Dear Scampers People –

Yay! It’s a shirtsleeves and sunscreen day! Yes, today your pooches are basking in the sunshine and enjoying play with all their friends, and we’re all looking forward to the day when we can bring out our shade tents and pooch pools. (It’s not quite time for those yet, but it’s coming fast!)

Boarding and Weekend Daycare – Would You Be Interested?
With our thoughts turning to pooch pools and summer holiday plans – and now that we have ramped up our staff – we are considering expanding Scampers service offerings to include boarding and weekend daycare. If you’d be interested in using Scampers weekend daycare or boarding services within the next six months, please Reply to this message and indicate which services interest you, and approximately when…

Reservations Still Highly Recommended!
There have been several occasions this spring where we’ve had to place a sign on our door to say we had maxed out our capacity. Those days when we’re outdoors we are more flexible, but on days when weather keeps us indoors, our drop-in space is limited. Please ensure you reserve ahead via email or phone to be sure of your pooch’s spot! A “Reply” to this email works very well, as does a quick phone call.

Note: As we continue to reorganize the way we use our interior space, our capacity will increase significantly. So do keep telling your friends about us — we love to meet them all!

Pooch Needs a Spruce-Up? Chris Sugarbaker of Cut-’N-Run – Next Visit is this coming Tuesday, April 17th
Chris will be at Scampers for his bi-weekly grooming visit on Tuesday, April 17th. If your dog needs some sprucing up, be sure to claim your dog’s spot with him right away – his schedule has filled up completely on more than one occasion.

High Energy Drop Offs and Pick Ups
We have seen that with our larger attendance numbers, the spike in energy level that comes with drop offs and pick-ups can be difficult for everyone.

Earlier is better: If you have the choice, dropping your high energy dog off earlier in the day works much better than later in the day. Dogs who are arriving later in the day find their energy level exceeds that of the rest of their pack, and “fitting in” is more challenging – they arrive super excited and raring to go, and the others are already in “been there – done that” mode. When your dog is joining a pack with a similar energy level, everyone is more comfortable.

Manners Reminders: At drop-off, if your dog has a very high energy level, we can mitigate the anxiety for some dogs by practicing “sit” and “wait” at each of the access points – the door and each successive gate – to help the dog to focus. For other dogs, the best solution is to remove all the barriers to allow easy access and prevent accidents.

Out of Order: At pick up time, the dogs are equally excited to see you. Bear in mind that while we’re delivering your dogs to you, there may be other customers waiting – we don’t want them mowed down by excited pooches, and we try not to keep anyone waiting too long while we practice manners! That may mean, then, that your dogs may be delivered to you “out of order” – it’s just to keep everyone safe.

Stina Hughes and
Linda Olsen, Partners