DogBoy's Dog BlogDog boarding, training, daycare and wellness in the Austin area

Pancake is a Barn Cat that wants to be a House Cat

From the time people first visit DogBoy’s, they hear the term “staff dog”. That is, dogs that belong to members of the DogBoy’s staff. Some of them even have jobs, at least unofficially; Rebecca Andrews‘ dog Murphy is a go-to canine to meet and greet new dogs on their evaluation day, and he’s given more than his share of agility demonstrations. My dog Hoosier-much to my surprise- is sometimes drafted to be an adult role model for puppies.

Some of you may have noticed a couple of cats hanging around the front office from time to time, or even in the office itself. Particularly a sassy orange tabby. Is DogBoy’s taking cats now? No, we’ve got no plans to turn into CatBoy’s. Pancake the orange tabby (and his older and shyer partner, Calli the calico) have jobs here at the ranch.

As you might imagine, being a little bit out in the country means we have to deal with mice. With warm buildings and lots of food-mice, it turns out, LOVE kibble-we are a field mouse utopia. Mice are destructive but an even bigger problem can be some of their predators. Particularly rattlesnakes. After some thought and debate, DogBoy and DogGirl decided to adopt a few cats to live in our barn and hunt mice.

Pancake, though, is a very social co-worker. He loves to come visit the office, get petted and even nibble fingers if you’ll let him. He’s a great barn cat, but he would much rather be an office cat and does his best to be good company-when he’s not trying to open bags of dog food or make other kitten mischief.

So if you see an orange tabby cat on the front porch meowing for attention, it’s not a stray. It’s just Pancake, saying hello.

DogBoy's Salutes our Veterans

Today is Veteran’s Day. On November 11, 1918 at 11:11 am, World War I ended. What started as Armistice Day in the United States has since become a day to remember the service of the men and women of our armed forces, past and present. And we especially want to recognize our customers who have served.

Paula Juba, whose dog Missy is a daycare regular, served in the Army from 1984-1992:

“I can’t compare my service in the 1980s with the sacrifices made by soldiers today. But I will say that it was wonderful bringing my dog, Sara, from NY to Germany, & realizing that she was welcome in hotels, restaurants, & private homes. When I traveled by train or flew on intra-European flights, I merely bought a child’s ticket, & she sat beside me. I had no problem renting a house. In fact, my landlords said that Sara did far less damage than most children. Americans don’t have a very good reputation with respect to the treatment of animals, so Sara & I were ambassadors.

Hats off to the current crop of soldiers who go to extraordinary lengths, often risking their careers, to rescue loyal local translators & canine companions from Iraq & Afghanistan. Their contributions towards the welfare of people, as well as animals, may go unnoticed by most, but they mean the world to people they touch.”

Paula is just one of our great customers who have served, and we salute them all. And we also want to recognize a member of the DogBoy’s family who will be going into the armed forces this summer.

Chris Rivera is committed to his company and his country.

Chris Rivera has been a member of our kennel staff for several years and will be off to boot camp shortly after graduation this year. We wish him the best on this great adventure.

There are also many great programs to connect dogs and vets. In one of his first acts as a U.S. Senator, Al Franken funded a program to pair severely injured vets with service dogs. There’s also a great program called Pets for Vets, which rescues shelter dogs and pairs them with returning veterans. And if you think your dog has the stuff to become a therapy dog, you can always visit an area VA hospital after they’re certified.

Last-and certainly not least-we want to remember the dogs who have served their country. Dogs and the military go back thousands of years. The Roman Molossian dog, ancestor to breeds from the Rottweiler to the bull mastiff, helped haul loads at Roman military camps and fought beside the legions in battle. In the military today dogs serve in security, search and rescue, and perhaps most importantly in the age of the roadside bomb, helping discover hidden explosives.

On this Veteran’s Day, DogBoy’s salutes them all!