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Doggy DayCare recommendations for Snoops?

1K views 6 replies 3 participants last post by  cuddleparty 
#1 ·
So Snoops and I are headed to Austin, and I need doggy daycare for him for one day. Anyone have any recommendations of a good daycare in the area? Somewhere that has a good reputation, and will spoil my Snoopers!
This will be the first time he has been in a day care (tho he has spent the day at the groomers) so I want it to be a good experience... I am very nervous for him!!!!!

Thanks ya'll :)
 
#4 ·
I don't know anyone in Austin. I think it's great you are going to take him and let him socialize while you are out and about. I will need to do this with Zulee too. I would rather be able to be with her at night on my trips rather than leave her boarded the whole time I am gone.

Do you have any term you use to let him know where you are taking him? For instance, when I took Katie to the groomer, I said, "Let's go see Mary!" She would get hyper excited. The car ride there she was calm and knew it wasn't a vet visit. One nice indication I had a good groomer.

Maybe you could start saying, "Play Day!" I think he will start to figure out he gets to have some play time with other dogs and know it's just a few hours until he sees you again.

I wish I had a recommendation for you. One thing is to check the BBB for complaints or check with the local SPCA. You could call a couple of local groomers/vets (that don't do boarding) and see if they have any recommendations. Hopefully, you will see a trend in who they recommend.
 
#5 ·
Good advice BFF! Thanks for that :) BTW... did Zulee come home yet?! :happy:

Snoops goes everywhere with me, and travels really well. It's just that this is the first time he will be on his very own at day care. We are going to float down the river, and while Snoops is allowed to come it is at our own risk. I really don't want any accidents to happen! So figure, it's best for Snoops to keep all four paws on the ground.

I think he will do ok. I just want to be able to find a place that offers alot of care and attention. Some place that will keep him with dogs of the same temperament. A place that is clean... an overall great facility with the needs of dogs in mind.
One worry for me (I'm sure it's silly) is that I won't get Snoops back. I want to take him to a reputable place that will keep a close eye on him. I worry that he will escape or will be given to the wrong person! I'm paranoid, I know..

When we go to the vet, or groomers... I don't use any special words. I just scoop him up and away we go. He seems to be fine and I always give him extra kisses and hugs and let him know that I will be back, or that everything will be ok. I always pack him a bag for the groomers with his favorite toy, some food, and cookies :) He knows his momma will be back for him :)
 
#6 ·
Awww...how sweet that he gets a little care package. What a great idea. I think I will get Zulee on August 31st. My Mother-in-law got married and is having an Open House/Wedding Reception on August 29th in Maine. We will hurry home, so we can go get little Zulee. It will also depend on my hubby's work schedule for the new month. Right now he has the 31st off, but that could change.

I'm getting so excited. It's almost unbearable!
 
#7 ·
Hey BFF! I got your very sweet PM.. thanks for that :) Snoops and I have missed ya'll as well!

It's been such a hectic few weeks. I had my niece down for a visit, then her mom (my sister) came as well. We drove to Austin and that was a great time!

I had decided to book Snoops in for grooming instead of daycare. In the end, I canceled the grooming appointment, and had to scramble last minute to find a daycare in New Braunfels for Snoops because we were headed to Schlitterbahn. I figured it would be best to have him somewhere closer to where we would be. The groomers was located in North Austin. So, I called one location called Happy Tails Pet Ranch. This place looked great! I took a chance and called them up late at night to see if I could bring Snoops by in the morning. The owner answered and said they would be closed. Bummer! Then he called me back and said his partner would be there in the morning and would take Snoops in between 8-9am. Perfect! He seemed a bit cold and not very friendly. Then again, I'd probably be annoyed if some random person called me in the middle of the night on the weekend. Well, we ended up sleeping in and didn't make it for the allotted times. Oops!
I scrambled again and found Country Cottage Pet Resort... this place seemed perfect! I especially liked that the owner Jayanne was/is a vet tech. I called and no answer. uh oh. There were 2 cell phone numbers listed so I sent a text. I got a reply that they were closed for the day. Then I got a call back that the daughter would be willing to open up to accept Snoops for an additional fee. HOORAY!

Off we went! When we pulled up, there were beautiful miniature horses prancing all around the yard. The Sheriff was also at the side of the road! My sister, knowing that I was nervous about leaving Snoops at daycare for the first time *joked* "he is here looking into animal cruelty!" NOT FUNNY!

Turns out, they found an emaciated horse running around their lot, so the Sheriff was called in to investigate. The place was AMAZING! and there definitely was not any animal cruelty going on here. The groomer Patty was in as well and I asked if she would groom Snoops. She said she was full, but would be happy to give him a bath and do head/feet/tail groom. Awesome! They scooped up Snoops and his daycare baggy I packed for him and off he went!

When I picked him up, he looked so handsome. Patty did an amazing job... brushed him out real good and did the cutest little thing - she trimmed down around his bum, then put a little line on each side of his butt. I wish I had a photo. It looked so clever and cute. The entire day at Country Cottage cost me about $80 after tip.. Jayanne told me that her daughter needed to buy new shoes for her kids so was happy to open up. At least my *extra fee* went towards something good for the little ones.

The next day, we headed to Barton Springs so I dropped Snoops off at Barking Hound Village. That place was so busy! My understanding is that they had Snoops in his own kennel and would take him out for potty/play every hour. They said that he did very well with the other dogs... he kinda looked around like "who are all of you? what's going on here?" Who knows... I'm sure every day care/groomer/etc probably says "oh ya! your baby is fine". I think they probably did take good care of him, but I had my doubts about some things. Only reason is because they said he went directly to his pillow and snuggled up. Yes, I had packed his pillow, but he NEVER uses it!
He was only there for a few hours and was very happy once I returned! I loved reuniting with my baby as well. Damage for that day - $20

So that's how it all went down :)
 
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