Dog Club Newsletter, June, 2008

Graduations are over and that means summer vacation!! Many of you have new routines during these months, so please let us know which days your dogs will be attending daycare. Having an accurate idea of how many dogs will be coming allows us to staff properly and provide your dog with the best care available. Thanks for your help with this.

To help you with all your dog care needs, we've established relations with outstanding boarding services. Lynda's Boarding can help you while you're out of town. Lynda will care for your dogs at her home and then bring them to daycare at The Dog Club during the day.

Make sure to contact Linda in advance because she often books up quickly — especially around July 4^th.

A reminder to please keep your dogs safe during these summer months. In just a few minutes your car can heat up to dangerously high levels in excess of 130 degrees. Dogs do not sweat. Panting is their only means off keeping cool. Clipping a dog's coat a little shorter for the summer will help to keep the dog cooler. Be sure not to clip the hair too short or shave the dog — the dog's coat protects him from sunburn and is additionally an insulator. Make sure to brush your long coated dog out on a regular basis. Removing the shedding hair will trap less heat and keep the dog cooler. Black dogs will get hotter quicker than light color dogs. Provide your dog plenty of shade and fresh water. Both the very young and very old dogs are among the highest risk categories for heat exhaustion. Short muzzled dogs, in general, are high risk on hot humid days.

If your dog becomes very weak or is stumbling around he could be experiencing heat stroke. This is an emergency situation and must be treated immediately.

Here is a good article on Heat Exhaustion written by a vet. It is geared towards retrievers, but the information would apply to all dogs.

Daycare at The Dog Club is a great way for your dog to get exercise and mental stimulation while staying cool in our air conditioned play rooms. We can also brush, bathe, or give your dog a hair cut to help keep him cooler during these hot summer months.

We've been having some problems with our e-mail. (Fixed Now!) If you have tried info@dogclubonline.com and haven't gotten a response it's because I have not received your note. We are working on the problem, (Fixed Now!) but in the meantime you can reach me by using louisekuipers@comcast.net. Or call me at 970-416-1166. Sorry for the inconvenience.