You may have heard of Doggy Day Care and had a few questions. Whether you’re a pet parent or not, the need for Doggy Day Care may be somewhat unclear to you. You may not know exactly what Doggy Day Care is or how it can benefit you and your pet.

Let’s clear that up for you!

At Camp Canine, we refer to Doggy Day Care as Doggy Day Camp or simply Day Camp. Our DDC crew is also referred to as Campers. Throughout this article, I’ll use Doggy Day Care and Doggy Day Camp interchangeably as they are the same thing - we just have a fun name at Camp Canine!

A Day at Doggy Day Camp

As the pet industry grows, many people are hearing more about Doggy Day Care, but they may not understand exactly what it entails. Initially, some people scoff at the thought of sending a pet to a facility while you’re at work or on a day trip. Overnight is understandable, but some people don’t understand the benefits because they don’t know what Doggy Day Care entails.

The name fits: Doggy Day Camp is literally day care for your dog. Much like a child day care, Doggy Day Camp is open for dogs to be dropped for a half day or full day of care. Dogs are dropped off during specified times in the morning and picked up in the evening.

Our Campers get plenty of time to play inside our facility and outside in our play yards under staff supervision. We mix Day Campers with our Boarders, as long as everyone can play well together! We believe in setting everyone up for success. We keep packs small and make sure everyone plays well together.

At Camp Canine, we have rest time in the middle of the day, so all dogs get rest time! Like children, if they become overtired, they become cranky! Also, like children, dogs need a balance of play and rest. It benefits dogs (and therefore their parents) to not only have play time, but also to learn how to nap.

After rest time, more play time! When you come to pick your dog up from Day Camp, they’ll be playing with their puppy friends.

Signs you and your dog may benefit from Doggy Day Camp

How do you know if your dog (s) could benefit from Doggy Day Camp? Check out this list below:

• Logistics: you can’t get home on your lunch break or go on a day trip
• You have a new puppy or adopted an older dog that needs socialization
• You have a new puppy with your older dogs - they aren’t having puppy play time, but puppy needs play time!
• Your dog is destructive inside or outside when left alone
• Your dog has so much energy when you get home from work and you just want to relax instead of going for long walks or playing fetch for hours
• You don’t want your dog kenneled all day while you’re gone, but you don’t quite trust them to run loose in the house
• You need a break from your furry children, just like your human children!!
• You’re not comfortable with a pet sitter coming into your home

 
Signs Doggy Day Camp may not be right for you or your dog

• Your dog is food or toy aggressive
• Your dog is aggressive towards other dogs
• Your dog isn’t spayed or neutered
• You don’t vaccinate your dog
• Your dog is sick with an illness that limits his or her ability to play and run
• Your dog has severe separation anxiety

Benefits of Doggy Day Camp

Type in benefits of Doggy Day Care into the Google search bar and you’ll get plenty of results. The main benefits that are often seen is that dogs get exercise, socialization, human contact, and supervised care throughout the day.

We’ve been running a Doggy Day Care for almost 6 years and we love to see the benefits as these sweet puppies make friends. Not only does Day Camp help dogs socialize and learn how to interact with each other, but they develop true puppy friends. When dogs come regularly to Day Camp, they get a chance to really know each other and form a sweet bond. It’s so fun to watch dogs bound across the play yard when their Day Camp friend shows up for the day. We’ve even seen dogs that haven’t seen each other for a while get so excited when they recognize their friend!

Day Camp helps foster and adopted dogs adjust into a new type of home and living environment. Foster and adopted dogs often come from circumstances that aren’t optimal and they need to learn how to interact with other dogs and humans in a new way. We have personally seen how this environment helps these dogs learn a new, happier way of life.

At times, we get a worried call or text from a pet parent after a first visit to Day Camp. They picked their pup up from Day Camp and he/she has barely moved all evening! What happened?!

This is a HUGE compliment to us and a great benefit for you! A full day of Day Camp means your dog gets the exercise they need to be happy and healthy.

Another benefit to you is that you don’t have to feel guilty if you are a busy pet owner. If you’re the person that works all day and then enjoys social events in the evenings, it can be hard to think you don’t give your dog the care they need. Day Camp is the perfect solution! You can rest knowing that while you’re at a social event after work, your dog is resting at home after a full day at Doggy Day Camp.

What to Do Next

If you are in the Tyler area and are interested in Doggy Day Camp, feel free to contact us today! We believe Doggy Day Camp benefits you and your dog in a unique way! We believe in it so much, even in retirement, our dogs attend Day Camp!

If you aren’t in our area, we encourage you to look for a Doggy Day Care that is close to you. If you’re worried about pricing or timing issues, contact several day cares. You may be surprised at cost and hours/arrangements that can be made.
Doggy Day Camp is a great way to show your dog love, even if you can’t be with him or her all the time!

When I talk about Camp Canine using the words "pet service business", most people are slightly confused. In this series of blog posts, I am going to walk through the different services we offer to provide clarity. Hopefully this will help you, whether you are local or are exploring pet services for your pet in another state- or country!

You want to what?
In the summer of 2012 my husband (then boyfriend) came to me and told me he wanted to start a pet service business using his business background. I had NO idea what that meant! And I had NO idea that was even a thing. But 6 years later, let me tell you the pet care industry is a thing and it's a big thing!

What is the Pet Care Industry?
The Pet Care industry is a variety of products and services designed to keep pets alive, healthy, and happy. Products and services vary from food and homemade treats to veterinary services to training to day care to specialty clothing.

More than half of US households at least one pet and the presence of animals has been documented to significantly benefit pet owners. Science is continually revealing to us the many benefits that pet ownership has for pet owners. The bond has been shown to help alleviate depression symptoms, anxiety, PTSD symptoms, to name a few benefits. It has been documented that being in the presence of animals can lower blood pressure.

Because pet ownership increases the quality of life for pet owners, a process called humanization has happened recently in which pets are being treated more like humans. Puppy cupcakes, anyone?!

The pet industry is vast and offers products and services to care for all  pets: dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, farm animals (as pets). The diversity of pet ownership is growing and we find more unique pet ownership of varying species.  The purpose of the pet industry is to ensure that your pet is happy and healthy, which in turn increases the bond you have with your pet. And as I mentioned, that increases your overall well-being in addition to your pet's. Win-win!

Camp Canine
I often get asked "what does a pet service business do?" The answer to that question varies because the pet industry is so vast. From canine chiropractors to unique pet toy design to custom tank designs for reptiles, you will find a variety of services offered by each pet service business.

Camp Canine offers three separate services: Doggy Day Camp, Overnight Boarding, and Pet Sitting. In the next few weeks, you will find a detailed blog post about each service of Camp Canine, but here is a general overview and simple description of each service:

• Doggy Day Camp- truly, day care for your dog! Whether you can't get home on your lunch break to let your pup out for a potty and walk or your dog has lots of energy and is destructive or just wild when he doesn't get adequate play, Doggy Day Camp is for you! In this environment, dogs get to play with each other and get all their socialization and energy out while you are busy caring for other needs (work, kids, etc). Much like children, they also need their rest time. So while there is plenty of play at Day Camp, there is also rest time!
  
• Overnight Boarding- We provide overnight boarding for your dog or cat when you go out of town- for one night or 3 weeks! We offer a home-like boarding experience and care for your pet like our own while you are away on a trip. Day camp and boarding dogs play together as their temperaments allow. We value dog safety so we pair dogs in appropriate packs for the best experience possible.
  
• Pet Sitting- We come to your house and take care of your pet while you're out of town or during the day if you can't get home for lunch. During one pet sitting visit, we provide quality care for your pet- from feeding to play/exercise to giving medication.
  

Camp Canine was born to provide quality, affordable pet care for your pet's needs! We strive to provide services that will benefit your pet's quality of life, which in turns increases your quality of life. At Camp Canine, we deeply love pets and believe in the incredible healing that happens in pet/owner relationships.

If you have specific questions you'd like to see answered, please email us at [email protected] or call/text us at 903-360-9222 and we will write a post to answer your pet care questions!

We hope to see you next time and thank you for allowing Camp Canine to be a part of your pet care journey!

Best,
Andy and Melodye Phillips