everyone involved!

Tomorrow is the day to make your 2012 holiday reservations!  I know, I know, it seems too soon!  But DogBoy’s has been filling up for holiday slots a year in advance for many years now, so we want you to have every opportunity to get those much coveted spots!  Call, email or fax in your request, and we will make your reservations as quickly as possible.  With the new year, we are also adding a few new services, like our Private Dog Park opening in February, self-service dog wash appointments, and discounts with multiple days of Doggy day care and Chelsea’s Charm School!  See the Our Prices page of our website for all the latest details and prices.

Thank you all for a wonderful year, and we look forward to enriching the lives of you and your dog for years to come!  We are truly blessed to have each of you and your dogs in our lives.

With joy,

DogGirl

Noodle models DogGirl's Knits

Happy Holidays, Friends of the Furry!

It’s getting chilly out there – that means the holidays are finally here!  Noodle and I want to remind you to join us for our Holiday Open House!

For those of you admiring the sweater on our tree in the center of the circle drive (you know who you are!), that was hand knit by DogGirl & Kate, our Training and Wellness Coordinator, (and our friend Jane).  The tree sweater was one of a collection for an art project at the Blanton Museum for Explore UT weekend last spring.  It was one in a grove of 99 trees called “Knitted Wonderland.”  Enjoy!

RSVP

We want to invite you to become a special part of the DogBoy’s community – an elite group of dog-loving ambassadors who want to be a part of building the future of DogBoy’s services and products.  You can be an integral part of growing DogBoy’s the way you want to see it grow.  Do you ever walk into a restaurant or other local business and think to yourself, “This place would be so great if they asked me what I think and what I would do differently”?  I know I do.  Well I am here today to invite you to do just that.

We’re going to create a Facebook group of DogBoy’s Ambassadors, with only those of you who want to actively be a part of giving input about what you want for your dog.  We want to be a part of providing that for you, so please, contact me and tell me you want to be an official DogBoy’s Ambassador.

We’re also going to have a special Holiday Open House this year to say thank you in person. Come celebrate the season with us on Friday, December 9th from 6-8 pm at the TWC.  We will have yummy homemade appetizers and adult beverages, invite local vets and our wellness practitioners, and have wonderful door prizes to give away.  This party is just for humans, but we will have presents for you to take home to your pups!  Please RSVP if you plan to attend.

For our Christmas boarders, we will be celebrating the holidays again this year with our Second Annual Santa Paws! Purchase any retail item from DogBoy’s, and we’ll wrap it and open it with your dog on Christmas Eve.  Last year we had so many presents under the tree!  If you are boarding over the Christmas holiday and would like to participate in this fun event, just purchase a gift and leave it with the front desk.  We’ll make sure it gets labeled and to your pup, and will hopefully get a good picture or two of the fun, which we will gladly share with you after the holiday.

For those of you who have been patiently waiting for our Private Dog Park, we are almost ready!  We are in the process of ordering the signage and making the final arrangements.  We hope to be open by the first of the year.  We will have an official Dog Park Open House in February.  Thank you so much for your patience!

Enjoy this beautiful weather, give that pup of yours a belly rub, and we hope to see you or hear from you soon!

With joy,

DogGirl

DogBoy’s branded treats and merchandise

“Life’s uncertain–eat dessert first,” a wise person once said. So we have to tell you about the most exciting new thing we have at DogBoy’s–our very own branded treats and merchandise.  Supplied by Healthpro Nutrition, a maker of quality dog treats, DogBoy’s brand treats come in turkey/sweet potato, cranberry/sweet potato, smoked salmon,  and peanut butter flavors.

You can show your DogBoy’s pride by buying a leash with our familiar ranch dog silhouette logo. The leashes are six feet long and are made of sturdy nylon–perfect for walks or for use during a training class. We also are selling logo “leash links.” They attach to the hand loop of a leash (they also make pretty good key rings), and are perfect for attaching accessories such as hand sanitizer, bug spray and cleanup bags. All of these leash accessories are also available here in the office. Be completely prepared for your next walk and do it in style!

New High Quality Foods

Diet is so important to us here at DogBoy’s. From day one, we strive to educate our clients about how diet affects all aspects of a dog’s life, especially when it comes to behavior and overall health.  And we know that our customers expect that when we offer dog food for sale, it will be food that meets our highest personal standards: free of fillers, and full of good protein, fruits, vegetables and other healthy ingredients. That’s why we’re excited to offer Life4K9 brand dry dog food, in both chicken and barley and lamb and barley varieties.  A number of our staff have tried it; Jay reports that his dogs Graham and Hoosier both love the chicken and barley formula.

Toys

Last, but certainly not least, we have some fun new toys for sale. We have a line of fun–and tough–stuffed toys from Mighty Dog Toys. From cows and goats to possums and beavers, we have animals for large and small dogs alike. From Sprocket Pet Goods comes P:ECO the Penguin. P:ECO is the green dog toy, made entirely from organic and recycled materials. It’s the perfect toy for the green dog in your life.

Be sure to let us know how you like these new products. And if there’s something we’re not carrying that you’d like to see at DogBoy’s, let us know that too!

Once upon a time, there was a short-legged, furry little Aussie Basset mix named Mr. Blue. A blue dapple guy with a friendly face, Mr. Blue loved coming to DogBoy’s to run and play, and to show other dogs how to play nicely too. Blue was a great leader in playgroup – a True Blue leader, if you will.  He made sure all the other dogs minded their manners, and didn’t get snarky if he had a bad day. Tracey, his mom, loved the days he came to DogBoy’s as well, because that meant that she could focus on her work and Mr. Blue would come home tired and happy at the end of the day.

One day though, Tracey got a job in another state. We were so sad to see them go, but we knew Mr. Blue would go on to do great things no matter where he lived.  Turns out that when they went away, Mr. Blue got so inspired that he decided to write a book – and True Blue Leadership was born.

Tracey and Blue authored True Blue Leadership—The Top 10 Tricks from the Chief Motivational Hound, a leadership bookwritten from the perspective of her 10 year-old rescue dog, Mr.Blue.  Tracey’s book is inspired by her father, the late Charlie “Tremendous” Jones.

Please join us Tuesday, September 27th from 4-6 pm at DogBoy’s Training & Wellness Center for Mr. Blue’s True Blue Leadership – Stop Playing Dead Tour. It will be a fun evening of festivities, a book signing (paw print!) by Mr. Blue himself, and a pawtography photo opp. Come meet Mr. Blue and his mom Tracey, and see what all the awesomeness is about. A portion of the proceeds from this special evening will be donated to the Austin Humane Society.

Watch Mr. Blue’s Video

To find out more, visit Tremendous Life Books on Facebook, or email DogGirl.  Hope to see you this week at the event!

And they lived happily ever after.

Stay cool, and see you soon!

DogGirl

Copy Cat

Many of you know Pancake, our orange tabby barn cat. He’s very friendly and loves attention. And many of you have been surprised to see him in the office the last few months. What’s going on? Has Pancake retired from the barn to become an office cat?

For some time, there have been tell-tale signs that something was going on with Pancake’s health. His lip would swell sometimes, with what looked like insect bites, and they always seemed to go away. More serious were recurrent infections in Pancake’s paw that never seemed to fully heal. We here at DogBoy’s were concerned, and many of our great customers were concerned for him as well. We were worried it was something serious.

Finally we got a diagnosis: feline eosinophilic granuloma complex. Quite a mouthful! But what is it? Basically, it causes the growth of skin lesions in a cat’s mouth, feet, stomach, or other areas on its body. No one really knows what causes it; one theory is that allergies set off an immune response that goes awry. There is also some evidence that eosinophilic granuloma complex is genetic. And in Pancake’s case, the fact that he had a lesion on his paw made him more prone to getting infections in the affected foot.

The good news is that for most cats, this disease is manageable and there are a range of treatment options available. As Pancake recovers and gets back to his usual mischevious self, we will be consulting with our vets to determine what the next step will be. And whether he returns to the outdoors permanently to keep our other barn cat, Callie, company or embarks on another great adventure we here at DogBoy’s will make sure that Pancake is happy, healthy, and very well-loved. In the meantime, feel free to give him some attention. But watch out–if he’s feeling frisky he may try to nip you!

Update: Dr. Todd Riggan and the staff at White Rock Veterinary Hospital have given Pancake the go-ahead to return to the great outdoors. While he still loves to visit the office, he is happy to be free again!

The view of Bastrop fires from DogBoy's

Sunday was a pretty scary day for us here in Central Texas. A severe drought, mixed with high winds created the perfect storm for fires to erupt all over the surrounding areas, including Pflugerville. Understandably, you were worried, so Noodle and I are here with answers.

The Texas Forest Service told of 63 fires yesterday that burned close to 33,000 acres. Community Impact has all the details of the fires in our area.  Everyone at DogBoy’s is keeping a close eye on the news, the dogs and the property.  Currently, and thankfully, there are no fires in Pflugerville at the present time.

Here’s what we know:

DogBoy’s continues to maintain a defensible barrier to fire by cutting all the combustible materials away from the buildings and property, clearing surrounding brush, and cutting grass down to 1/2″.  Many neighboring farms have plowed their fields, leaving little to burn.  DogBoy’s kennels and training buildings are made of concrete, cement board, aluminum and tin, so the buildings are at low risk for catching fire.

Other pet care facilities in Austin such as Hip Hounds and Barking Springs have graciously offered up space for us in case we need to evacuate.  If that ever were to happen, however, we would need extra help for transport.  If you would like to join a call list of people nearby who could quickly help in a situation like this, please email me at doggirl@dogboys.com with your current email and cell phone.  Ideally, we’d like to start a Google Huddle (group text alert), so if you’re on Google +, all the better!

Please know that we are doing all we can to stay on top of these events, and your dogs and their safety have our full attention now and always.  Be safe out there, Y’all, and we will keep you informed if there are any changes.

With care,

DogGirl

We also care for many dogs that are more heat sensitive than others. Short-nosed dogs (aka Brachycephalic dogs) like boxers, bulldogs, pugs and puggles are watched especially closely. The roof of their mouth acts like a radiator in a car – short snouts equal an inefficient cooling system.  Other dogs that overheat easily are the very large breeds, like our Pyrenees and mastiffs, as well as dogs on thyroid medications. Elderly dogs and those with heart conditions also have trouble with the heat as well as younger dogs. We keep an extra-close watch on these dogs when they’re here in summer months, and you will often see a well-behaved boarding dog spending time in the office when they need to be indoors more.

One of the things that makes DogBoy’s extra special is that the dogs we care for get to play outside in playgroups, hand-picked by staff who are trained in dog behavior. On an ideal day, that means they are outside for a full day’s play, whether they are here for daycare or boarding.  But your dog’s safety is our top priority, which means on days when the temperature or heat index is close to 100 or hotter, they can’t play outside all day without overheating.

So what do we do?

Well, when it’s this hot outside, we have to change things up a bit.  DogBoy’s kennels have always been designed to keep the cool in with reflective roofing and 4′ thick concrete slabs that hold on to the earth’s temperature.  We also have air-conditioned kennels, so dogs have a comfortable place to cool down.  To take advantage of the cooler times of day, the dogs get playtime in the morning.  And we start early!  We get the AC going in the kennels around 10 am, and when it starts to get hot around mid-day we bring the dogs inside for a rest and cool-down period. On days when we have lots of dogs on the property, we may also bring dogs into the office or to our beautiful and spacious Training and Wellness Center. After cooling off, we let the dogs out for potty breaks and shorter, supervised hikes.  While on hikes, we turn on the sprinklers and hose dogs down to help cool them off.  When boarding numbers are high, we limit day care, so everyone has dedicated space to cool down.

Our hard-working kennel staff makes sure that there is fresh, cool water in the buckets and kiddie pools, placed in the shade so your dogs can have a refreshing drink and cool themselves off with a splash if they want to. Our team refreshes these water sources again mid-day so that when the dogs come out after their rest break to play, they have plenty of clean cool water.

Thanks again for your questions, and keep ‘em coming.  We want you to travel worry-free, and enjoy your time away from your dog, while at work or on the road, with confidence that we’re taking care of all the details.  Enjoy these last few weeks of summer and we’ll see you again soon!

Stay cool,

DogGirl

P.S.  For those of you who want to know more about our old friend Mr. Blue, the pawthor of True Blue Leadership, who will be visiting DogBoy’s for an official Book Signing and Pawtography Event Tuesday, September 27th, check out his video:

Each year, DogBoy & I go on a long vacation. We live on the property with DogBoy’s boarding kennel on one side, and the Training & Wellness center on the other, a view of the agility field out our kitchen window, and a view of one of the playgroups our our bathroom window. Employees are all around walking back and forth, and customers are (thankfully) coming in and out daily. Sometimes, being in the middle of it all leaves us feeling a little like we’re living in a bubble. Because we live, eat, work and raise our family all in the same place, when we need a vacation we have to really get away (far away or for a long time, or both) to accomplish that.

So far, we have not yet taken our dogs along for the ride. There is no room in the car for the big dogs (sorry guys), and taking little Noodle would make eating out difficult. Some of the national parks we went to this trip weren’t very dog friendly either. Not to mention our dogs get excellent care at DogBoy’s while we’re gone!

I’m sure Noodle, Rebel and Tessa are getting lots of exercise, belly rubs, and plenty of opportunities for playtime with other dogs. Getting to romp around on 15 acres is like dog heaven. Anytime they’re out of the house, their tails are wagging, and their tongues are hanging out from sheer bliss. They want all the other dogs to know the truth: they run this place. But at night, when they’re sleeping soundly in their air-conditioned runs, I think about them and wish they were curled up in my lap or at my feet.

I think next year, I might see if I can talk DogBoy into letting me bring Noodle along. After 15 years in the pet care industry, I’m almost embarrassed to say that I’ve never taken my pups on vacation with me. I’m curious to know if you’ve traveled with your dog, and what your experiences have been?

Happy Tails!
DogGirl

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Thanks to businessbroad.com for the image.

Noodle is feeling patriotic today!

Howdy, Y’all!   Noodle Here.

My Mom and Dad are out celebrating the 4th of July without me this year, but I want you to know that that’s not necessarily a bad thing!  I’m holding down the fort at the Ranch (all 10 lbs of me), making sure all the other dogs have company, and I’m busy keep away the intruders in the tall grass (All grass is tall to me).

My mom says that the 4th of July is a real reason to celebrate.  Rumor has it, she’s visiting the home of a Navy pilot, who’s home for only a short visit near the end of a VERY long deployment.  I love snuggling on my mom’s lap while she’s reading her friend’s military spouse blog, Witty Little Secret.

Sometimes she laughs (fun for me), and sometimes she cries (good for her), but she always leaves with a better understanding of what it’s like to truly sacrifice for the sake of our country.

Okay, back to me and my cuddly self.  Did I mention I miss my mom?  There is one more thing I need you to know before tonight.  If your county doesn’t have a burn ban like Travis County does, and you actually get to go out and see fireworks tonight, do my four-legged friends a favor and DON’T bring them along.  I know you love to take us lots of places, and most times that’s a good thing!  But fireworks stress us out, so please keep us home indoors where it’s safe.  Windows closed, shades drawn, and music up are all things that will improve the mood.  If your pups have access to your back yard where the scary fireworks are, make sure their collars and tags are on, JUST IN CASE they feel the need to escape and go AWOL.  If you have time, download this really cool CD called Through a Dog’s Ear, it’s music just for me that is especially made to calm us down.  Here’s even more safety tips for dogs during fireworks.

Have a safe and happy 4th of July, dog friends, and come home soon, Mom!

Love, Noodle