Ever wonder what your sweet pups are up to while they’re at Urban Hound Playground? Well, wonder no more! We’ve put together a list of the top ten things your dogs do while playing and staying here at UHP.
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Get dropped off! Our busiest times for drop-offs at UHP are between 7:00-10:00am. This tends to work out nicely because the dogs come in at similar energy levels and are therefore ready to rest around the same time. As soon as each dog arrives we bring them outside. This gives the dogs a chance to get acclimated to their surroundings and use the bathroom before heading inside to play. While many dogs stay for a full day of daycare, we have a handful of regulars that come for half-days as well. We have been seeing that noon is another particularly busy hour as well due to half-day dogs being picked up or dropped off.
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Go Outside! After their initial trip outside, we make it our goal to bring the dogs out at least once per hour, weather permitting. If the weather is nice we like to try and give the dogs as much fresh air time as possible. As the outside area is paved, staff is diligent about checking the temperature of the blacktop throughout the day. If needed, we spray it down prior to the dogs coming outside in order to avoid any blistering of paws! When the dogs are feeling playful and the weather is warm, we like to pull out the kiddie pools and sprinklers for them to enjoy! We also have play equipment set up outside for the dogs to play on and sometimes even snooze under. For the times when energy is running low, we have cots set up in the shade for the dogs to lay down and relax on.
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Play! Whether it’s outside or in, we always try to make sure your dog is having fun and expelling energy. We have play equipment both outside and in for your dogs to enjoy, as well as toys galore! We do our best to do toy time as often as we can. One thing we really try to be aware of is whether or not any of the dogs in our care have any tendencies to be toy possessive around other dogs. If this is the case, we try to give dogs individual toy time with one of our staff members in order to ensure the safety of all our dogs. We have also found that bubbles tend to be quite popular among the pups. Each playroom is stocked with its own set of bubbles for an additional activity for the dogs to enjoy.
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Eat Lunch! Due to the fact that the dogs play so much and burn off lots energy, we often recommend that owners bring lunch for their dogs, especially when the dog is staying for a full day. If the dog is crate-trained, we like to lay them down with a soft blanket and encourage them to try and take a nap for about 20-30 minutes in order to ensure their food is properly digested.
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Hydrate! The dogs play so much each day, lots of water is a must at UHP! We like to have two water bowls present in each playroom at all times. Staff is constantly monitoring water bowl levels to ensure your dog can get a drink whenever they need it.
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Rest! As the day goes on the dogs get more tired. Usually between 12:00-2:00pm we start to see more and more dogs ready to take a rest. If the majority of the dogs appear ready to rest at the same time, we will often turn down the lights and turn on some soothing instrumental music in order to encourage resting. The playrooms are complete with cots, soft beds, blankets and even a couple of crates in order for the dogs to choose where they feel most comfortable resting.
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Make New Friends! Urban Hound Playground is steadily growing each week with new wagging tails being added to our wonderful pack. This gives all of the dogs a chance to make new playmates and snuggle buddies! We often see that when dogs hit it off, they tend to play with each other each time they end up at daycare on the same days.
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Celebrate! Here at Urban Hound Playground, we love a good doggy party! We like to celebrate each dog’s birthday, as well as major holidays such as Valentine’s Day, Easter and the 4th of July. Parties are complete with decorations, holiday attire for the pups and even healthy treats on occasion!
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Pose for Pictures! Our staff members have grown into quite talented dog photographers, capturing your pups every move whether they are playing, cuddling with a best friend or resting. We post photos almost everyday on our Facebook account, as well as weekly uploads to our instagram, be sure to check them out!
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Heads Home or Sleeps Over! The majority of our daycare dogs are picked up between 5:00-7:00pm. Our regulars have become pretty in-tune with the process and have learned that when the phone rings in the playroom, someone’s mom or dad is here! For our boarding dogs, we feed them dinner between 5:00-6:00pm, and then try to work out that last bit of energy before bedtime by playing more and going outside a few more times.
SPOTLIGHT: SHELDON
Birthday: 11/10/14
Breed: Chihuahua/Italian Greyhound Mix
Color(s): Buff
Nickname(s): Shel, Little Doo, Sheldor the Magnificent
Favorite Toys: Anything he can chew!
Favorite Activities: Playing with his friends, cuddling and being sang to!
Been at UHP since: 1/5/16
Best Doggy Buddies: Britta, Bruce Lee Roy, Millie and Lena
This blog's spotlight will focus on our good pal, Sheldon! Sheldon’s mom rescued him from the Golden Valley Animal Humane Society when he was just two months old. His mom gave him the name Sheldon because she likes the old man feel it has to it. Sheldon has been coming to Urban Hound Playground since January of this year. Sheldon currently holds the record for the most visits to UHP! Sheldon is also quite popular with other owners, as he is one of the dogs most frequently asked about after people have looked at our facebook page. While Sheldon takes a little time to get used to new people and dogs, once you’re in, you’re in for life. Sheldon LOVES to snuggle and prefers to take his naps up at the front desk. He even sometimes wiggles his way out of the playroom to come up for a visit. He loves to greet his friends that come in and often likes to “dance” with them. Sheldon absolutely LOVES when people sing to him. His mom let us know this fun fact and one day we decided to give it a try. Turns out it’s the truth! Instead of saying “Sheldon, come!” he has trained the entire staff to sing out “Doot da doo SHELDON!!” Sure enough, he comes running and wagging his tail every time. We hope you enjoyed learning about our unofficial mascot that we love so much, sweet Sheldon. Be on the lookout for his cute face in our upcoming facebook posts!
