We would like to remind people about when coming in for grooming.

*Dogs are booked in for a 4 hour period, as this allows our groomer to provide them with breaks during the groom so that they aren’t  overwhelmed during the groom.

* Please let the staff and/or groomer know if your dog is not friendly with other dogs.  If we are not provided with this information, and your dog does cause harm to another it will be the owners responsibility to pay for any damages done.

* Although we accept dogs who are not altered in for grooming, if your female goes into heat please do not bring her in for an appointment. Instead please call and let us know and we will reschedule the appointment at no extra cost. A female in heat around other dogs may cause fights, regardless of if the males are neutered or not. If she is in heat, our groomer may have to turn her away until the cycle is done.

*Any grooming cancellations may be done before 7pm the day prior to their grooming appointment. There will be a $20 rescheduling fee for any missed appointments. Anyone who is more then 15 minutes late may be considered as a missed appointment.

Just a reminder our groomer will be away from today, January 27th – Monday January 30th. We will not be able to provide any grooming services, including drop in services such as nail trims, until Tuesday January 31st. If you are interested in getting a full groom done for your dog, we do still have spots open next week. New Clients welcome!

If you are wondering about our daycare, here are some important things to know:
1. All dogs go through an assessment prior to their first day, to ensure they are not aggressive and must be up to date on vaccinations
2. Dogs are booked in at your convenience, whether you want a regular schedule or just to use it periodically, its all up to you!
3. Any dog who does a daycare assessment is able to use our boarding as well
4. Puppies under 4 months are kept separate in our puppy play area; dogs over 4 months of age play in our dog daycare with other dogs of all different ages and sizes
5.We staff about one person for every 10 dogs, based upon the number booked in the night before. Although we will welcome walk ins, we ask for dogs to be booked in the day before so we may staff properly. In the occasions where we reach the limit of dogs to staff, we may have to turn away walk ins!

If you are interested in daycare or boarding, please feel free to call us and book your dogs free assessment during the week at 11am, 1pm or 6:30pm! We will be happy to give you a tour and answer any further questions you may have!

Our groomer will be away today, Wednesday January 18th so we will not be able to provide any drop in grooming services including nail trims or brush outs. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Is your dog in desperate need of a groom? We still have plenty of spots open this week for dog grooming!! With warmer weather this week, its a perfect time to get him or her cleaned! All grooming includes nails and ears cleaned too. Be sure to call us today to arrange a time for your dogs day at the spaw!!

It’s A Dog’s Life is expanding our services.
We are pleased to announce that we will be now be offering the following new services:

In Home Services:

Dog Visits (30 minutes-flexible on visiting time) $16

Puppy Visits (30 minutes-mid day visits) $18

Cat Visits (30 minutes-flexible on visiting time) $15

Add on Services: Mail Pickup (free with any in home service); Garbage take out ($5 extra with any in home service); Plant Watering ($5 extra with any in home service)

Vet Appointment Pick up and Drop off – (Prices and pick up zoning to be determined)

Dog Walking (Morning Walks at 10am; Afternoon walks at 2pm)

Group walks (1-2 times a week) $18 per dog/ (3 or more times a week)  $16 per dog

Private Walk: (Dogs from one house hold only) $22 per dog

All Services must be booked 24hours in advanced;

Any cancellations must have 24hours notice or are subject to 50% charge of service fee

We will be starting our 2012 Training classes will be commencing Thursday January 12th.

Our Basic Companion classes will be held Thursdays from 8pm-9pm (starting on Thursday January 12th and running for 5weeks). The cost is $195 plus tax (cash, Visa, Mastercard or debit welcomed as forms of payment). Please call ahead to reserve a spot.

Our Puppy Socialization classes will be on Thursday evenings from 7:15-8:00pm and on Sundays from 11:15am-12:15pm. These are drop in classes, $10 per class (cash only).

Our Adult Play and Train will be on Sundays from 12:15pm-1:00pm. These are drop in classes (for non aggressive adult dogs ), $10 per class (cash only)

Our Adult Socialization classes will be on Sundays from 1:00pm-1:45 pm (for those with dog to dog socializing problems), $10 per class (cash only).

We hope to see you at some of our classes!!

Our Holiday Party was a huge success, and we now have pictures up for you to enjoy! Take a peak at what went on that day and also some pictures with Santa. Just go to our Facebook Page to see all the fun! www.facebook.com/ItsadogslifeTO

To anyone who purchased our great offer last year on WagJag for 3 days of daycare, we would just like to remind you that its expiry date is approaching quickly. The voucher purchased expires on February 18th so be sure to bring your dog in before then! Remember all dogs must go through and pass an assessment interview prior to their first day in, so call to book yours today! We can arrange interviews at 11am and 1pm Monday to Saturday and at 6:30pm Monday to Friday!

Maintaining the drop coat

Drop coats such as those found on the Shih-tzu and maltese shed in a mosaic pattern. Tangles form in these coats easily as the guard coat wraps up and individual hairs cross over one another.  Tangles turn to mats when rapidly growing undercoat gets trapped beneath the crossing top coat and worsen with friction and moisture. Moisture acts on a tangled coat the same way a hot dryer acts on a wool sweater- tightening the tangles to the point that they are pulling on a dog’s skin. Matting that is pulling on a dogs skin can become extremely painful – similar to tying your own hair back in an extremely tight ponytail.  Irritation can develop under the matting and many skin problems can be hidden.  In extreme cases of matting the mat can reduce blood flow to certain areas of the body and severe cases seen by animal control have resulted in the loss of limbs.

To avoid painful matting a dog must be brushed regularly with the proper tools and groomed frequently. The length of a dogs coat will dictate how often s/he should be groomed. The longer the coat, the more frequently the dog needs to be groomed in order to remove tangles and dead coat. The length of the coat will also dictate the frequency and method of brushing. A coat ½ “ or longer needs to be brushed at least 4 times a week and every time the dog gets wet. A coat over 1” must be brushed even more frequently.  A dog maintained between ½” – 1” should be groomed every 6-8 weeks a shorter kept coat can go a little longer in between and a coat over 4” should be groomed every 2-4 weeks depending on home maintenance.

Line brushing with a slicker brush and follow up with a metal medium tooth comb is the best method to maintain the coat. Lift the coat up with one hand and brush down and out along the hair brushing through one section at a time and making sure to get right down to the skin WITHOUT dragging the brush over the skin itself.

Concerns after shaving

A dog that has become very matted must be shaved – In some cases very short.  This can make the dog feel itchy. It can also cause minor irritation to the skin or expose pre existing skin problems. Additionally your dog is not used to suddenly being able to feel a breeze on his/her body and may react differently than usual. It is not unusual for a dog to hide, roll around on the ground, jump at a sudden breeze or race around like crazy after being shaved.  The sudden release of pressure and weight on the skin is a new sensation for your dog and s/he will react to it in unexpected ways.

Hematoma

One of the biggest concerns after shaving a dog with extremely matted ears is hematoma. Hematoma occurs most frequently due to vigorous head shaking. Blood vessels in the ears break from being banged over and over on the side of the head and can cause swelling in the ends of the ears. Severe swelling may require a vet to drain the ends of the ears. When the weight and pressure of severe matting is removed from a dogs ears, they will frequently shake their head. In some cases the ends of the ears open and the blood drains, in other cases the ear just swells. It is extremely important to prevent your dog from head shaking whenever possible after a groom.