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ladybugfruit

Doggy Daycare

ladybugfruit
14 years ago

Ok, so I took my girls for their first experience of doggy daycare this weekend ( thanks again Cynthia for the suggestion) while our house was showing and I have a question. Is is normal for the dogs to come home smelling?? I also took a couple of their toys and one of their dog beds for familiarity and they also came home stinking!! It is a reputable place and I have always had great experiences with the vet side, but oh my gosh, I had to give them baths and wash their bed and toys ( which I will need to sun out the interior of the bed since the pee smell saturated into it as well).

They seemed to have a good time ( called to check on them), but is this normal?? I will also be giving a call into them this morning to discuss it.

TIA,

LBF

Comments (4)

  • mazer415
    14 years ago

    Sounds like the place is not as clean as it should be, and if that is the case you need to check out the grounds yourself and ask questions. Get your dogs their bordadella treatments and search for a new place if you dont find the one you are now using up to par.

  • eccentric
    14 years ago

    My Eskimo goes every Thurs. to his groomer's just for socialization (the grooming is about every 3 months and NEVER! on a Thursday - this dog would remember). I do not send his toys or cushion as he knows that they are "his" and no point starting something such as resource guarding. So we are basically looking at a groomer who also offers day care - well, my guy does tend to avoid the side where she does the grooming - he is not stupid - and hangs out where the "done" dogs are kept. He has never come home smelling anything but like himself - and I would know because as a general rule, Eskies do not smell, unless wet or they have rolled in something. As someone who had hounds for over 30 years and desperately miss the scent of eau de hound I do know the difference. Many of the groomer's clients leave their dogs for daycare a day or 2 a week - all breeds - and all of them have to hug me when I arrive - and I have never smelled anything other than dog. So perhaps there is something your dogs - and other dogs are getting into and then transferring to their toys/bedding? As you can imagine, a groomer's salon is loaded with cut hair etc. which is why I think there might be something that is being used at the daycare maybe to "freshen" with the opposite effect?? I can't handle any form of air freshener etc. - allergic - so would really pick up on something like that. Or some of the dogs think the place is a giant litterbox (i.e. some PetSmarts). Our groomer is located in same building as our vet - same entrance, different business - and no one has had this problem. I would suggest the bortadella shot no matter where your dogs go to daycare in the future - actually it is usually a requirement - but of course it will only protect against the strain of KC common to the area. But if your dogs do catch KC if they have been vaccinated the symptoms will generally clear faster. Hope you find out what the source of the odor is because it has to be something that is in the place - and I am really leaning towards some sort of freshening/cleaning product.

  • annzgw
    14 years ago

    They probably peed on their bed due to typical dog-response to other dogs, especially when confined. Afterward, if they laid/slept on the beds, then both dog and bed are going to smell. To answer your question, no, it's not unusual, especially for a short stay.

    Most places recommend you not bring beds or non-washable toys for this very reason. They won't wash owner's beds but do wash the beds they provide.
    When I've boarded for several days the kennel offered the option of my dog being groomed before I picked him/her up. I always had it done!

  • ladybugfruit
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thanks so much for the input. The girls actually smelled like pee, and it was not their pee smell. I talked with the manager this morning and she assured me that was not normal for my dogs to come home smelling. I will give it another try because I know they are a good facility via reference and they are also my vet. It's an indoor facility and they put some sort of grass down for the dogs to pee on? Anyways, I'll give them another shot.
    On another note, one of my girls has not been vaccinated for anything in 6 years and the other only rabies once since then. My sharpei cannot EVER be vaccinated for anything again, good chance it would kill her due to having hemolytic anemia when she was younger. The other is an old lady and has developed a somewhat sensitive system. They both had the bordatella shot at least twice in their lives. I certainly don't want to put them at risk, but shots are not an option. I may need to find another alternative to daycare.
    Can ya'll share with me more about the risks etc?
    Thanks
    LBF

    OH and the girls were kept separate from the other dogs due to the no vaccination thing, but if KC is airborne?