The 1st Of The Month

(Gibby strikes a pose in the backyard)

The first of the month around here at Fort Fido can be a very busy time for us. Most folks pay and or bring in their schedules around this time. It is also a time where we have a good amount of busy "office work". We go through our database and determine which dogs are members in good standing (aka they have attended The Fort at least once in 90 days), which dogs are due for shots/fecal tests, who gets put on the dreaded "Black List" (don't worry it's not as scary as it sounds), whose paperwork gets shredded (because they no longer attend) and who gets mailed a "We haven't seen you in awhile!" coupon.

In short, we dot our I's, cross our T's, spruce the place up and get organized! It does take some effort and can be a bit challenging but it really helps us run smoothly. Please bare with us if we have to communicate with you about anything mentioned above. Nobody is in trouble lol and everyone is welcome. As a business, we just have to have our policies in place to continue giving you great customers and your wonderful pets our best! So with that said, get out your planners and setup your daycare schedule! After-all, it is the first of the month! ;)

This week looks like it's going to be summer folks, enjoy! Get out there and have some fun. If for some unfortunate reason your pup can't join you, drop them off here for some summer fun with the pack.

-Grant

Giving The Boot :( some words about safety at Fort Fido

(Now no, I don't mean literally... And yes, not all Jack Russells are naughty hellions lol)

"I'm sorry, but your dog can not attend daycare here anymore"

That is the hardest thing we ever have to say to a customer of Fort Fido. That being said, it is also what we believe makes us one of the best Doggy Daycare Centers on the planet. :)

We get to know our daycare dogs very well. How much play they can handle, what type of play they can engage in, what other dogs they can play with, whether or not they are toy possessive, have prey drive, etc… The list goes on and on.

We run a tight ship around here AKA our day is very structured, very routine for our daycare dogs. Some may think we have too many rules but this enables us to keep the utmost level of safety for your pets while they attend.

The assessment process is our first safety measure. It allows us to determine if a dog is suitable for socialization with the pack. Many folks don't want to fill out a five page application if they know their dog won't pass an assessment. Many people just pop-in or call up the day of thinking they can drop off any old dog at anytime. Fortunately that is not how it works here. Most people know their dog well. When a dog is here with us, it tells no lies... Sometimes ratting out its owners. If someone isn't truthful on the application we usually know within a matter of minutes. We know if your dog has been socialized, whether or not it has separation anxiety, what caused it, etc… There are exceptions to this but they are rare. 

In the end, dogs are animals, accidents can happen and unpredictability rears its head every so often. However, with our wonderful system in place we undoubtedly decrease the possibility of incidents/injuries.

We also tell people that our assessment process is ongoing. Just because a dog got along ok one day, for four hours, doesn't mean it will workout indefinitely. Life happens, people’s situations change, often times our animals will act out in various ways when life-changes occur. We do our best to keep the lines of communication open with our customers and our employees. We keep customers informed and updated on any issues we may be having with their pet. Nobody likes surprises in the negative category. Nine times out of ten, a customer will know that their dog is on its way out unless we can get its issues resolved. To stay connected with our employees, we chat with each of them before their shift to get them up to date on the days events. We also have communication boards throughout the facility with notes to over emphasis certain information.

Sometimes we can get a negative situation under control, especially if the customer is upfront, honest and willing to work with us (we highly respect that). Other times we have to say it, what I personally dread. “I'm sorry, but your dog can not attend daycare here anymore". We never want or mean to hurt anyone’s feelings but sometimes it must be done, as stressful and awkward as it is. It is all for the safety of the animals. It is always all about the dogs here at Fort Fido and we'd rather head a sticky situation off at the pass then have to send home hurt pooches and vet bills. Talk about awkward!

Thanks for reading,

-Grant

P.S. The most uncomfortable "Giving of The Boot" I ever had, was telling a kind, frequent and loyal customer of several years that their dog could no longer attend. Folks get upset, I fully understand because I do as well. Many do not realize that we have agonized over the decision for quite sometime before it is made and that it is final once made. It's not a fun task, nor does it feel good for us or our business in that moment. I reiterate, it is for the good of the whole.