One Lucky Dog at a Time
Summer, 2002 (Vol. 23, No. 6)
By Vicky Tobias
Petpourri Magazine
The following is an except from the original article.
If you would like to see the full text of the original article, click here
For Goose, a one-year-old black and tan coonhound currently residing at Dane County Humane Society, life is getting better all the time. Twice a week, promptly at 8:30 a.m., a personal chauffer arrives to chariot him to daycare where, for the next nine hours, he enjoys organized games with like-minded companions, an occasional dip in the pool, delicious after-meal delicacies and the loving caress of care-takers with an interest in his personal development.
What sounds like "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" is actually an innovative partnership program between the DCHS and Lucky Dog Day Care, Inc. in Madison. This new program aims to give shelter dogs an opportunity to improve their social skills, exercise and enjoy an environment outside their kennel.
Located at 4934 Felland Road, Lucky Dog provides for Goose an enjoyable and beneficial retreat from his daily routine at DCHS. Interaction with other dogs in a structured environment improves a kennel dog's life before and after he leaves the shelter.
"We've seen remarkable improvements in Goose's behavior since he first arrived in March," says Lucky Dog owner Greg Altman. "He's calmer and better socialized with other people and animals." Somewhat rowdy at first, Goose now responds to his name and happily joins in games with his canine cohorts.
Regular and much-anticipated play days help to combat kennel depression, an ailment common to animals in closed environments for extended periods of time. "Goose is a much happier dog since he started coming to Lucky Dog," says DCHS volunteer and Goose's chauffer Ranee Goodroad. "He's a better behaved and calmer dog, which improves his chances of adoption." Last winter's foster dog, a five-year-old yellow lab Goldie, was adopted earlier this spring and continues to visit Lucky Dog with her new siblings.
Because they interact with Goose on a regular basis, Altman, Goodroad, and others who monitor activities at Lucky Dog are able to inform DCHS of regular improvements in his behavior and socialization. "From watching his progress, we are able to assess his needs and make suggestions as to the ideal home environment for Goose," says Altman. "He's an energetic and lovable guy, one who requires play and exercise."
Altman hopes to sponsor even more shelter dogs at Lucky Dog. "More volunteer chauffeurs would allow us to provide care and socialization for other dogs like Goose," says Altman. "Ideally, I'd like to alternate dogs on different days, to enable more shelter dogs to improve their behavior and social skills at Lucky Dog."
One need only look to Goose to comprehend the benefits of this program. A dog once unmanageable and unable to interact with other dogs now romps comfortably among both bi- and quad-pedal friends. His training is by no means complete but Goose and his handlers certainly aren't complaining.
For more information about about volunteering, contact DCHS at 608-838-0413. You can learn more about Lucky Dog Day Care, Inc. and their services by visiting their Web site at www.luckydog-msn.com or calling 608-249-5892.
"In The Doghouse Is Great Place To Be"
July 14, 2000
By Melanie McManus
Madison Magazine
The following is an except from the original article.
If you would like to see the full text of the original article, click here
When I was a kid, pets knew their place: the bottom rung of the household hierarchy. In my house, Fluffy or Spot certainly never rivaled the children for snacks, toys or other creature comforts carefully doled out by my parents.
Today, however, things are different. Pets are increasingly viewed as part of the family - pretty much equal to the kids - and spoiled accordingly. Pet supply superstores offer the proof of merchandising: gourmet pet food and treats, soft lambs' wool beds, color-coordinated leashes and collars, shelf upon shelf of toys.
The pampering doesn't end there. Many pet owners can no longer bear the thought of sending their beloved pet to a traditional kennel when they're heading out of town, especially if they're going on vacation. Metal pens? No daily treats? No long walks or cuddle time? Perish the thought!
To soothe such angst, "bed and biscuit" boarding kennels are popping up across the country, and the Madison area is no exception. Such B&Bs - largely aimed at dogs and cats - typically feature sleeping quarters with amenities such as beds and televisions. Customers can often purchase walks, individualized play sessions and other forms of exercise and socialization to alleviate boredom and loneliness.
"There's definitely been a big change in the boarding industry," says Lori Campbell, owner - along with her husband, Duncan - of Camp K-9 Pet Care Center on Madison's East Side. About three years ago, the Campbells converted eight of their 100 pens to bed and biscuit suites for dogs, and the response has been phenomenal. "The B&B suites get booked up far in advance," says Campbell, "and we're thinking maybe we should convert the rest of the kennels."
The walled suites are larger and more private than Camp K-9's other pens. They are made homey with wallpaper, curtained windows, televisions and comfy, child-sized beds. And yes, the nightly turn-down service features a biscuit.
While Camp K-9 doesn't officially have B&B suites for cats, their quarters are equally impressive. Each windowed space measures about 5 feet wide by 5 feet deep and stretches about 10 feet up to the ceiling. Staggered ramps allow the cat to climb to several different platforms. A chair, a blanket and a scratching post also are included.
Dog owners who want to go the extra mile can request that their pet be sent next door to Lucky Dog Day Care & Training, a related facility owned by Greg and Amy Altman. The Altmans purchased Lucky Dog from the Campbells a year and a half ago and were amazed at its instant popularity. "We're open five days a week and take 50 dogs, and we're full every day," says Greg Altman.
Lucky Dog's charges spend most of their day in a two-acre playground containing ramps and other agility equipment and a wealth of toys. In warm weather, the dogs enjoy a large above-ground pool and a few smaller tubs. Several employees play with and supervise the animals at all times; new dogs undergo an observation/socialization period to ensure they're able to cohabitate for the day with 49 other furry friends. Thirty-minute nature walks on a groomed, three-acre trail also are available for an additional fee. While there are only a few doggie day care facilities throughout the state right now, Altman predicts they will become commonplace in the next few years. "[Many people] don't want to leave their dogs home alone because [they] are either destructive, or really wired by the end of the day," he says. "But I wear them out, and they have a great time in the process."
"Putting up a pet spa wouldn't even have been considered 15 years ago," says Mary Paul Long, development director at the Dane County Humane Society. "But today people spoil their animals rotten. It's wonderful."
"Dog Day Afternoon - Now there's day care for Rover, too!"
June 11, 1999
By Linda Falkenstein
Isthmus Magazine
The Following Is An Except From The Original Article
On a recent visit to the Sun Prarie Dog Park, Juile Dahlen's Austrailian shepherd met up with another pup she seemed to know well. It was then Dahlen discovered that Dakota had a life of her own.
"The way the interacted and played together was obviously different," says Dahlen. An exchange with the other dog's owner revealed that Dakota and her buddy did know each other: they were in doggie day care together.
"It's sort of like sending your kids to preschool," says Dahlen. "Now she'll see a friend when she's out, and they're giddy. They're so happy to see each other."
The time for dog day care has arrived. For one thing, there are more two-career households these days. Moreover, while many dog owners still believe that quality time after work, or a run at the parkm can make up for time spent alone, there is a dawning awareness that it may not be healthy to leave dogs by themselves all day long. Champions of day care say it provides dogs with needed socialization and exercise, as well as an opportunity to learn to obey humans other than their owners.
Says Greg Altman, the owner and operator of Lucky Dog, a day care facility on Madison's far east side: "Every dog should have friends, fun... a life."
Lucky Dog is more playground than pen, more camp than kennel. While many canine-care operations are primarily indoors, Altman prefers to keep the dogs - limited to 50 a day - outdoors, though he maintains a large room for use in inclement weather and for a daily lunch and nap time.
The dogs in the outdoor yard seem a mass of squirming anarchy, but, upon observation, several distinct activity groups emerge. A cope group roams from area to area with no specific goal in mind. A few are experimenting with the wooden climbing mountain, a couple chase a ball being tossed by one of Altman's assistants, and several are playfully nipping at each other's necks.
They are, Altman asserts, just like a bunch of kids. Some dogs are toy-possessive. Others are properly socialized but, like humans, "just don't like each other," says Altman. "Each of them wants to be top dog." Take Tom, for instance, and the more suggestively named Cain, who couldn't be persuaded to get along with each other. "It doesn't happen very often, but when it does I try to make sure they don't come on the same day," says Altman.
Some dogs also exhibit breedism. (Altman recalls a German shepherd who just didn't like border collies. Period.)
If push ever does come to shove, a staff member will bring dogs inside to sit in a kennel and have what amounts to a time-out. "I let them sit there and think it over," says Altman, only half in jest.
In fact, as we are talking, Jasper and Harley are led in for a little contemplation of their misbehavior. Harley, a black Lab, appears contrite, but Jasper, a golden, seems much more interested in escaping his purgatory, which he eventually accomplishes by climbing over the sides of the pen.
"That's why we have a few with roofs," Altman remarks as he drags the disappointed Jasper to a roofed kennel unit.
Meanwhile, a couple of border collies have commandeered the rfubber toys and are wandering around with them as if to show off their prizes, but the other dogs don't seem in the least irritated or even interested. Owners continue to drop off their pers, and every time a new dog shows up, a crowd surges up to the fence, eager to see who the new arrival is.
Dogs, of course, will be dogs. All dogs over six months must be neutered or spayed, but that doesn't preclude a certain amount of attempted humping, an activity Altman discourages.
"Gus," Altman yells at a pooch who's getting a little too friendly with one of his pals. Gus looks up with an undeniably guilty look.
"Bad idea," Altman rebukes.
Busted. Gus immediately hops off and trots away, seemingly without any residual malice.
At the other end of the spectrum is Rico, who's just graduated to outdoor privelages on this, his third day of day care. A border collie with a white patch over one eye, Rico is hanging out near the other dogs but not taking part in any of the group activities. He's watching the other dogs carefully, though, almost wistfully - like the new kid on the first day of school.
By all appearances, Altman is a man who loves his job. He not only knows each of the dogs swarming around his legs by name, but also seems to know their life histories. Even so, he admits, "there are days when I'm ready to tear my hair out."
Altman got interested in dog training 10 years ago when he took his own dog to obedience school. He started taking classes in Syracuse, N.Y., with premier trainers Jack and Wendy Volhard. He's also studied with animal behaviorist Patricia McConnell of Black Earth, but he stresses that he's a trainer, not an animal behaviorist. He and his wife, Amy, moved from Milwaukee three years ago to start Lucky Dog adjacent to the grounds of Camp K-9, a boarding facility.
The first thing Altman does with a new dog is make sure it gets along in group situations. And just because a dog gets along with others at a dog park doesn't mean it will take to day care. There's a big difference between dog park socialization and dog day care socialization, notes Altman. Typically a dog park is a larger open space with fewer dogs in it. Day care - even with a relatively large area for the dogs to run it - still places more dogs into a smaller area. And that's a situation where dog behavior "tends to become a little more chest-puffy," says Altman.
To keep aggressive king-of-the-pack behaviors out of the yard, Altman evaluates each dog when it first comes to visit.
Traits Altman looks for when a dog comes in include whether the dog is submissive, if he "play bows" - bit of doggie body language that means "let's play," says Altman.
At first, Altman keeps the new dog indoors. Then he'll add one test dog. "A great dog that just doesn't care," as Altman describes these ultra-socialized testers that aren't bothered by other dogs. He'll then keep adding dogs to the indoor pen, one by one, watching the newcomer's reaction. "Finally, the dog either tells me 'Hey, you hit my limit' or keeps saying 'Bring 'em on!'"
Debbie Daggett's golden retriever, Shadow, is one of Altman's "tester" dogs. "She's a pro," says Altman.
When Daggett brought Shadow to Lucky Dog two years ago, she was impressed by how clean the grounds and kennel were. There's a difference between the cleanliness of the facility and the cleanliness of the dog, though: "Seeing the dog dirty is not a bad thing," says Daggett. "You know she's been getting exercise."
Lucky Dog is not a boarding facility. The hours are 6:30am to 5:30pm; owners can bring their dogs in for all or part of the day. (If the owner doesn't pick the dog up by 6pm, it will be boarded at Camp K-9 overnight.) Most owners bring their dogs for two or three days a week. The daily cost is $12, and additional services, such as one-on-one training, nail trims or a bath, are available for an extra charge.
From 11am to 1:30pm, all the dogs are put in kennels for a calm-down and to facilitate the feeding procedure. (All dogs bring their own lunches due to the wide variety of diets.)
Owners sign up in advance for the days they want their dogs to come in, and there's currently a waiting list. Altman has three employees, and there are two to four humans with the dogs at all times.
Daggett knows that telling people she sends her dog to day care sounds "kind of yuppie," but for her it's part of being a responsible pet owner. Even Shadow's vet noticed her improved muscles. Plus, notes Daggett, "People fail to realize that dogs are social creatures. Not just with people; they need to socialize with their own kind."
Julie Dahlen agrees that Dakota is a happier dog because she gets to socialize with other dogs at day care: "I know we tend to humanize our animals a little bit, but at home it seems like Dakota has a greater sense of peace and calm."