Archive for May, 2009

When we say something has “gone to the dogs,” we think it has gone badly, wrong or lost all the good things it had.  However, I often think if I have “gone to the dogs,” I have learned some valuable lessons that take many of us years to learn.  Maybe, if you’ve “gone to the dogs” things aren’t quite so bad. For example, you could:

Enjoy the simple pleasures of a walk.

Follow your instincts.

Never underestimate the value of a belly rub.

Be loyal and faithful.

Be quick to forgive.

Always drink plenty of water.

Sometimes it is best to just sit close and listen.

Avoid biting when a growl will do.

Keep digging until you find what you want.

Run and play daily.

When your loved ones come home, always run to greet them with enthusiasm and love.

Accept all of life’s treats with gratitude.

Life is short, pet often.

Love unconditionally.

Have a Dog Gone Great Day!
Kari

One of the things that we do at Camp Bow Wow McHenry to ensure the safety of the dogs is the Canine Camper Interview. Because the dogs are playing all the time for all of our overnight boarders and daycare Campers, we need to make sure that all the dogs get along well with other dogs. For a dog to come and stay and play at Camp Bow Wow, he must first pass the interview process.

To conduct the interview, we take the dog into our interview room and introduce him to a male dog and a female dog separately and see how it goes. Here we are looking for the traditional “circle butt sniff,” as I call it, and make sure there is no growling, lifting a lip or any type of aggressive behavior. If all goes well in the interview room, we invite our new Camper back to the play yards to slowly introduce him to the larger group of dogs his size. If all goes well with that introduction, he is welcome to stay and play all day that first day for FREE and then welcome to come back anytime for daycare or boarding after that.

So I got to thinking about the way dogs greet each other, sniffing each other’s butts. Wouldn’t it be funny if that’s how we greeted each other? If when you entered the board room for your next big meeting you bent over and sniffed your colleague’s  butt as if to say “Good Morning, Dan!  How are you doing today?”

Or if you were at the grocery store and ran into someone, did a little butt sniff, and then said, “Sally is that you? I haven’t seen you in SO long! How have you been?” Think of what it would be like at a big networking event like a Chamber Scramble or something like that? You would be bending over sniffing butts every time you turned around!

Think about it next time you enter a room and you’re nervous about meeting new people. Instead of picturing everyone naked, pretend like you have to sniff their butts when you greet them. It’s sure to put a huge smile on your face when you shake their hand instead, giving you a great first impression! Just make sure you say “Nice to meet you” instead of “Nice to sniff you!”

Have a Dog Gone Great Day!
Kari

Hello, my name is Kari and I am a dogaholic.  I am finally at Step One: Admitting that I have a problem.  And after many years of denial, I am ready to open up and seek treatment for my problem.  OK, but really, how can I help it?  I just can’t get enough of the dogs. All the kisses, hugs, butt scratches, and belly rubs?  I am just CRAZY about dogs!

I started out with just one dog, Hooch, my husband’s chocolate lab.  He is such a great dog.  So well behaved and so much fun.  Then, I wanted to get another dog.  But wondered what kind of dog to get?  I got hooked on so many breeds!  I bought books and researched what would be the best breed for a second dog for us.  The problem got worse when I just couldn’t decide and I wanted to get more than just one other dog.  I had three dogs that I wanted to get.  My husband told me that we couldn’t get three more dogs because the city did not allow us to have more than a total of three dogs.  What kind of a rule is that?!

I was visiting my girlfriend, who owns a grooming shop in San Diego, when I met and fell in love with a Miniature Schnauzer named Molly.  She was just the most precious thing.  Then it hit me.  I could get my “dog fix” if I owned my own place for dogs.  We were on our way home talking about the possibilities of opening an overnight boarding or doggy daycare facility when we came across an ad for the Camp Bow Wow franchise.  We visited Camp Bow Wow corporate headquarters in Boulder, Colo., and were very impressed with what they had to offer.  We signed the franchise agreement, I ditched my corporate IT job and one year later I opened my very own Camp Bow Wow in McHenry.

We have been open for just over one year and I now have over 900 dogs. And I know and LOVE every single one of them!  You can see all of their pictures in my online  http://www.cbwmchenry.com or see the Photo Gallery on my Web site at www.campbowwow.com/mchenry.  The joy and unconditional love that they provide is just priceless.  Some people tell me I have the coolest job in the world.  Guess what?  They’re right!

Stay tuned as I share some of the joys and the adventures of  the dogs who make a difference in our lives here at Camp Bow Wow McHenry.  Who says I can only have three dogs?  Limit, schmimit!

Have a Dog Gone Great Day!
Kari