Chuck Thomas is a 6 year old Chihuahua who has been a regular daycare client at The Crate Escape’s Richmond location since May of 2006.  Chuck’s parents, Queta and Jerry went to Noah’s Ark pet store on March 19, 2006 and although they were not looking for a dog, the moment they saw Chuck they knew that he had to come home with them.

Chuck’s first toy was a green stuffed teddy bear that his parents call the humping bear as Chuck has been very fond of it since he was 6 months old.  He still has it and loves to “play” with it.  His favorite toy is an orange stuffed bone that he sleeps with.  He carries it around in his mouth and if his Mom or Dad tries to pull it away from him, he readily lets go of it so that it does not get ripped.  Chuck then follows them around waiting for the moment that they put the bone down so that he can quickly pick it up and hide it in their bed.

At home Chuck enjoys going for walks at the Waterbury dam, going for car rides, and he loves to lay in towels that are still warm from the dryer.

This poem from Buckley’s cartoon fits Chuck to a tee :

November winds howl and blow

Bringing days of chill and snow.

Shivers deepen to the bone,

Goosebumps rise with bitter cold.

I care not for the days outside,

For here lies a paradise.

With the dryer buzz, off I go!

A hamper full of hot tub clothes.

Between the socks and I slip within

The steamy heat against my skin.

Fabric softener smell so sweet

As I warm form head to feet.

So bring a snack or Perrier

To munch or sip the day away

As November winds howl and blow

In here I welcome all the snow.

Chuck is sort of an icon at The Crate Escape.  He is well loved and respected by staff and dogs alike. He’s a big dog in a little dog body.  One of the most fashionable of our daycare clientele, Chuck sports a different accessory almost daily from his large collection of stylish collars, shirts, sweaters and coats. He is a lady’s man and loves “sucking up to the girls”  as Jerry calls it, at daycare. Well known for his sudden outburst of song which inevitably provokes a group howl, Chuck has earned his title as leader of the small dog chorus.  Each day at his departure from daycare, Chuck never fails to amuse the staff when he performs his version of NASCAR racing.  He transforms the reception area into his own racetrack and commences his laps, dodging around staff, back and forth, behind the front counter, and from door to door.  This routine can ensue for quite a long time until he is tired enough to finally acquiesce to leaving.  Once Chuck arrives home, all he wants to do is snuggle up on his Mom’s lap!

Serving as a role model to other dogs, Chuck and his racing routine have surely made an impression on at least one of his fellow daycare attendees.  My Doberman, Zane, has adopted the large dog version of Chuck’s raceway whenever we leave for the day.  That’s how cool Chuck is!

We are pleased to have a guest blogger for this month’s post: Bill Grant, of Ultimate Companions Dog Training, who conducts classes at both The Crate Escape in Richmond and The Crate Escape, Too in South Burlington. Bill also conducts classes in Putney and Montpelier.  He covers a very important topic.  We hope you like it.

GREETING DOGS SAFELY

As many of you may have heard there was a recent dog bite incident that seems to have sparked interest and media hype across the nation.  In early February, Kyle Dyer, a Colorado news anchor, was bitten in the face by an Argentine Mastiff.  This happened on live TV.  The video was posted on YouTube and quickly went viral.  For weeks, people have been commenting on this incident and it continues to hold the attention of folks across the nation.   I thought it might be helpful and informative to discuss the bite, share some thoughts on it and also provide some tips on safety when meeting dogs.   If you haven’t seen the video, watch it here and then come back and read on……….

Pretty horrific, huh?  AND, a total shame… In a bit, I’ll post a follow up interview with Ms. Dyer, who really seems to be handling her injuries with quite a bit of grace, especially since she has been severely criticized for her actions during the broadcast, and actually blamed for causing the bite…

What’s really fascinating to me is that after seeing the video, I showed it to about 30 people.  Some of them were dog professionals and some were not.  Across the board, reactions varied as some people, “in the know” saw nothing in the video that seemed to be an indicator that something bad was about to happen.   At the same time, I had a few friends who aren’t involved with dogs at all who thought the dog looked stressed, unhappy and uneasy.  It amazes me how thousands of people can watch the same video and see (or not see) something different.

For some other strange reason, people seem insistent on placing blame here:  on the dog, on Kyle, on the owner, the news station etc.  I think that instead of looking for someone to blame, the situation does give us the opportunity to talk more about education and what people really need to know about meeting dogs, their levels of stress, some of the warning signs and how to help prevent situations like this from happening again.

Let’s look at what we do know.  This particular dog had been rescued just 16 hours before from being trapped in an icy pond.  The dog chased after a coyote and found himself unable to get out of the water.  A firefighter had to pull him out.  In the midst of recovering from and processing what had happened to him, the dog was brought to an unfamiliar place and placed under strange lights.   There were strange sounds, cameras, and lots of strange people.   If you’ve never been in an environment like that, think of what that must have been like for the dog. Now, go back and watch the video again.   If you can, watch it in slow motion and really tune into the dog’s body language.   What can you see?  He is rapidly fluttering his eyes,  a sign of stress.    Look at how the owner is holding tightly to his collar and restricting his movement, preventing him from retreating if he wanted to.  The firefighter is pulling on his ear.  The dog was licking excessively and panting and alternated between pulling his mouth back and pushing it forward in a grimace, all of which are signs of stress and discomfort.  At one point, the dog tried to turn himself away to avoid Kyle, who continued to stroke his muzzle and face. Kyle then got in to the dog’s face to kiss him, thus resulting in the bite.  This dog really was trying to exercise self-control, but really couldn’t handle any more stress and didn’t feel like he had any other alternative.

So is this ok?  Of course not!  As a rule, dogs really shouldn’t bite people.   Dogs are thrown into situations like this often when someone who “just loves dogs!” gets in to the dog’s face and kisses them or the kids grab the dog from behind, or whatever, and they often don’t bite. Dogs with a truly stable temperament and emotional security SHOULD have the innate ability to absorb the information that’s being presented to them and instinctively know whether or not it’s a threat, so certainly this does say something about the dog’s temperament.  Again though, this situation was complicated with extenuating circumstances that were contributing factors.

Taking all of these circumstances into account, it seems like it would be pretty easy to say that the dog was at fault or that the people involved were at fault.  I don’t personally think anyone was truly at fault.  It’s just a bad situation that happened.  In fact, Kyle Dyer herself called the incident a “Perfect Storm.”  What I DO think we need to take away from this is one of the main reasons that contributed to this bite.  For me, the biggest issue here is that we assume that dogs are people in dog bodies and we give them way too much credit for being able to rationalize our position towards them.  We expect that because we rescued this dog from an icy pond and because we were so thrilled about his rescue that we wanted to tell the world how happy we were about it, that he would be happy too.  We expected that he would feel our joy and be thankful and appreciative.   Right????    It’s truly when we give dogs credit for this level of thinking that we get into trouble.  Dogs are dogs!!!!!  They operate on different instincts and drives and no matter how hard we try and how much their actions might fool us, they aren’t going to feel all of the same emotions we do in the ways we expect them to.   As I mentioned at the beginning, the purpose of this whole article is to stress education.   If we can make more people aware of how dogs think and behave and how they may perceive things that are perfectly normal to us as stressors, we are much more likely to understand how to approach them properly and MUCH less likely to avoid future tragedies like this one.

One would think that Kyle Dyer would be bitter about what happened to her.  I thought it would be nice to post a follow up interview with her two weeks after being bitten.  I have to say I was impressed with her responses.   See what you think….

I really hope that although this was a terrible incident, it provided a platform for us to talk about this with people who really are unaware of how dogs should be greeted and approached.  I think some of the tips below might be helpful for anyone who finds themselves in a situation where they are meeting a new dog.  Hopefully they will help:

DON’TS:

1.        Don’t lean over a dog and stick your hands in their faces.  Coming over a  dog from up high can be perceived as threatening.

2.       Don’t repeatedly pat or “bop” them on the top of the head… Although we tend to pat dogs like this, it doesn’t feel very good.  Does it feel good to you?

3.       Don’t GRAB  a dog by the collar.  Dogs often associate having their collars grabbed with something negative.

4.       Don’t HUG a dog.  They can feel squished and claustrophobic and trapped.

5.       Don’t STARE dogs directly in the face and make prolonged eye contact with them.  They can perceive this as a threat.

6.       Try not to make loud noises or erratic movements when meeting a dog.  This particularly applies to children.  Children should ALWAYS be supervised around dogs!

7.       DON’T KISS dogs in the face.  Although you might get licked, this doesn’t necessarily mean that this dog is happy.  Excessive licking can be a sign of nervousness and sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference.

8.       If a friend wants you to come meet or see their dog who is in the car, don’t EVER stick your hands or face into the car window!!!  EVER!    Have friends bring their dogs out of the car so you can meet them properly.

DO’S:

1.        Approach dogs slowly and from the side.  Speak quietly.

2.       Let the dog come to you.  Offer the back of a hand to sniff.

3.       Pat dogs on the side of their body or back. Ask the dog’s owner for tips on what his dog likes or if it likes being touched by strangers at all.

 

I’m sure this is a list we could add to in some detail, but even these basics will help in the prevention of future incidents.   Hopefully you find this informative and helpful and feel free to share this with friends.

Thanks for reading!

 

Bill Grant
Ultimate Companions Dog Training
www.ultimatecompanion.com

 

Dusty Hemond is a very unique and lovable 6 year old fawn Doberman Pinscher who we’ve had the pleasure of seeing for daycare at The Crate Escape, Too on a weekly basis since the beginning of 2009. Dusty became a member of the Hemond family on Christmas Eve 2008.  He was adopted through Random Rescue and was in bad shape when they found him. He was thought to be deaf as he did not respond to anything. (Fortunately this was later found to be untrue.) He was physically unable to stand up straight or walk in a straight line and his right legs were atrophied to the point that they didn’t support his weight.  His prior life seems to have been spent in a 6′x8′ outdoor run in someone’s backyard where he spent four years alone. A total lack of stimulation and proper nutrition left him a skinny, furless circler.

Dusty is now a very different dog.  He has gained weight and his fur has grown back in.  He stands up straight and proud and can walk a straight line but stills tends to circle at times which, in my experience, seems to be something that Dobermans in general are innately inclined to do.

We are so happy that we were able to help Dusty feel more comfortable and learn how to play with other dogs.  Mike and Kim were so proud the first time that we told them we saw him play bow at another dog.  It was very much an achievement for him and a pleasure for us all to witness. Dusty’s form of soliciting play is very unique and often comical. He play bows, nibbles on butts, and then runs away only to return and do it again. It often takes a while for the other dogs to understand exactly what he is doing. He is well known by staff for his booty bumps for attention.  Everyone just laughs when he does this.

Dusty’s family reports that his favorite things to do are: EAT, go on walks, EAT, play at daycare, and EAT.  This also rings true at daycare as his favorite time of day at The Crate Escape, Too is lunchtime.  He senses exactly when lunch is ready to be served and he circles, smack his lips, and pleads with staff to let him out of the group to go eat.  At home a couple years ago he tasted his first creemee. He had his very own cone that his parents held for him and rather than eat it all in one bite, he licked it all the way down to the cone. He had his eyes closed the whole time with a look of pure bliss on his face.

When he is not eating, Dusty enjoys laying out in the yard sunning himself. He also loves to snuggle up to staff and nudge them with his nose for a pat or two.

Dusty’s favorite friend at home is a Boston terrier that lives next door. They run full speed up to the fence at each other, skid to a stop, play bow, then run around their respective yards in circles and meet back at the fence at a sprint to play bow and do it again. At daycare his best buds are Rowdy, Gus B., Lauren, Rosie C., Reed, Cabot, and Shadow. Dusty’s favorite toys are an assortment of stuffed hedgehogs and, of course, anything that includes peanut butter.

Sierra Couture is a dark red Golden Retriever who was almost 8 months old when she first started coming to The Crate Escape in Richmond as a twice per week daycare regular in January of 2005. Sierra’s full AKC name is Sierra Abbey Sunlight and she sure does live up to her name by providing so much joy to those who are lucky enough to be a part of her life. She was a gift to RaeAnn’s son Connor from his grandmother on his 9th birthday. When the day came to choose a pup from the litter, Connor went with the family thinking that he was picking out a pup for one of RaeAnn’s friends. While Connor was sitting on the ground taking in the bliss of being  amidst 7 or 8 fluffy little golden balls, there was this one in particular sporting a little pink bow who came over and got in his lap. Thus the journey with Sierra began that day in May of 2004.

Sierra is a joy to have as a member of our daycare regulars. She is calm and even tempered and serves as an excellent dog to introduce the new guys to. She fits right in with the gang and enjoys hanging out with her special friends Cosmo and Riley. She loves getting spunky with the younger females and has her favorite hangout spot on the ramp of our Puppy Playground equipment when she just wants to chill out and sunbathe.

Sierra loves to go for rides and whenever possible her family takes her with them. If someone says to her “You want to go for a ride?”, her ears perk up and she runs to the front door sitting and waiting. RaeAnn tells us that she thinks that Sierra knows exactly what days are daycare days since on these days she will sit in front of the door and not let you anyone out without her. When Sierra had a hot spot this past summer that was taking a long time to heal, rendering her unable to go to The Crate Escape for her daycare days, RaeAnn had a terrible time trying to get out of the house without her. She had to play the game in which she ran between front and back doors to just try to get out without Sierra. After so many weeks of that Sierra was getting more and more persistent and finally her Mom called us to see if it was at all possible to have her come anyways with her E-collar on, which was not a problem, and we all enjoyed Sierra’s company behind the desk with us.

She is crazy about her pool at home and will submerge until her entire head and body are under, then bob up to see what’s happening. She spends a lot of her summertime daycare days playing in the pool with her pals.

Sierra gets along well with everyone and all other animals..although she has a habit of chasing and trying to catch birds–but they are a bit too quick for her.

She enjoys catching Frisbees but doesn’t bring them back freely..she prefers to catch and chew. She has a full toy box with many treasured stuffed “babies” that she freely drags around the house or into the car whenever possible. She will pull the stuffing out of a “baby” as soon as she gets it but then will drag it around until it gets so yucky that her mom throws it away.

“Helping” with the laundry is a favorite past-time and she often runs off with socks and washcloths! Hysterically, she loves cold hard cash..preferably the bigger bills. This is a big joke in her family. There have been a couple of times now that she has sniffed out gifts under the tree or envelopes on their holiday tree that contain cash and then they had to make a mad dash to get them from her. She is very good at keep away. She also helped herself to a couple of twenty dollar bills when her Mom was putting together a fundraiser. RaeAnn had the forms and money on the table and she walked away for a moment. Then low and behold Sierra was nonchalantly lying on the floor in the midst of shredded twenties.

She and Connor are inseparable. If he is home she goes room to room with him, sleeps with him and she often serves as his headrest while they watch TV together. It’s truly a pleasure for RaeAnn to witness these precious moments.

Sierra is a sweet and loving girl but when her cousins (a bernese, a king charles spaniel and a lab–all boys) give her any grief she just gives them a good growl to let them know she has had enough and that’s all it takes!

Riley Hall is an easy going yellow Labrador Retriever with a distinctive black dot on his right front paw.  He has been a weekly regular at The Crate Escape’s Richmond location since November of 2005.  He was born in a cow barn at Heather Hollow Farm Kennels in Hardwick Vermont in June 30 2005.  His Mom, Suzanne met his breeder, Harold McCoy, and some of Harold’s dogs and the prospective parents before Riley was even a bun in the oven. Harold was so kind and kept Suzanne updated about the pregnancy and she was able to go see the litter when they were only one week old. Although Suzanne had originally thought that she wanted a female from the litter, Riley won her over early on.  After he was born she continued to visit him every two weeks until he was ready to come home.  Incidentally, Riley’s distinctive black dot did not appear until he was about a month old.

Riley aka ” the Ri-guy” is a lovable guy at daycare. He gets along great with all the other dogs.  He’s always happy and he never seems to have a bad day.  He enjoys hanging out with his old time buddies, such as Sierra, Buddy, and Cosmo.  He likes playing in the snow in the winter and playing in the pools in the summer. Riley is one of the leaders of The Crate Escape’s A Cappella group and he loves to get everyone around him to join in the singing.

Riley loves the attention he gets from the staff and he is so very savvy about getting the focus turned to him when he feels that he is not in the spotlight. Although Riley has mellowed out in his older years, he was quite the pip as a pup.  He definitely had a knack for getting into things that he wasn’t supposed to get into and eating anything disgusting that he could find.  He was a master thief of squirt bottles, paperwork, gloves, etc. To this day, he’ll still find something inappropriate to steal, he’ll start playing with a rock or a piece of ice, or he will nibble on staff member’s clothing.  He still makes it a point to be noticed albeit in a more subtle manner than he did as a pup.

When Riley’s Mom was undergoing cancer treatment, Riley always wanted to be close to her and he gave her the much needed motivation every day to get outside. Once during this time, Suzanne and Riley went into the woods and Suzanne ran out of steam.  A walk that should have taken 45 minutes ended up being at least twice as long because Suzanne had to keep stopping to rest.  Riley never left her side and was so patient.  Suzanne was not worried because she knew that Riley was there for her.  She is thankful that Riley is neither aggressive nor submissive but she is certain that he would protect her with all he is worth if she were ever in danger.  He’s the best!

Although Riley clearly loves just being in the world, and he is an amazingly happy guy, he really does live for the water.  If he could be in it 24/7 he would. When his Mom takes him swimming, he does not need her to throw sticks into the water.  He just takes himself for a swim and comes out when he is good and ready.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moby Pappas is a 5 year old cockapoo who has been a frequent patron of The Crate Escape, Too since he first started coming in October of 2007.  When Lucy Pappas was in the third grade, she was determined to have a puppy.  She found a breeder of cockapoos online called “Cuddlespice” and began her campaign to convince her Mom and Dad that they should get one.  Well, she succeeded and the family traveled to Pittsburgh, PA 5 years ago to bring him home to Vermont.

Moby is a character.  He was highly anxious and has been a bit of a pill since day one.  He could be described as a grumpy old man even when he was just a puppy.

He was a ball of nerves when he first started coming to The Crate Escape, Too but we worked with him patiently and low and behold he is a very different dog with us today.  In the past, we had to be sure to warn all new staff that Moby could be a fear biter and that they should be very careful and patient when trying to move or interact with him but today he’s a truly happy and trusting dog with us and readily accepts all new staff.  He is ssooooo cute and it makes my day when I walk in to The Crate Escape, Too and see him get up on his hind legs and pump his front legs up and down to greet me.

Moby’s mom tells us that when they say “Moby…..let’s go see your friends.” his face lights up and he runs into the car, his nosed pressed up to glass, ready to come see us.

Moby is what the staff calls a “stud muffin”.  He has a whole entourage of girlfriends, really too many to name, but these are a few of his favorites: Alice, Lacey, Lily J., Rosie A., and Ginny. At our daycare everyone knows Moby and they all rush to greet him upon his arrival, especially his best buds Ike, Paco, and Oliver. He is truly the “King of the Little Dogs”.  When he enters the play areas at The Crate Escape, Too all the other dogs just know to open up a slide for him so he can perch at the highest spot to watch over the gang.

Each one of us, staff and dogs alike, lights up when Moby comes to daycare. He is a recurrent guest for overnight boarding and he loves the one on one cuddles he gets specifically his belly rubs. He is also quite the retriever.  Moby is very smart and knows a lot of tricks and he loves to show them off for a treat or two.  He was one of the first dogs that we tried our Puzzle Time games on and, of course, he did great.

At The Crate Escape, Too we are proud that our patience with Moby’s fears helped him do a complete 360 and we are always happy to see his smiling face.

Last weekend Zane and I had the pleasure of spending a great deal of time outdoors at various dog friendly parks and locations. My sister, Tara, and her dog were up visiting from Rhode Island and we both wanted to take advantage of the beautiful weather and spend quality time with our four legged family members.   Zane is still unreliable off-leash (I’ve only had him for 1 year) despite lots of training in our large fenced yard and in the confines of our training room at The Crate Escape.  He’s excellent at home  and at class, but even though he is a Doberman he acts like a scent hound and “loses it” once he catches a whiff of something enticing when we are outside of our own property. Don’t get me wrong, we can and do enjoy nice walks with him on a long lead or a flexi-lead at places like Mills Riverside park in Jericho, pass by people and other dogs without a problem, play with other friendly dogs, and see birds and other small critters and remain in control.  However, when he catches the scent of deer and other unfamiliar animals he becomes a nightmare to control.

Tara was on-hand to witness Zane’s transformation from Dr. Jekyll into Mr. Hyde.  We were all nicely walking in the park the first evening that she and her dog, Gigi, arrived, when all of a sudden Zane turned into a ground sniffing and pulling maniac when up ahead two people on horses were seen riding by.  Now everyone is probably wondering why I don’t have some high value treats on me when walking with Zane. That way I could get him to focus on me and ignore the big distractions.  Well, here’s the added problem, Zane has been tested for food allergies and he is allergic to beef, chicken, pork, lamb, turkey, duck, rabbit, venison, rice, soybean, sugar beet, and green pea.  So I am limited to feeding him a diet containing goat or pheasant as the protein source which I have been able to find in commercially prepared raw diets but how can I find a source that is portable?? His raw food would surely turn to mush in no time at all.  Does anyone know of a local source of either of these two meats? If so, please add a comment to let me know.  Anyways, stuff like biscuits and cheese are just not valuable enough to him.  With that said, Zane and I will be enrolling in our trainer, Bill Grant’s next “Come Here-Yes, I Mean Now” Class that begins on Saturday Oct. 22 and I am confident that Bill will have some great advice despite our recent discoveries.  Until then, the long leash will remain attached to Zane at all times on our outdoor adventures despite the strange looks I may receive from other people with dogs off leash.   Being a dog care provider I, all too often, hear of dogs that were allowed to be off leash before they had mastered  a truly reliable recall and had not survived the outcome.  It’s a very sad situation. Zane is lucky enough to get tons of off leash play with his friends at The Crate Escape and The Crate Escape, Too as well as quality walks with his family on leash.  I’ll keep you posted on our progress.  You might be interested in this class as well some of the other classes that start October 21 in South Burlington and on October 22 in Richmond: Puppy Kindergarten and Reactive Rover. Be sure to check out our website for more detailed information about each class. Check out this previous blog: (The Value of Dog Training) to read more about the Zones Training drop-in classes that we offer every week.

Here’s to many more walks in the woods and a happy fall to all!  Enjoy it before the snow starts flying.

This season has been busy for us all and chaotic in the wake of tropical storm Irene, so I’d like to apologize for not posting a blog for August.  Luckily, both of our locations survived Irene with no damage from wind or rain but many of our Richmond neighbors were not so fortunate. We count our blessings and hope that all of our clients fared as well.   We wish everyone luck in getting things back to normal and we have a donation box in Richmond for those wishing to make a monetary donation to the victims of Irene.

This September we are looking forward to starting a new round of training classes in addition to the Zones training that takes place every week.  Traditional classes will also be held at both locations: Puppy Kindergarten and Good Manners/ Middle School at our Richmond location on Saturdays and Reactive Rover and Come Here-Yes, I Mean Now at our South Burlington location on Friday evenings.  Now is a great time to get you and your dog up to speed on obedience and make life easier for you all.  So if you’ve been putting off working with your dog on some issues or just want to have a great time learning new skills, sign up today!  We are also excited about participating in the biggest dog party of the year – Shelburne Museum goes to the Dogs that’s coming up this Sunday September 18th.  It’s always a great time for everyone.  Why not join in on the fun and be sure to stop by our booth and say hello.

Now for the sad part.  Unfortunately quite a few of our clients have decided to leave snowy Vermont for places far and wide, from Alaska, to Kansas City and even to Costa Rica.  In this blog I’d like to spotlight and say goodbye to a few of our furry friends from both of The Crate Escape locations: Zeb Godfrey, Olli Corwin, Cairo Garbarino, Tucker Keefe, Tebow Lafferty, Sam Morris, and Sally Read.  We will truly miss them all and wish them the best of luck in their new locals.

Zeb

Zeb is a two year old Yellow Lab mix acquired at 12 weeks of age in Bakersfield. He first started coming to The Crate Escape, Too in July of 2010.  He is a bouncy guy with lots of energy and many friends, if they can keep up with him.  Despite all his exuberance he is quite the snuggle bug with the staff.

Olli

Olli is a female Golden Retriever who started coming to The Crate Escape, Too in March of 2009.  She was just a baby of 5 months and has since grown into a beautiful gal.  She is a sweetie who loves the pools and her best daycare buddy Rosie C.

 

 

Cairo

Cairo is an eight year old boxer who began his once per week visits with us at The Crate Escape in May of 2006. He has a ton of friends, male and female, young and old and only one nemesis – his neighbor Charlie T. : )

Tucker

Tucker is a two year old hound mix who started coming to our Richmond location as a pup and then transferred to our South Burlington location when his family moved.  He is very shy at first with strangers but it did not take him long to warm up and become a love bug with our staff.  He has made many friends, especially the girls, at both locations.

Tebow

Tebow is the big German Shepherd boy that graces the front of our website with his buddy, Buddy, the Berner.  He has made regular visits to us in Richmond since he was 4 months old.  Although particular with whom he made friends, Tebow loved his special girlfriends: Star, Sophie, and Abby and ,of course, his best bud Buddy.

Sally

Sally is a 1 year old Bull Terrier who’s been coming regularly to daycare in Richmond since December of last year.  Unfortunately, Sally’s mom, has had to give her up since she is moving into an assisted living facility in New York.  Sally’s a strong girl in a medium sized package who is not afraid to let her opinion be heard.  She had a slew of friends, mostly males such as Beau, Lucky, Nanuk, and Zane.  We wish Sally the best of luck in finding a new home with the right family.

Sam

Sam is an 8 month old Lab/German Short Haired Pointer mix.  He just showed up in the yard of his current home and has remained with them ever since.  He is the comedian at daycare always keeping the staff on their toes by stealing everything in sight.

 

Cairo

Cairo is an 8 year old boxer who began his once per week visits with us at The Crate Escape in May of 2006.  He has a ton of friends, male and female, young and old and only one nemesis-his neighbor Charlie T:)

Louie Ryan, also known as “The Magnificent”, Doctor Louie Russell-Ryan, and Louisimo (my nickname for him) is an 11 year old Jack Russell Terrier who has been one of our clients at the Richmond location since 2004. He is quite the temperamental guy but we all can’t help but love him.  Louie was rescued by Terry and Rebecca Ryan of Huntington in 2003, when they lived in Jacksonville, Florida. They found out about Louie, who was taken in by Russell Rescue and living in a foster home up until then, through a posting at the university where Terry worked. Having considered getting a dog for some time, they took the plunge and invited Louie over….…his first action was to nip Terry on the nose. 

Here at The Crate Escape we laugh at Louie’s unpredictability with staff, as he has nipped at just about every staff member here at one time or another.  One minute he can be all sweet and lovey dovey with you and the next minute he will let you know that he changed his mind. All new staff is forewarned about Louie’s cantankerous nature. The Christmas card that we received last year from Louie read something like this: I love you. I hate you. I love you…Love, Louie. It was Louie to a tee.  With staff that he knows well he is a love bug and adores jumping up on their laps and licking their faces to death.  Louie has a general dislike of unfamiliar men, but he really likes Dan and enjoys it when Dan carries him like a baby, although he probably prefers that no one else know this about him.

While Louie does not like all other dogs that he meets, he does enjoy spending time with his special girlfriends such as Greta B. and Petra M. and Nickel, his favorite male dog.  Louie gets tons of staff attention when he is here for daycare or boarding with us, including lap time behind the counter and walks outside.  Louie loves manning the front counter but when there’s no action, he can usually be heard snoring on his bed and he loves being covered up with a blanket during the winter months.

At home Louie is a well-loved companion and friend who has not slowed down much despite his age. He loves to run and hike and has learned to skijor. 

Lola Lowery is a five year old labradoodle who first started coming to The Crate Escape, Too in April of 2007 after having attended our very first Open House. Lola is affectionately called Lolafalana by her owner’s after the actress and at The Crate Escape, Too we have somehow morphed her nickname into “Lola Fallola Doodle”.   The Lowery’s acquired Lola from a breeder in West Charleston, VT.  She was one of two puppies in the litter of 10 who fit the description that Dick and Susan’s daughter, Melissa, was looking for: a black female.  Lola was chosen because she had a cuter face than her sister.  Lola’s new family quickly discovered some problems with Lola. She could best be described as a Piranha puppy because she liked to bite and attack those around her.  She was brought to a dog psychologist for help and when the recommendations from the psychologist failed to help her behavior she was returned to the breeder for rehab for two weeks and came back a new dog.  Friends of the family were amazed at Lola’s transformation and questioned whether or not they were given the right dog back.

Lola had been kicked out of her previous daycare facility because of “too active behaviors.”  She, however, quickly became comfortable with The Crate Escape staff and canines when she first joined our daycare as a regular at about one year of age.  She was a dominant female who was full of energy but very loving and sweet to staff.  She did present us with quite a few challenges at first: squabbles with other females, an affinity towards eating rocks and other items, and barking, which we have managed to overcome.  Lola has come a long way and has outgrown all of her problem behaviors. Today she is a joy to be around and have at daycare.  She is friendly, outgoing, and listens well to the staff. In the summer, she loves wading and playing in the pools and in the winter she has a blast playing in the snow. She adores playing with her best boyfriend Rowdy.  Lola loves any one on one attention that she can get and really enjoys getting pampered on spa days.  Lola often goes home with Jamie, our Kennel Manager, when she boards with us and absolutely adores sleeping with Jamie’s cat, Bowie.

Lola has lived with Dick and Susan for fours years now ever since they kept Lola for one week when Melissa was away and fell in love with her despite previously questioning why anyone would possibly want a dog! She is proudly referred to as Dick and Susan’s grand doodle and enjoys boating with them in the summers with the breeze blowing in her face, playing in the snow banks in the winters, and getting her teeth brushed every night ( really-she sometimes even holds the brush!) .  Lola loves cuddling and getting tummy rubs, and loves her numerous stuffed animals. She is also quite fashionable, having a collection of 20 collars.

Lola recently had surgery to clean out an infection in her right ear and can’t get her ears wet so she has not been able to attend daycare lately.  We sure do miss her smiling face every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and are looking forward to her getting the green light to come back and play!