by Barb Norris
When there was someone else available to cover the playroom, I would go out and talk to our window audience. I was never a salesman, but I figured a little public relations couldn’t hurt. Besides, I enjoyed talking about my campers.
Ninety percent of the time, the first question asked was, “They actually pay you to do this?”
I’d laugh and give them that old line, “Hey, it’s a tough job but somebody has to do it.”
Most of the adults said it looked like a great job to have. I agreed whole-heartedly. When they said they would like to have it, I told them that I wasn’t ready to give mine up. Then I explained the camp program and answered questions.
I especially enjoyed it when there were little kids watching. Most of them wanted to know the names of the dogs and what kind they were. I told them the names, told them a little about each dog, and explained that the dogs were sort of in pre-school and didn’t belong to us. We were just the baby-sitters. That made them laugh.
All the kids really wanted to go inside and play with the dogs. When I told them that the dogs were not allowed to meet strangers without their own people being there, it made perfect sense to them, and they were content just to watch for a while.
Cedric, the Dachshund, was a particular favorite with children and he was a super little doggy ambassador. Because Cedric belonged to Kate, I would occasionally ask her permission to take him with me to meet the kids. I always told the kids that I had permission from his mom to bring him out of the playroom. Maggie and Snowball, because they were so big, were also favorites. They inspired awe, but the kids did not want to meet either of them face to face. Neither did most of the adults.
If a puddle appeared in the playroom, someone in the audience almost always announced, hands cupped around the mouth, “Clean-up in aisle 6.” They always thought that was funny. So did I.
I was talking to some folks one day and one of them mentioned there was a ball-point pen on the floor in the middle of the playroom.
“Ah, Lady is here today,” I said.
This made no sense at all to anyone but me until I explained that Lady was our resident pick-pocket, and a darned good one. I got the attention of the counselor in the playroom, pointed at the pen, and she picked it up before it became a doggy snack.
There was usually a short lull in the action at some point in the morning and in the afternoon. If onlookers happened to be watching during one of those times, they asked why the dogs weren’t doing anything. I explained that dogs get tired. They didn’t want to be entertained by anybody. They didn’t want to play. They just wanted to rest, especially Snowball. Even wild and crazy Boomer needed to catch his breath once in a while. I suggested the people stop back by the window in ten or fifteen minutes for a livelier show.
People asked what kind of things counselors did to keep the fuzzy troops entertained. We could play ball with them, tell them stories, or lead a parade. I told them that a counselor would sometimes go to the top of the bridge and proclaim herself King of the Castle, but this usually didn’t work real well. The dogs might have given a glance, but the King was ignored more often than not. So that counselor looked like a complete idiot to anyone who happened to be watching.
The people laughed and agreed that it did look pretty silly to see a counselor standing up there all alone trying to get the dogs to come on up. These people had seen me up there. They knew it looked silly. I knew it looked silly. I did it anyway.
I told them that we did not run with the dogs. Running was not a good idea at all. Oh, the dogs loved it. Most of them saw this as a great game of tag. The dogs would run up behind me and jump at my back. If it was Hotshot, the Chihuahua, jumping at the back of my calves, I was tagged and I was It.
If it happened to be Maggie jumping on my back and shoulders, however, I definitely was not It. I was knocked face down on the floor. This effectively ended the game, at least for me. The first time this happened to me was the last time. The dogs meant it all in fun, but running was definitely a thumbs-down activity.
I emphasized that we always gave them lots of affection and petting. I always told folks that we praised the dogs for every little thing. It was important. A little praise goes just as far with dogs as it does with kids and with adults, too, if you think about it.
People asked how many dogs we had in camp. Well, there were over seventy dogs that had been approved for camp. Several were in camp two or three times a week. A lot of them came occasionally. A few came in rarely. Thank goodness, they didn’t all come in at the same time. We wouldn’t have had room. The most we had at one time was nineteen, and I was bummed out that I had been off work that day. The fewest was two in the big room and sometimes only one in the small room. The atmosphere of the playroom on any day depended on how many and which dogs attended. I told my audience I thoroughly enjoyed the very busy days with a lot of dogs, but the occasional two-dog day was okay, too.
Our window audiences asked if the dogs were tired after a day at camp. We’d been told that when the dogs got back home they were worn out and would spend the rest of the evening just lounging about.
I let them know that worn out counselors did pretty much the same thing.
Playing with dogs is a wonderfully satisfying way to wear yourself out.
~ Good-bye, Campers ~
Being a Doggy Day Camp Counselor was the lowest paying, most physically demanding job I’d ever had. It was also the best and most rewarding job I’d ever had.
When I first decided that I wanted to work with dogs, I was quite sure it would be a job I would like. I was so right. I worked with several good people who had the same love of animals as I do. I had an opportunity to learn a great deal about dogs in general. I met an incredible number of terrific dogs, each one special in one way or another.
Even when the dogs were misbehaving it was impossible for me to get mad at them. Their antics almost always made me laugh. Even when I was dancing the Poop-Scoopin’ Boogie or cleaning crates, washing dishes, and mopping the playroom floor, it just didn’t seem all that much like work. It was a bonus to be getting paid for having so darned much fun.
Truth be told, I spent about ninety-nine percent of my work hours in the camp playrooms, and very little time stocking shelves, cashiering, or pricing. I did do a very little of that, but everybody knew I’d rather be in with my dogs. I didn’t shirk in any area, but I did push for playroom duty. I was almost always with them. It was a good deal for the dogs. It was a fantastic deal for me. I truly loved it. So much so that I ended up staying long after I’d earned the necessary Social Security credits.
However, the time had come for me to leave.
My own good ol’ dog, Toby, was getting up in years. He was having a hard time seeing and hearing. He was having an ever-harder time getting around these days. Toby needed me at home far more than the campers needed me. It wasn’t easy to leave my camp dogs, but this decision hadn’t required all that much thought. Toby needed me at home and there I would be. He was my first priority.
Do I miss camp? Absolutely. I must admit I don’t much miss all the cleaning chores, but I sure miss all of my dogs. They made me laugh while I was with them, and they make me laugh now just thinking about them.
After I left, I stopped in to visit the camp a time or two. All my furry pals came to say a quick hello and zoomed right back to whatever the action was at the time. I was really tickled, though, the last time I visited on a Maggie day.
She spotted me through the lobby window. She started running immediately over to the kitchen Dutch door where she knew I’d end up. In her typical Maggie enthusiasm, she slipped and went to the floor, sliding on her side. She just picked herself up and kept running. We both got to the door and she put her front paws up on my shoulders, towering over me. I did not make her get down. She gave me a mega–Maggie-hug and I hugged her right back. Then she rested her big, lovable head right on the top of my head. Maggie missed me, I think, almost as much as I missed her.
Puppy-s
itting with dogs who already had good homes.
I knew from the start it would work. And it did. It really did.
~ Choose Wisely ~
Some people think a day care program is completely useless. Some people think a dog day camp worker is even more useless. These people would simply be wrong.
It is a really good service for a lot of people as well as their dogs. Maggie is a case in point. Her mom lived in an apartment and worked five days a week. If Maggie did not have someplace to spend time with people who genuinely cared about her and keep her active she would have been confined to a small area for most of the day. Socializing with other dogs at the same time was an added benefit.
We had dogs whose people were elderly and couldn’t exercise them much at all. It also worked out for several overweight dogs to have running room so they could shed a few pounds. A lot of our dogs came only now and then, when their families had day-long activities and if they had no place to go. These dogs would have been home alone for a very long time.
Yes, we had dogs there just because their people thought their dogs would enjoy playing with other dogs in a safe, healthy, and supervised environment. Not everyone had the time to take Fido to a dog park. Besides, there are a lot of folks, like my husband and myself, who don’t want the risks of such a park. In a day camp setting, people know the dogs will all have had proper vaccinations against disease. No matter why they came to camp, all of our dogs got plenty of loving and attention while they were in our care.
It’s important to remember that not every dog will do well in a day care setting. For example, older dogs don’t always adjust to day camp. My own dog was a prime example of this. Toby was fourteen, well behaved, quiet, got along well with my grand-puppies at his house or theirs, and loved to have company. He was visibly relieved, though, when the visitors left his domain. He had been the only child too long and found it difficult to adapt to a large group of young and active non-family dogs. He went with me to camp only twice. He wasn’t aggressive in the least, but he just didn‘t want to be bothered with camp dogs or activities. He was more than happy to stay home on his own bed while I went off to day camp. I left for camp before my husband went to work. Because I worked part time, Toby was home by himself, sleeping, for only about four hours during the day.
Extremely shy dogs might have a problem in a group setting. Depending on the severity of the dog’s problem, a couple of suggestions are offered. Sometimes you can give the shy dog a trial period. More often than not, the wallflower will come around within a couple of days. In other instances, severe nervousness can be incredibly stressful to a dog, as was the case with Daisy. This can sometimes be overcome through proper socialization training classes, but not always. You do not want your dog sitting in a corner cowering in terror all day, and he should not be forced to endure a situation he can’t handle.
Aggressive dogs, regardless of size or breed will not do well, since they are a danger to other dogs, to themselves, and to the staff. In our case, if the evaluating counselor felt that the aggression could be corrected, training classes were suggested. If the dog successfully passed such a course, he could then be re-evaluated for camp. Jeeves had gone through such a class before we met him. His people had been astonished at the difference in his behavior, and we were happy to have him in camp. Socialization classes do work in a lot of situations and should be seriously considered if your dog has problems.
If you and your furry friend are ready to look for a day care program near you, do a little research. Not all programs are the same. There is quite a variety of facilities, programs, and prices out there.
Some programs offer basic training classes and special activities as part of doggy day care. Some camps offer full professional training, socialization, and agility classes at a discounted price for campers. Some programs offer very structured activity time. Others do not. Some offer outdoor play areas and pool time. Some places even offer private rooms for your pet, complete with raised cots and televisions. On-site or adjacent vet and grooming services are available in some programs. Overnight boarding is also offered in some programs. You really do have to decide what kind of facility you want and how much you want to spend.
Each day care program will have its own criteria for accepting dogs. Some will not allow any of the so-called bully breeds such as Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, and Dobermans into a program at all. There are other places that accept these breeds, but do not allow interaction with other breeds. There are camps that fully accept these breeds. This is strictly a matter of personal feeling and comfort level for both the day care staff and the pet parents.
Not every day care uses evaluation to determine suitability for day care overall and to determine the best play group setting. Some programs immediately put new dogs in with an unfamiliar group. Personally, I prefer a program that fully considers each dog rather than just throwing my dog into an unknown situation and hoping for the best.
Not every day care insists that a dog be spayed or neutered, but they will insist on current vaccinations—at least they should. If they don’t, be a little leery. You don’t want to put your dog in an unhealthy environment.
Play groups might be determined by both size and temperament, large and small dogs always kept separate. While my camp played large groups of dogs, big, small, and in between, together for extended periods of time, many programs play smaller groups for several shorter periods of time throughout the day. Find the right comfort level for you and your dog.
Check out the facilities personally. Make sure all areas are properly secured. Ask for a tour. Make sure everything is clean. Cleaning and sanitizing should include toys as well as playrooms, crates, and kitchen facilities. Make sure there is an adequate system for waste disposal. While there might well be a lingering doggy odor, it should not be overwhelming.
Be sure the dogs are provided with fresh water in the playroom several times a day, and that they have water in their crates. Some places will provide lunch for a fee. Some will encourage you to pack a doggy lunch. Be sure to tell the camp staff if your dog does not eat lunch at all. Ask if the program will accommodate any special dietary needs and allergies your dog might have. Ask whether workers will administer any necessary medications you provide that your dog might need. Don’t automatically assume they will do this.
Observe the playroom in action. Keep in mind that the dogs really do get tired and take a rest now and then. If this is the case on your first visit, please give it a second try at a different time of day. Ask the crew what would be a good time to see the most activity. Watch the staff with the dogs. While they might not be in the thick of the canine cavorting, they should certainly be attentive to the action. If not, ask why not.
Ask if the staff members have received any sort of training. It stands to reason that dog day care workers are dog lovers, but he or she will also need a basic understanding of dog behavior, intuitive or learned. A good staff member will have the ability to command the respect of the dogs, will have the skills to deal with unexpected situations, and will have patience for sometimes rowdy dogs. Staff members will most likely have great respect for animals in general.
The workers are there to monitor behavior and to prevent minor tiffs from becoming major scraps. Remember dogs will be dogs. Just like people, they have a bad day now and then. Keep in mind, too, that minor scratches and nips are possible, rare to be sure, but not unheard of in dog day care. Sometimes the dogs play pretty rough.
Staff members will try to anticipate behavior that is disrupting or dangerous to campers and can usually prevent aggression. It is important to remember most day care staffers are not likely to be full-fledged dog trainers. Ask what corrective action will be taken if a dog is misbehaving at an unacceptable level. Ask what systems are in place to handle any minor injury. Ask if there are evacuation procedures in place in case of emergency.
Tell the interviewer about your dog’s personality. Include any little quirks he might have, his favorite toy, and
activity. Be sure to tell them of any dislikes he has. For example, we were all glad we’d been told that Rambo did not like to be hugged. It most likely saved us from being bitten the first time we tried to put him into a crate. The more the day camp knows about your dog, the better off everybody will be. The more you know about the day care program, the better off everybody will be. It’s a two-way street.
Ask any question that is important to you and your dog. A good day care program will encourage their workers to answer any and all of your questions and to give you helpful suggestions. Once your dog is accepted into a program, be sure to give him time to adjust. Any rough spots will quickly iron themselves out. If not, please don’t subject your dog to a situation that makes him miserable. Camp should be fun for your dog, not an ordeal.
Dog people can learn the names of innumerable dogs almost instantly. It’s a pretty sure bet that staff members will remember your dog’s name from the moment they meet him. It’s not a sure bet that the counselors will remember your name ever. Please don’t take offense if they refer to you as Fido‘s dad or Fidette‘s mom. Knowing your name just doesn’t seem quite as important as knowing your dog‘s name. All it means is that you have your dog in a program where he is instantly recognized and will get the attention he deserves. As it should be.
Remember, your dog will most likely be ready to loaf around when he gets home. That’s a good sign. It means the camp counselors have kept him pretty active. Now you and your furry family member can kick back, relax, and just enjoy each other’s companionship.
And isn’t that what man’s best friend is all about?
About the Author
I was raised in suburban Detroit with an older brother and a younger sister, and have a lot of happy childhood memories! I knew my husband, Tom, from both high school and church, and we were married in 1970. We are blessed with two wonderful daughters, two terrific sons-in-law, and two fantastic grandkids. Our family also includes rescued pets; Molly, a dog of unknown ancestry, Bailey the cat, and two grand-puppies; a Greyhound rescue named Gunner, and a Golden Retriever mix named Baxter.
