Dog Day Care 101:

Are you one of those super-motivated success driven people? Instead of a forty-hour work week do you more often pull a forty-hour weekend as well? If the answer is yes, or if you spend the majority of your time away from your home then this article may be for you. Your dog or pet may be suffering. Staying long periods of time by themselves is not good for dogs. Many behavioral issues can result and increased periods of inactivity, it could also cause your pet to get fat. Nobody wants that.

So, you have a couple of options. You could quit your job. You can marry someone who works from home. Or you can opt for some dog day care! Dog day care is just like it sounds. You pay someone to come over your house for about an hour, while you are at work. That person will show your pet some much needed attention, give them some doggie treats, and take them for a walk!

Follow The Dog Bowl's online steps to finding the dog day care service that is right for you!

Do your homework!

When selecting a dog day care service make sure you do your homework. Look up dog day care agencies on the Internet or your local yellow pages. Ask your vet and pet store if they can recommend a dog day care service to you. It is always a good idea to check with your vet or pet store to see if they have heard anything negative about any potential dog day care service that you might have in mind. If there is no such service in your area, but an add in your local newspaper. Some dog day care professionals are college kids, stay at home parents, or retirees looking to make some cash on the side who daily check the newspapers when looking for new clients.

Ask Questions

Here are some questions that you should ask any potential dog day care service:

How many years they have been doing this?
Do they like working with animals?
Do they have any credentials or are they associated with a vet or pet store that can vouch for them?
What do they typically do for their clients?
How much do they charge?
Has an animal ever been hurt when they were taking care of them? If so what happened?
What would you do if an emergency happened like an animal appears to be sick or hurt?

Give Them the Compatibility Test

Just like you wouldn't date someone that you didn't get along with. So you should make sure that the dog day care service personal is a good match for both you and your pet.

Do you get along with them? Very important since you will be dealing with them on a regular basis.
Does your dog seem to like whoever will be taking care of them? This is probably the most important factor. Does your dog like this person? Is this the type of person that you want your dog to see every day?
Does this person seem to like your dog? Does he or she seem like the type of person who will shower love and attention to your dog?

Don't worry about judging a person. That is exactly what you are supposed to be doing! This is a job interview. And you need to treat it as such. In any job interview what plays the biggest role in whether a person gets hired or not, is would they be a good fit for our team. If this person seems like a nice addition to you and your dog's life, go ahead and hire them. If not keep looking, you'll find someone eventually.

Clarify Expectations

Take some time out and explain to the dog day care person who is going to be taking care of your pet, what type of things you feel should be done. Let's face it, our dogs our like our children. And every parent has their own list of "things that must be done" for people that are taking care of their children, and dog lovers are the same. So show them where you keep the leash, the dog treats, the dog food, and a list of emergency contact numbers. Show them around and let them know where everything is. Print them out a checklist of everything you want them to do give them a copy, and post a copy on your fridge so it is readily available for the dog day care professional. Settle on a price for the dog day care service, method of payment, and a payment schedule.

An Excuse to Go Shopping!

After all of this the only thing left to do is go shopping! The best way to get yourself and you dog excited about a big change in their life is to buy some new stuff. Check out The Dog Bowl's online store, and pick up a new fashionable leash, some delicious new doggie treats, and some new doggie toys which will be sure to make your dog day care experience a success! So do your homework, ask a lot of questions, clarify your expectations, and go shopping and enjoy the freedom of keeping your day job and knowing your dog is happy too!