Meet Pache!

Pache is an amazing lab/rottie mix that we were lucky to be able to spend some time with this summer, along with his sister Maggie, a beautiful little yellow lab.

Recently, Pache & Maggie’s ‘mom’ had to take a quick trip out of state and decided to put them in a kennel for three nights. Unfortunately she had a less than positive experience with another kennel she had tried, so asked around for recommendations for this trip. After hearing some positive reviews of a local kennel, she booked her pups for a visit there and asked us to drop them off for her. Both dogs were in perfect health and happy when we dropped them off, although of course a little hesitant about being left in a strange place!

When Pache & Maggie’s owner picked them up, she expected to be greeted by happy, healthy dogs who couldn’t wait to see her. Sadly, she was in for quite an unpleasant surprise. Pache was brought out with a large fluid filled lump on his face and neck, with a red infected looking center.

The staff at the kennel had not noticed anything wrong with him while he was there, and had no explanation as to how long it had been that way. With an injury the size of this, I am not sure how it could have gone unnoticed even with the most basic care over 3 days.

Poor Pache! His ‘mom’ declined using the kennels in-house vet and brought him to her own vet, who drained the fluid and shaved the area around the wound and cleaned it up.

As you can imagine, this was not fun for Pache. He came home a little out of it from the pain medication, and with a elizabethan collar (also known as ‘the lampshade hat’!) to wear so he couldn’t scratch at his wound.

The kennel did agree to pay Pache’s vet bill, but did not have any explanation as to how this happened, or why it went unnoticed. They suggested that it was ‘just a hot spot’, that Maggie licked his fur off through the cage, or that he was laying on his side the entire visit, and thats why no one noticed.

To us, that throws up a few red flags. If a dog is laying on its side for three days straight, shouldn’t the staff be aware? As all of us dog owners know, that is far from normal behavior even for the most laid back pups. Luckily, Pache has received nothing but loving care since he returned home and is healing just fine, and will be back to his normal happy self in no time flat. But I think we can all agree that he was most definitely a victim of neglect from the kennel he stayed at, and that we can all be thankful that this was all that happened.

There are plenty of reasons to choose in-home pet sitting over a kennel, and we’d like to remind you of some of those now.

• Your pet will be much happier and safer in their own familiar home environment
• At home, there is no chance of exposure to illnesses other pets may have
• No stressful travel to and from the kennel, especially for those pets who don’t enjoy car rides
• Your pets diet will remain the same- many kennels have an ‘in house’ food that they feed to visiting pets and this switch from your pets regular food could cause gastrointestinal upset
• You will have the peace of mind knowing that your pet is being cared for by someone used to their habits and routines, as well as knowing your home will be watched over.

Now this is not to say that all kennels are bad, or that every dog who stays at one will come home injured. Doggie Pawpins is fortunate enough to be able to offer overnight services for those clients who need to be away for longer than just the day, and we love providing your animals with the same care and love you would if you were home.