Dogtopia of San Marcos, CA Blog

Blarney

Blarney had the best birthday at Dogtopia of San Marcos, and he discovered his new girlfriend Lexi.  He does not have any issues with women that are taller than him, since he is a Boston Terrier and Lexi is a Labradoodle.  As far as he is concerned, there are no other dogs around but Lexi.  He met her on his birthday Tuesday and just had to come back and see her again today.

We are so glad that Blarney decided to spend his first birthday with us, and hope to see him for many more birthdays!

Stella

Connor, one of our caregivers at Dogtopia of San Marcos, found a little lab puppy near Cal State San Marcos.  The best guess is that Stella, as the employees have named her, is 10-12 weeks old.  They have used their tip money to get her shots and dewormed, and are taking turns caring for her in their homes.  She is still too young to mix with our dogs at Dogtopia.

We placed an ad on Craig’s List, hoping to find Stella’s owners.  However, one of our customers forwarded an email showing a full litter of 6 lab puppies that were found on the same day near the same location.  So it appears that Stella and her litter mates were dumped!  Can you believe this?

Connor, Chelsea and Courtney have been taking turns keeping Stella since she is too young to have at Dogtopia.  They are using their tip money to pay for her shots and to buy her toys.  Although they all would love to keep her, none of them are currently in the position to take on another dog. 

I don’t understand how someone can dump a full litter of dogs.  I don’t understand why someone has a litter that needs to be dumped when they should have spayed and neutered their dogs in the first place.  I don’t understand why they could not take the time to list them on Craig’s List, or take them to the Humane Society so they could find them a home.  Most of all, I don’t understand why people like this have dogs!

But thank heaven for people like my employees that are still caring for Stella, and using their own tip money for her care.  We need more people like them, and I feel very lucky to have them as employees!

Petey is one of the wonderful little dogs that Dogtopia of San Marcos Fostered for the Escondido Humane Society.  Petey found a perfect permanent home in November, but has continued to come to daycare 2-3 times each week.  It is so nice to see how much fun Petey still has at Dogtopia, and how excited he is to be here each time he comes in the door!  Of course, that makes all of us feel great knowing that he still loves coming back after living here for almost 2 months.

So today Petey came in and ran straight back to the play area to see who was here.  He seems to always know who the new fosters are, and starts playing with them, almost telling them that this is a great place.  He really loves hanging in the sun when he is outside, which is much of the time today since the weather is so beautiful.

We think Petey is very lucky to have found such a great home, and also to be able to come back to Dogtopia of San Marcos and play!

Cupid stopped by Dogtopia of San Marcos this weekend to help some of our dogs find true love.  There was lots of love happening, but the boxers seemed to be the casanova’s of the weekend.   First, Brooklyn found his true love when he set his eyes on Sushi, the cutest little pug he ever saw!  They were inseparable the entire time she was here, and when Sushi left, Brooklyn was very sad.  He missed his girlfriend.

Dodge also found love at Dogtopia when he met Ivy.  Dodge likes younger dogs as Ivy is a 6 month old Greyhound.  They ran and played with each other all day, and even found time to sneak in a little smooch.  They weren’t too sneaky for us to capture the moment on camera though!

Here is a cheer to true love and hoping that more dogs find such happiness here at Dogtopia!

Today at Dogtopia there are a couple of my favorite dogs.  I love all the dogs that come to Dogtopia, but the ones that come afraid of the world, and learn to be very social are my favorites!  It shows what a great thing dog daycare can be not only for the very active dogs, but also for those needing social skills.

Berkeley is a great example.  The first time this beautiful golden retriever came to Dogtopia, he was very afraid of both people and dogs!  He did not want to leave his owner and paced most of the day.  But after just a few visits, Berkely is now very social.  He comes into the building with excitement and plays the entire time he is here!

Topper is another great example of a dog that has made so much progress.  Topper is an older bull terrier and comes with his brother, a french bulldog named Felinni.  Topper was so afraid when he first came that he hid under the table and shook most of the day.  Now Topper has been here about 4 times, and loves to play with the other dogs.  He is so social that he does not even want to leave at the end of the day! 

Isis is a wonderful little Shih tzu whos owners had no options except leaving her with their daughter.  We were told that Isis does not like other people, and only likes dogs that she knows.  Well, Isis has turned out to be a great dog and is loving daycare.  She has started to play with the dogs, and has a great time.  Her owners are so elated because they now have an option besides their daughter.

All of these dogs are great examples of it never being too late to socialize your dog.   Berkeley, Topper and Isis are all mature adult rescued dogs that did not receive proper socialization in their early years.  However, with their new owners, they are learning how to interact with both people and other dogs.

It is so important to give your dog proper socialization at an early age, but it is more important to never give up on them.  Older dogs can also develop social skills and both you and your dog will better off as a result.

Buddy - Adopted this Weekend

I am proud to say that 8 dogs found homes this weekend as a result of the two adoption events that were held at Dogtopia of San Marcos.  On Saturday, three of the dogs from Escondido Humane Society were adopted by wonderful families, and another EHS dog went to his new home on Sunday. And on Sunday, It’s the Pits was just as successful, finding homes for 4 of their dogs! 

I want to thank everyone for coming out to meet all these great dogs, and I want to especially thank those that took these dogs into their homes.  I am sure all will be very happy with their new additions, and these lucky dogs will thank you each day.

Tuesday, January 20th

8:30am until noon

Is your best friend overdue for his or her teeth cleaning?  Do you avoid having your dogs teeth cleaned because you are afraid of giving them anesthesia?  Then Dogtopia of San Marcos and Gentle Dental are here to help.

JoEllen Craglione is coming to Dogtopia of San Marcos on January 20th, starting at 8:30am.  She will remove plaque and tartar from your dogs teeth without using any anesthesia. Her kind, loving approach is used to keep your pet calm throughout the cleaning. She uses high quality dental instruments and proper sterilizing techniques.  She has studied and been trained in teeth cleaning by professional hygienists and has certificates in animal behavior and communication.  She can also show you how to brush your pet’s teeth.  

Teeth cleaning services will take approximately 1/2 hour and costs only $85.  In addition, your dog can come and play at Dogtopia at the discounted rate of $32.50 for a full day or $18.00 for a half day.  So drop your dog off in the morning, and pick him or her up at the end of your work day, with a clean, bright smile!  (note that all dogs must be evaluated and all current shot records must be on file prior to participating in daycare).

Please contact Dogtopia of San Marcos at (760) 471-6888 to schedule an appt.  We look forward to seeing you.

http://www.gentledentalforpets.com

Before

After

 

It is hard to believe that 2008 is coming to an end, and even harder to believe that Dogtopia of San Marcos has been open for 4 months.  These first few months have been so amazing.  I have met so many wonderful dogs and their owners.  It has been so much fun to meet all these new dogs and watch all of them play while at Dogtopia.  

I have so many people to thank for making this a great few months.  First, I thank all the new dogs and their owners.  It has been a honor to meet each of you.  I look forward to seeing everyone in 2009, along with all the new dogs we are going to meet.  Dogtopia would not exist without you!

I also want to thank the Escondido Humane Society for trusting me to foster so many of their dogs.  It has been so exciting to see these little dogs go to their new permanent homes.  We love each of them and are so glad to be part of their development and finding them homes.  So far, 14 of these dogs have been adopted and hopefully that will be more before the end of the year!

The employees of Dogtopia have to be included in this thank you list.  I am so lucky to have such a great group of people.  Each of them are fantastic with the dogs, as seen by how much the dogs love them.  I want to thank Connor, Courtney, Chelsea and KC for making our first few months so fantastic, and also welcome Megan and Jason.  I look forward to working with all of you in 2009.

And I thank my friends and family for being so supportive over the last couple of years.  It has been a long haul to get to this point, and I could not have done it without each of you! 

So, cheers to everyone during this holiday season, and I wish you and all your families and wonderful 2009!

Diane

The Escondido Humane Society is having their annual “Paws in the Park” walk on March 29, 2009.  Dogtopia will be particpating this year with a team of walkers to help raise lots of money for the humane society.  Anyone that is interested in walking for the humane society as part of the Dogtopia team is welcome.  If you can’t walk, please support Dogtopia of San Marcos efforts by making a donation.

Dogtopia has now had 14 dogs adopted that were being fostered for the Escondido Humane Society.  This walk is just another way we can support their efforts to save dogs and find them good permanent homes.

Dogtopia will provide T-shirts for anyone that walks as part of the Dogtopia team.  Please tell your friends and relatives so that we can have a great team participating in this event,a nd raise lots of money!

Dogtopia of San Marcos is planning an adoption weekend in January.  On January 10th, the Escondido Humane Society will be having an Adoption Outreach from 10am - 2pm at Dogtopia.  And then on Sunday, January 11th, It’s The Pits will be coming to Dogtopia to try and find homes for their available dogs.  If you are looking for a dog, or know anyone that is looking to adopt a dog, please come by these days and meet all the wonderful dogs that will be here!  And Dogtopia gives all adopted dogs a free day of daycare, and you can also bath your new dog before you leave at no cost! 

Even if you are not looking to adopt, please stop by and support both of these groups and thank them for all their hard work and dedication to these wonderful dogs!