Let's Talk About Kennel Cough

With Kennel Cough season upon us, it's important that you understand this small risk of having your dog around other pets. While the pros of socializing your pet far outweigh whatever risk Kennel Cough might pose, it's important to us that all our doggy parents understand this basic illness.

What is Kennel Cough, anyway?
Kennel Cough is very much like the common cold for humans. While there is a vaccine for Kennel Cough, which we require all our canine guests to be up-to-date on, it is rather ineffective at fully preventing infection, but might help.

What are the symptoms of kennel cough?
The most obvious symptom of kennel cough is a dry, hacking cough.Some dogs experience a decrease in energy and/or appetite as well.

How might my dog get kennel cough?
Kennel Cough, like the common cold, is very contagious. Your dog might get it by direct contact with an infected dog, contact with an infected item, or by breathing it in airborne. Very young puppies, senior dogs, or dogs with an otherwise compromised immune system are more likely to show symptoms. The more dogs are exposed to other dogs, the more their immune system has a chance of building a defense against illness. It is generally the young, the old, and the underexposed that we see show symptoms. There is absolutely no way to socialize your pet with zero rick of kennel cough.

What do I do if my dog gets kennel cough?
If your dog is showing the symptoms of kennel cough, the best idea is usually to let it run its course. Within a week, most dogs are on the mend and good as new. Very seldom, and typically in very young or very old dogs, Kennel cough can advance to a respiratory infection which vets may prescribe antibiotics for. In either case, it's important they drink plenty of fresh water, and are kept in a warm, comfortable place. We always recommend using a natural supplement with immune-system boosting qualities any time dogs might be ill such as Goldenseal/ Echinacia or even Vitamin C.

What Does Ruff House do to prevent my dog from getting Kennel Cough in their care?
There is no way to completely prevent a dog from getting kennel cough unless he is never allowed to leave the house, and visitors are never allowed over. Kennel Cough is airborne. It is contagious. That being said, we take many preventative measures to help prevent the spread of illness in our facility.

1. Our facility is cleaned top to bottom all day long. This includes the outdoor doggy turf, the floors, walls, kennels, and furniture. We also wash our toys on a regular basis.
2. We require all our guests to be appropriately vaccinated.
3. We never allow any dogs showing any signs of illness to join us.
4. Should a dog show any symptoms while in our care, they are immediately isolated, and someone is contacted to come pick the dog up. If no one is available to do so, the dog is transported to the vet.
5. Any urine or fecal matter is cleaned up immediately.
6. We use food grade peroxide in our water bowls to cleanse the water and help prevent spread of illness that way.
7. Food bowls are washed between every use.
8. Kennels are deep cleaned between boarding guests, and throughout the week.

Despite all these precautions, it is simply impossible to completely prevent all dogs from getting kennel cough, especially this time of year. Just like kids will bring a cold home from school at some point, most dogs that are properly socialized will at some point catch a cold. We do ask that if your dog ever goes home and shows signs of kennel cough that you alert us immediately so that we can we on extra close watch, and inform our guests whom are more apt to get it such as young puppies or senior dogs.

Meet Murphy

As a continuation of our "Meet the Staff" series, we found it appropriate to introduce a certain little Cocker Spaniel, too. So, meet Murphy!

If your dog has been to Ruff House, they have undoubtedly met Murphy. He's a senior Cocker Spaniel that has lived at our facility for the last year. We're not sure exactly how old he is, he's a rescue out of San Diego. He came to join us last year when Linsey, one of Ruff House's two owners, rescued him several years after meeting him quite a few years ago. The original plan was for Murphy to go live with her once she was finished moving, but Murphy had other ideas. He made Ruff House his home, where he is very content and undoubtedly happy. The attempt to move him to a new environment was unsuccessful, and too overwhelming for this sweet old man.

Murphy is loved and doted on every day by the wonderful staff members at Ruff House. He is happy and wiggly every morning, and loves afternoon snoozes on the couch while he gets massaged by the staff.

Murphy sports several different haircuts, and we get a lot of questions about why we let his hair cover his eyes. The simple answer: Murphy is 100% blind, and has been for most of his life. We had one eye removed that became infected repeatedly his entire life. The open floor plan of our facility suits his needs perfectly. We keep the water bowls and furniture in the same place every day to make life as easy as possible for him. He gets around just fine.

He gets along with dogs big and small. One day he might be keeping a scared little Yorkie company, and the next he's running with a pack of Great Danes and Goldens in the big dog yard.

So, next time you're in for Puppy Social, or Yappy Hour, be sure to say "Hello" to Mr. Murphy- Ruff House's own resident.

Introducing the Warm Up To Daycare Package!

Daycare passes are a fantastic way to make this service more affordable to do frequently. Proper socialization is so important for dogs of all ages, and starting puppies off on the right paw sure makes it easier to ensure that your canine companion develops into a good doggy citizen. Even with proper socialization as a youngster, it is important to continue socializing your pooch with different places, people, and animals for the entirety of their lives.We offer a variety of different daycare options to fit everyone's individual needs. Whether you're interested in daily daycare, or once a month daycare, we've got a pass to make it more affordable.

5 Day Pass: $90 ($10 savings)

10 Day Pass: $160 ($40 savings)

15 Day Pass: $225 ($75 savings)

Monthly Unlimited Pass: $275 Up to $265 savings on daycare alone, PLUS an additional 15 minutes of daycare per day, additional discounts on boarding, and late boarding pickup fees waived

Now, we are adding two passes to our lineup that are specifically for doggies that are new to Ruff House: our Warm Up to Daycare passes! Avaliable in both full day and half day options, this pass offers three days of daycare, heavily discounted to encourage our new furry guests to get accustomed to our facility before boarding. It's also an excellent way to warm up to regular daycare visits, too!

Why is it important to warm up to daycare before boarding?

We off a safe, fun environment for our guests to play with other well socialized dogs. While most social dogs have a blast playing with their new human and canine friends, it can be quite intimidating at first. By experiencing three frequent visits befor

e being left in our facility for overnight boarding, it allows the dogs to become familiar with their surroundings, and they realize that they aren't being left forever. This is especially important for recent rescues, dogs that have never experienced boarding before, a

nd dogs prone to separation anxiety. While we recognize the benefits of warming up to daycare to be most beneficial for new guests prior to boarding, and new guests are welcome to take advantage of the savings!

3 Full Days $36.00 ($24 savings!)

3 Half Days $27.00 ($18 savings!)

Pass Expiration Times

The Monthly Unlimited pass expires 30 days from the date of purchase.

The Warm up to Daycare passes expire 21 days after the date of purchase, and is only available for purchase during the 30 days following your pets interview, AND in the 30 days leading up to a boarding visit.

All other passes expire one year after the date of purchase.

Payment Methods & Business Hours

As we approach the chaotic, but oh so fun Holiday season, we get questions about everything! We love helping pet owners make great decisions for their individual pets, so most of our frequently asked questions simply do not have a one size fits all answer. Even our daily procedures get tweaked based on our unique play group that day. But, one of the few things that is the same across the board are payment times, acceptable methods, and our business hours.

Business Hours

We are open Monday through Friday from 7:30am until 7pm. Daycare services end at 6pm.

On Saturday, we open at 9am and close at 7pm. Daycare services end at 6pm.

Sundays we are open for SCHEDULED boarding pick up and drop offs only.

On most major holidays we are closed for all services, and on some h

olidays we have modified business hours closing at 5pm, with daycare ending at 4pm. The best way to keep up with what these days are is to receive our monthly newsletter, full of coupons, special offers, and a calendar of our special events and adjusted business hours.

Payment Options

We accept cash, debit cards, and all major credit cards. We no longer accept personal checks as payment for any services rendered, or products purchased.

DAYCARE payment can be made either at drop off or pickup. If you wish to purchase a pass, payment for that pass is due on the first day of daycare that is applied to the pass. Once a daycare pass has been used, they will not be returned or credited in any way.

BOARDING payment is due at the time you drop off your pet. If you pick up your pet early, a credit will be applied to your account. If your plans change, and we can accommodate your pet for additional nights beyond your original reservation, additional charges will be put on the credit card on file, unless other arrangements have been agreed upon. If you will not be dropping off or picking up your pet, payment can be made prior to the stay, or made over the phone.

We do NOT issue refunds after boarding payment has been collected for any reason.

GROOMING payment is due at the time of pickup. The reason for this is that while we rarely include additional fees, excess matting or aggressive behavior requiring an additional set of hands for handling may not be evident at the time of drop off. At drop off, you may request an estimate quote, which will be within $10 of your total charge.

RETAIL payment is due at the time a product is purchased.

TRAINING classes require a non-refundable deposit which is due at the time of reserving your pet's spot in the class. If you wish to surrender your dog's place in the reserved class, you may use your deposit towards the next training class scheduled. Full payment is due upon the first class.

Credits

If you are overcharged as an error on our part, a refund will be issued in a speedy fashion.

Any remaining balance for unused boarding nights will remain on your account for on year's time. These credits can be applied to any products or services we offer at any time during that year, with no restrictions.

November Happenings!

There's so much happening at Ruff House in the next two months, and if you're not signed up for our monthly newsletter, you're missing out on all the super awesome deals and news! If you haven't been getting it already, and you'd like in on all the discounts and freebies, email us at utahruffhouse@yahoo.com!

Just this once, we'll let you in on all the newsletter-exclusive deals and opportunities for the month of November. December will be pretty fantastic, so you won't want to miss out on those!

NOVEMBER

4th: White Dog Day. All white (and primarily white!) dogs just $15 for a full day or $10 for a half day of daycare!

9th: Spotted dog day! All spotted dogs just $15 for a full day or $10 for a half day of daycare! This day is not just for dalmations, most merle, harlequin, and even piebalds can count!

12th: Puppy Social & Yappy hour are FREE, so bring those pooches down for some proper socialization and fun!

17th: Brachyephalic dog day: All those cute smush-faced doggies just $15 for a full day or $10 for a half day of daycare! That's you, Boxers, pugs, bulldogs, etc!

21st: Brindle dog day! All brindle dogs just $15 for a full day or $10 for a half day of daycare!

24th: Thanksgiving Day: CLOSED for all services.

Puppy Social & Yappy Hour: Every Saturday from 1pm-3pm, so come join us for all the fun! (woof on the street is there will be prizes in December!)

Meet Linsey!

How Long Have You Worked at Ruff House?

Well, that depends on what counts! I began working at Ruff House as part of the daycare staff in January 2009. I moved away after my wedding in December 2009, and after just a couple months I missed Ruff House and Utah so much I made the move back to Orem, only this time I returned as a partner to Tarah and have been here since April 2010! I'm not going anywhere any time soon, this is my home.

What is Your Favorite Part of Working at Ruff House?

Oh gosh, there are so many. While there is nothing quite like being greeted by a pack of 20 happy dogs every morning, I would have to say the absolute best part of my job has been the amazing people I get to work with and that I get to be a part of something I truly love. Tarah has become not just a business partner but also an irreplaceable best friend in this crazy journey we call life. I also really love helping people with their dog's nutrition, as it's a HUGE passion of mine. Bringing my own furkids to work with me is of course up there on the long list of reasons I absolutely love what I do.

What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

It's crazy to say, but I feel like I'm 22 and living my dream. When I was little I always said I wanted to own a "doggy hotel" and that's exactly what I do! I hope to get more involved with helping people sort out their pet's nutritional needs, and I really want to be a mother in the near future, but I'd say as far as my career is concerned, I'm quite satisfied right where I'm at.

Tell Us More About You?

Well, I'm 22, and married to the most wonderful man in the world. His name is Jon, maybe you've heard of him? Haha. I have a passion for dogs and my husband and I have 5 Great Danes and a Boxer of our own. In my free time I study canine nutrition and home prepared diets for hours a day, and really enjoy helping people feed raw to their pet carnivores. I've lived in 5 states in the last 3 years, but Utah has really become my home. I hope to become a mom in the next two years, and then just see where life takes me!

Don't Forget Tarah!

How Long Have You Worked At Ruff House?

Well, I have worked there since the beginning. I opened Ruff House in May of 08'. One of the best decisions of my life. All the guests, customers, and staff that have passed through have added so much joy and memories that I will forever store in my soul.

What Is Your Favorite Part Of Ruff House?

I love when I first show up at Ruff House and all the dogs are excited for me to enter the yard. As soon as I enter the yard they all walk by my side and follow me with their tails wagging and their tongues flopping around. I love reaching down and touching each and every dog to let them feel the love I have for them, they feel it and give me love right back..yummy, its soo good to have the love of an animal.

What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?

Hopefully, I don't have to grow up, I really do enjoy being a kid. I have been a hairdresser, a bagel baker, a kindergarten teacher, a waitress, a yoga/meditation teacher, a dog trainer and a business owner so far in my life. I love being around animals and I love being domestic and trying to live off the land practicing being self-sufficient, as much as I can. Honestly, I hope to try out many more things in my days ahead of me, I don't ever want to stop experiencing the joys of life.

Tell Us More About You?

I currently live in Nashville, Tennessee with the man of my dreams. We live on 7 acres of land. We garden and farm and soon will be raising livestock. I love animals and communicate with them very easily. I have found their companionship to be the very thing that has shown me the depths of my soul. I love to be outside and listen to the birds and insects making their music. Utah has been my home and my spirit will forever be there. I love the fresh mountain air and miss living up those beautiful mountains. Most of all I miss the wonderful dogs that would greet me daily at Ruff House, they make you feel so safe and loved.
Do You Have Any Pets?

Yes, I have two dogs Sekoya the famous little golden retriever who used to greet dogs as they walked into the lobby of Ruff House and a German Shepherd that I adopted, per se, when I joined my life with my love. Both girls add so much joy to my life, truly a woman's best friend!!