In our last issue we explained the reason for Pawfields’ existence, which some may view as a not-so-important industry. We get it, especially for those who have little hoomans to support at home or have no pets all. It is not always in our budgets to afford daycare services for pets we would otherwise leave at home. However, Pawfields is challenging everyone to embrace the concept. Here is why:
Self-care is vital for our enrichment. Caring for our pets, particularly dogs, is a responsibility shared by every pet parent (also known as pawrent). If, as pawrents, we do not take this task seriously, the lives of our furbabies will be in jeopardy. The breed of dog you may have will dictate how much activity (physical exercise and mental stimulation) your four-legged family member(s) will need. In our society, providing that kind of consistent care can be problematic for the busy, full-time household. Therefore, pawrents must consider the financial obligation that comes with having pets, which includes but not limited to: food, medicine, brain games, grooming, training, and veterinary bills (vaccines, annual exams, treatment). Few consider daycare as a necessary element to promote growth, but there are major benefits for enrolling your dog into a daycare program that provides the enrichment they need. (Refer to our previous issue for benefits of a dog daycare.)
Some who would oppose enrolling their dog into a daycare program would say that it saves them money on something that they view as not needed for their furbaby; they might say, “I train and groom my dog at home and they have plenty of other dogs to play with in my neighborhood.” Others might indicate that the location of the daycare is problematic for them: they don’t live near a dog daycare or it is not convenient for their commute to work. Few might even suggest that not enrolling their dog into a daycare is for the daycare’s safety or that their dog is not receptive to that kind of care. It is noteworthy to mention that the selection process for a dog daycare should not be taken lightly. When visiting potential dog daycare facilities ask for a tour, interview the staff, and do your research; but also know your dog. If daycare is not an option, find ways to provide at home the enrichment needed for their development.
While it is easy to ask why one should utilize a dog daycare for their furbaby it is equally important to consider the consequence of not using a dog daycare. Some daycares
offer various plans to fit a pawrent’s budget. Before dismissing the daycare because of the cost consider what it might be costing or doing to your furbaby by not investing in their enrichment; or consider what they might be missing for their development.
If your furbaby chews excessively, destroying base boards or other homegoods, providing them more physical exercise and mental stimulation will help calm their nerves, and as a result help reduce their destructive behavior. Dog daycare facilities can provide the activities your furbaby needs while also enhancing their socialization and cognitive skills. Also, pets don’t know we will be back when they are left at home alone, which may cause them to experience separation anxiety, thus resulting in destructive behaviors. Leaving them at a trusted dog daycare with other hoomans and dogs will allow their minds to be stimulated, it will help control unnecessary weight gain, and encourage social interactions that will help teach bite inhibition and manners.
Proper physical exercise and mental stiumulation for your furbaby will help enable them to be calm and relaxed when you get home, making a more peaceful environment after an exhausting work day. A dog left alone all day will inevitably exhibit over-excitement when their pawrent returns home, which is a recipe for behaviors that might inadvertently cause injury to the pawrent or visitor when they jump on them out of their excitement, or other behaviors that are difficult to tame—oftentimes the byproduct of separation anxiety. Think about it: how might you act after being left alone all done, locked inside, with no idea if someone will come back? Imagine how excited you might be when, to your surprise, someone comes home. This is what goes through your furbaby’s mind each time you leave them. Heartbreaking, right? Anxiety is bad for hoomans and it can be detrimental to a dog’s health as well. Let’s not leave them thinking we don’t love them, and let’s give them a space to be happy and thriving while we are busy with work or school, such as a dog daycare that values and promotes their wellbeing and enrichment.
Another reason some pawrents give for not enrolling their furbaby into a dog daycare is the risk of exposure to kennel cough or other pathogens, viruses, or diseases. A dog daycare facility should ensure that each set of paws under their care is properly vaccinated. While we, as hoomans, can take the necessary precautions to prevent illnesses there is still a risk of getting sick. The same can be said about your pets. But to let fear control our lives is no way to live. The sooner and younger your furbaby is enrolled in a daycare the sooner their bodies can become more immune to things such as kennel cough. We only live once, right? (Consult your veterinarian for best practices to keep your furbaby protected against common contagions or toxins, as well as methods for enrichment that are suitable for your dog’s wellbeing.)
Aston, Nova, and I recently went on a trek through a local nature preserve. I was aware of the risk of ticks, but I was determined to not let life pass us by without taking advantage of this beautiful opportunity to enrich their lives (and mine) with an adventure. Guess what? While there I picked up a tick! I didn’t want that kind of adventure—exposing our precious furbabies to those creepy, blood-sucking crawlers, and it freaked me out that one attached itself to me. Thank goodness Aston and Nova are consistently given preventative medicine for fleas, ticks, and heartworms each month, as they did’t pick up any nasty hitchhikers, but they did get a bath just to be safe and sure. While the risk was intimidating the trek enriched our lives that day.
The bottom line is this: Let’s not abandon our pets while we run away with life. Work, school, or extracurriculars might keep us away from home, but let’s not leave our furbabies behind all alone. Let’s give our furbabies an adventure, a home-away-from-home everyday. Let’s help them enjoy a life well-lived with pawpals alongside them for the short time they are here with us.
A major goal of ours is to offer affordable pet daycare and shelter services for the underserved, underprivileged and families with pets who have no place to go. We believe the family unit includes pets, and at Pawfields all paws—canines and felines alike—are treated like family.
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