Dogtopia of San Marcos, CA Blog

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!

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.

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

Pooltime in November

We have had such warm weather here that we are still putting the bone pool up almost everyday.  So many of the dogs just wait for their chance to be able to play in the pool.  The labs go crazy whenever the pool comes out, and when they don’t have the pool, they will try and swim in the water dishes!  We are so lucky to have a great outdoor space for the dogs, and the weather that allows us to use it and the pool almost all year round.

Fun in the pool!

I received this information on cocoa mulch after a local agility dog  died tragically as a result of eating this yard material.

Cocoa Mulch, which is sold by Home Depot, Foreman’s Garden Supply and other Garden supply stores, contains a lethal ingredient called ‘Theobromine‘. It is lethal to dogs and cats. It smells like chocolate and it really attracts dogs.  They will ingest this stuff and die. Several deaths already  occurred in the last 2-3 weeks. Just a word of caution, check what you are using in your gardens and be aware of what your
gardeners are using in your gardens.

Theobromine is in all chocolate, especially dark or baker’s chocolate which is toxic to dogs.  Cocoa bean shells contain potentially toxic quantities of theobromine, a xanthine compound similar in effects to caffeine and theophylline. A dog that ingested a lethal quantity of garden mulch made from cacao bean shells developed severe convulsions and died 17 hours later.  Analysis of the stomach contents and the ingested cacao bean shells revealed the presence of lethal amounts of theobromine.

Skye

Dogtopia of San Marcos has now been open for 2-1/2 months, and already 9 of the dogs that we have fostered for the Escondido Humane Society have been adopted www.escondidohumanesociety.org.  We become so attached to these little guys, and are so happy when they find a home.  Dogtopia is a nice atmosphere for people considering adopting a dog as it allows them to see the dogs playing and interacting with other dogs.   

Tyler and Skye are 2 of the cutest dogs we have had since we first started fostering in mid September, and for some reason they are still here.  It is hard for me to understand why these wonderful little dogs have not found permanent homes.  They love kids, get along with other dogs, and both of them just love to sit on laps and be loved.  Hopefully they will also find a home soon! 

Each time a dog gets adopted, I bring in another new dog to our Dogtopia family.  It has been such a joy to meet all these beautiful dogs, and it still amazes me that there are so many in need of homes!  But it is also wonderful to see how many people are adopting dogs rather than purchasing from stores.  I thank each of them for adopting a pet in need and giving them a good life!