It’s the last week of school, grad week, the launch of summer… (So what’s this rain about?! We should be spending all our days outside in full sunshine!)
But back to last week of school, grad week, etc., this is a point where many of you will be experiencing changes in family schedules. If this means we will see changes in your pooches’ schedules as well, please do let us know.
July 4th – Late Night Festivities?
We love fireworks, but pooches surely do not. In fact, they find these events terribly frightening.
We’ll be enjoying Independence Day Barbecue July 4th afternoon, but when evening comes and late into the night, Scampers will be hosting your pooches, if you need a quiet and secure place for them away from the noise and confusion.
Please reserve your spot early so we can be sure to have enough staff on hand.
Carol Hummel’s Story of ScoutI’ve always been a dog lover and wanted one of my own, but I hesitated getting one since I live alone, often work late, and thought it would be a lonely existence for a pooch (I’d never heard of doggy daycare!). So instead I started volunteering at the Homeward Pet shelter in Woodinville and walked the rescued dogs one evening a week. It was a joy to come in every week and see that so many of the dogs I’d walked the previous week had found new homes.
A few months into my volunteering, a dog-loving friend of mine asked if I’d take her to the shelter so she could visit the dogs and see where I volunteered. The day of our visit I went onto the shelter’s website to see what dogs would be there, and that’s when I discovered that a new dog had arrived that day, a 7-month-old Bichon Frise named Scout. I already knew that if I ever got a dog I wanted a Bichon Frise since they don’t shed and are irresistibly cute, and a couple of weeks earlier my sister and I had talked about good dog names and agreed that Scout was a cute name. So when Scout’s photo popped up on the website I clearly remember saying out loud, “uh oh.”
We went to the shelter that evening and I showed my friend around and also met Scout. He was shaggy, shy and adorable, and my friend tried to convince me to adopt him, but I was still convinced that my lifestyle wouldn’t accommodate a dog. Then I watched a young couple take Scout outside to see if they hit it off and decide if they wanted to adopt him. I was surprised that it bothered me to see another couple looking at “my” dog! I went home and tried to forget about it, but I couldn’t. I kept waking up thinking about little Scout, and finally I gave in and decided that if he was still available in the morning I’d try to adopt him.
I got to the shelter a few minutes before they opened and learned that Scout was still available, and I prayed that the people in line ahead of me weren’t there for Scout too. I learned that his previous owner was a single mom with two children and a full-time job, and that she’d kept Scout in a crate for 10 hours a day while she worked. She realized she didn’t have time to properly care for him, so she dropped him off at the shelter the very day I took my friend there for a visit… it was meant to be!
I was the first person to apply to adopt Scout, so when I completed that process I was taken to Scout’s kennel and a staff member formally introduced me to my new dog. It was way more emotional than I expected! I was so happy (and a little scared), and have never doubted that Scout and I were meant to find each other. He’s been such a blessing and a ton of fun.
Fast forward three years to last weekend when I was at Seabrook on the Washington coast. Without realizing it we’d booked our stay the same weekend as Seabrook’s “Doggie Days” which is a fun competitive event for dogs and their owners. I decided to enter Scout in a few events, including the peanut butter lick. Every owner had to sit on the grass with the handle of a plastic spoon full of peanut butter in their mouth, and the first dog to clean their owner’s spoon would be the winner. I’m now the proud mama of the blue ribbon winner!
Thank you, Scampers, for giving my little buddy a fun place to spend the day when I’m at work.
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Special thanks to Carol Hummel, who forwarded her story of her pooch, Scout. If you’d like to share your story about how you found your pooch, please send it to us – with a picture, if possible! – via email to info@scampersdogs.com. We look forward to publishing your stories in our upcoming newsletters.
Pooch need a spruce-up?
We offer grooming services – from a simple mani-pedi to a full groom – every second Tuesday through Cut-N-Run Mobile Grooming. Chris Sugarbaker, Cut-N-Run’s groomer-in-chief, has over 20 years’ experience and will work with you to ensure your satisfaction.
Chris’ next visit to Scampers is Tuesday, June 26th.
Be sure to claim your dog’s spot with Chris right away – his schedule has filled up completely on more than one occasion.
Click this link to send us an email request or call us to claim space for your pooch.
Pawlogic News
Cathy Madson of Pawlogic Dog Training holds group classes at Scampers location.
Cathy offers classes including Basic Obedience, Continuing Obedience and Real Life Training, and Introduction to Obedience for Puppies.
For more information or to register your dog in any of the classes, call Cathy at 425 443 5280, or …
Visit the Pawlogic website to book classes for your pooch with Cathy.
Watch for more exciting information on new classes in our upcoming newsletters.
Meet Julie Austin We met a great lady this afternoon. A self-professed dog person, Julie has a wonderful rapport with pooches, and has built a terrific reputation as a pet portrait photographer – Julie photographs dogs and horses in natural light and in their home settings. Lovely shots, all. Check out her facebook page.
Scampers Boarding and WeekendsWe’ve had so much fun with our boarders and our weekend campers.
For our boarders, we’ve named our suites after famous pooches – the Snoopy Suite, the Lady & the Tramp Suite, the Marmaduke Suite, etc., and we’ve set them up with lovely petcots with sheepskin covers, but there’s still plenty of room for pooches to add their own favorite furnishings (beds, blankies, toys, etc.)
The weekend daycampers enjoy playing with the boarders, as they’re all good friends already! We set up our weekend daycamp in our back room as we can have our garage door open, and pooches enjoy the free flow indoors and outdoors.
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.
Very best regards,
Linda Olsen and Stina Hughes
Scampers Daycamp for Dogs