Welcome to the Downtown Dog Lounge™!
Are you ready for daycare?
Interview/Evaluation
Every dog at Downtown Dog Lounge™ must go through an interview process. Daycare
can be a very stimulating environment…and for some dogs it's more than they can
handle. For this reason, we screen for your dog's suitability as a pack member,
and realize that some dogs will be better suited to alternative environments. Your
evaluation fee will be returned if DDL evaluators conclude that the Downtown Dog
Lounge is not a good match with your dog. Some dogs will be nervous initially--and
even for the first few visits--but almost all pooches learn to love their much needed
pooch socialization time.
If your dog isn't happy, we aren't happy. We can help your dog become a more carefree
canine by interacting with others similar to his or her personality. In those cases
where master and dog could benefit from some third party professionals we have a
stellar team of trainers that offer group and individual therapy.
Dog health issues while in doggie daycare
Just like kids in daycare, dogs in daycare are susceptible to whatever bug is going
around. While standard yearly vaccines are excellent in protecting dogs against
the most serious diseases like Parvo, Distemper and Rabies, large gatherings of
canines will come up with the occasional case of kennel cough or Giardia. Your dog
is at increased risk of catching communicable canine health issues when socializing
with other dogs. Downtown Dog Lounge™ takes great diligence in minimizing health
and safety risks; our clients must acknowledge a modicum of health risk. Our friends
at Urban Vet stand ready to help if your pooch picks up something at the dog park,
in the wild or at the lounge.
Kennel cough or Bordatella is the most frequent visitor to dog daycare. It's the
pooch version of the flu that usually manifests as a deep froggy cough...usually
when they first wake up or directly after exercising. They will often cough up white
foamy mucous and be listless. Your dog can catch Bordatella at the dog park, daycare,
walking around the neighborhood or even at the vet. It is a highly contagious, airborne
virus and healthy dogs that show no symptoms can sometimes spread it. We recommend
the Bordatella vaccine on a twice a year basis and have found this to be a successful
way to keep kennel cough to a minimum. Most dogs only get kennel cough once in their
lifetime, similar to people with chicken pox.
Please quarantine all Bordatella cases for 15 days--this will ensure that Buster's
buddies won't come down with the yucks, too. An ounce of prevention may be purchased
at Urban Vet--please help us keep the pack in tip top health. Vaccination requirements
may be accepted with Vet explanation and DDL reserves the right to refuse service
to any of our potential guests.
There are a number of great products that quickly eliminate fleas, and all DDL dogs
are required to be on flea preventatives. No flea collars, however, as they can
be toxic if bitten or chewed.
Dogs can get worms while inspecting each other’s body parts (butts are usually favorites)
or from direct contact (OK, eating!) other dogs' poops. Our crew is diligent about
quickly cleaning dog waste, and if we see that a dog has worms, we will isolate
him and contact the owner immediately to let them know. Once wormed, a dog should
stay home for at least a week to give the dead parasites time to get out of their
system.
Giardia is much more prevalent after it has rained, and living in Seattle we are
destined to have our pets exposed to it at some point. It's a protozoan parasite
that may give your dog bloody diarrhea and/or bloody vomit. The blood is usually
quite voluminous and it often appears that your dog is bleeding internally. It smells
nasty, and you should get your dog to the vet ASAP as this can cause severe dehydration
and further weaken your little munchkin.
Coccidia is another water related cootie with similar symptoms although not quite
as severe. Your vet can treat both of these and most dogs recover quickly with the
right medical attention.
These are common bugs that pooches transfer from time to time. If you think your
dog has any of these, PLEASE KEEP THEM HOME! It's not fair to expose the other dogs
to this. If you need temporary in-home care, call us and we will do our best to
help out!
Smelly, stinky, dirty dogs
No worries, all pooches are spritzed with an organic spray when they go home in
an effort to keep newly acquired "smells" as remote as possible! We also offer herbal
baths and massage if you would like...please see our rates menu for price information.
Doggie disagreements, spats, brawls, donnybrooks
Dog injuries are inevitable. Dogs use their teeth like we use our hands; they grab
each other by the neck and nibble, steal toys and play with one another. Nicks,
scrapes and the occasional puncture are going to happen. There are occasional fights
among dogs. The Downtown Dog Lounge™ team is trained to break up a serious fights
with any of our in-house tools/distractions for doing so (water, marine horns, etc.)
In our years of business, the Downtown Dog Lounge™ has never had a serious bite
injury--a result of our playground diligence and our strict temperament screening.
We think the benefits of dog daycare far exceed the downfalls, and that's why we
love what we do. We implore all new clients to "know thy dog" and help us anticipate
and avoid problem dogs and problem behaviors. Thanks and we hope your dog is ready
for doggie daycare at the DDL!
If you are ready, fill out our online Pet Profile!
Go back to Daycare Information