Frequently
Asked Questions
The Kennels
- How big are the kennels they sleep
in?
- Can both of my dogs sleep together?
- Do they sleep outside?
- How many dogs can the kennel take?
- My dog has never been kennelled
before and I'm worried she will be stressed. Can she stay in the
house with you?
- Are they supervised over night?
- Does the kennel supply blankets?
- Can I send their blanket/bed?
- Should I send their dishes or
leash?
- Should I send their coat and/or
booties?
- What kind of food do you feed?
- Can I send my dog's food out?
- Can you accommodate raw diets?
- Will the kennel give my dog medication?
- What happens if my dog gets injured
or sick?
- Can we visit the kennel?
- Can we visit on a weekday?
- I really want to talk to someone
from the kennel in person. How come it is so hard to reach them
by phone or get a return call?
Outside
& Play Time
- How much outside time do they
get?
- Are they supervised outside?
- How secure is the fencing?
- Can the dogs dig out?
- Has a dog ever escaped?
- My dog is intact. Is that a problem?
- Do the dogs get one-on-one time
with people?
- What is the person to dog ratio?
Pick-Up
& Drop-Off (Booking)
- What time is the pick-up?
- When can I get my dog from Launder-A-Pet?
- Is there a charge for the delivery
service?
- Can I get my dog bathed before
it comes home?
- How many dogs can the Mutt Bus
carry?
- Do the dogs travel in crates?
- How far in advance do I need to
book?
- Can I get my friend/family member
to drop them off/pick them up for me?
- Can I drop them off/pick them
up at the kennel myself?
- Do I pay when I pick them up?
- How much time do I need to give
to CANCEL my reservation?
- How much time do I need to give
to CHANGE my reservation?
The Kennels
Q: How big are the kennels they sleep in?
A: The majority of the kennels are approximately 3.5' x 5'. There
is one smaller kennel approximately 2' x 2' and one kennel about
3.5' x 10'. The size and/or number of dog(s) will determine which
kennel they get.
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Q: Can both of my dogs sleep together?
A: All dogs of the same household can share a kennel. If there are
"food issues" at meal times, they may be fed separately
but they will sleep together (unless they are happier separated).
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Q: Do they sleep outside?
A: No. I would worry too much and not get any sleep myself.
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Q: How many dogs can the kennel take?
A: Generally, our maximum capacity is approximately 40 dogs. It
really depends on who the dogs are & if they are high or low
maintenance. During the busy seasons, we may take more dogs in if
they are crate trained & they bring their crates with them.
They get the same yard times, they just sleep & eat in their
own crates from home.
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Q: My dog has never been kennelled before
and I'm worried she will be stressed. Can she stay in the house
with you?
A: The house is where my dogs sleep at night & I am a multiple
dog owner as well as foster home for a couple of groups. There is
very limited space in a mobile home & I have to fight for space
on my own bed. Having said that, if a new dog is very worried or
scared, I will often bring them into the house for the first couple
of days/nights. Once they've lived with me & mine, they seem
to think that the kennel & the kennel visitors are not that
bad, especially in the very roomy yard. I will usually keep little
dogs and puppies in the house as well - the kennels are so big,
it is wasted space for a little dog - provided you send a crate
for them to stay in (I have a limited number of available crates
& I need enough for my own dogs when I drive into Calgary).
Young puppies, who may not have the bladder control to make it through
the whole night, I will also crate in the house so I can hear them
if they need to go out.
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Q: Are they supervised over night?
A: Sort of....more than most bigger operations with a full-time
staff (who usually go home at the end of the day). We live here
and we are on site at night but we do not sleep in the kennel with
the dogs.
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Q: Does the kennel supply blankets?
A: The kennel floor is like a typical linoleum kitchen floor, not
cement. If we see a need for a blanket, we will definitely provide
one.
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Q: Can I send their blanket/bed?
A: Generally, we recommend that you do not send bedding as we cannot
guarantee what condition it will be returned in. If you know this
and would still like to send their bed, you are welcome to. We do
suggest, however, that you might want to send an old blanket you
don't care about.
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Q: Should I send their dishes or leash?
A: No. We have more than enough dishes and there is no need for
leashes out here. The more "stuff" you send out, the more
I'm likely to forget to bring back.
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Q: Should I send their coat and/or booties?
A: If they are a very short haired breed that needs a coat to keep
warm, by all means send it & we will put it on as the weather
requires. Be aware that if they like to play & wrestle with
other dogs, the coat may get damaged. If you think they will need
boots, you can send them but in all honesty the boots are likely
to come off & get lost.
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Q: What kind of food do you feed?
A: We feed Prism
adult maintenance kibble, with chicken, pork & fish meal as
the protein base, and have had very few problems with it.
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Q: Can I send my dog's food out?
A: Certainly. Please don't send a 40lb bag though, unless they are
staying long term & are likely to eat it all. As we have limited
food storage space, it is greatly appreciated if the bags are a
more manageable size or if you have a covered container that we
can keep it in. You only need to send enough food for the number
of days they are here + one extra day (just in case).
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Q: Can you accommodate raw diets?
A: We have freezer space but not a lot of fridge space, so it would
be much more convenient if the food was packaged by the meal (Ziploc
bags or containers are great). Since raw diets can vary, there is
likely to be fewer mix-ups if it is packaged by the meal and we
won't slice off a finger trying to separate frozen pieces.
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Q: Will the kennel give my dog medication?
A: For sure. It is very helpful to us if you also send a note explaining
how much, how often, what it is for and if there are any symptoms
we should be keeping an eye out for.
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Q: What happens if my dog gets injured or
sick?
A: Our vet is just 15 minutes away and also does house calls. It
is important that you sign the release forms as that gives us permission
to take your dog to her & gives her permission to contact your
vet for more information if it is very serious. The cost of taking
the dog to the vet will be added to the kennel stay & will be
payable upon picking up the dog. Please note that, because the nature
of the Retreat is such that there is a lot of dog-to-dog interaction,
we do not panic over nicks, scrapes, pinch holes (often happens
in a game of chase), cut pads, slight bruising, slight limps, diarrhoea,
etc. But if they incur an injury that hinders their ability to get
around or gastrointestinal problems that persist for more than a
few days, and nothing we do helps alleviate it, we will contact
our vet.
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Q: Can we visit the kennel?
A: We can only take visitors on weekends, from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm,
and we need to be notified to expect you. For the safety of visitors,
as well as the dogs, we cannot have client dogs in the yard when
people visit. We've learned the hard way that visitors often bring
the whole family and we do not know how kennel dogs will react to
children or men or men in hats or big people, etc, etc. Plus, the
dogs all get along well until we get visitors and then they will
get into little snark fits at the fence just to get the attention
of the visitors. So no matter how well you "behave" around
the dogs or how well the dogs "behave" around you, we
cannot take the chance of having them in the yard when you come
out.
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Q: Can we visit on a weekday?
A: No. The time that the dogs go in for their snack & a nap
is the time we drive into Calgary for the 2:00 pm pick-up at Launder-A-Pet.
We've tried to arrange visits outside of these times but it rarely
works. It means that the dogs do not get their usual yard &
play time and have to remain in the kennels until the visitors,
who are often later than expected, leave. We recommend checking
out the pictures on the website first, as we have tried to show
all the aspects of the simple life out here. Then, if you still
want to see it in person, realize that it is anywhere from a 2-3
hour return trip for a 10 minute (maximum) tour.
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Q: I really want to talk to someone from the
kennel in person. How come it is so hard to reach them by phone
or get a return call?
A: We do not have a staff out here - it is only me (24/7) and mom
every other week. If we're outside doing chores, we can't hear the
phone. If I'm on the road to/from Calgary, I'm not home to take
a call. As cell reception is terrible out here, there is no point
in carrying it around, so I leave it in the truck as it was intended
only for emergency situations when on the road - cannot be distracted
when I am carrying important cargo (your dogs). And when I get home
from Calgary, my first concern is the dogs - those that I just brought
home & those still in the kennels. Once they are taken care
of, I can then check messages/email & reply. However, if you
do not leave a message on voicemail, I do not even know that someone
called.
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Outside & Play Time
Q: How much outside time do they get?
A: Although it varies with the seasons, and depends on the weather,
our primary goal is 6-10 hours of outside yard & play time.
In summer, they are usually out for much longer periods and are
back in the cooler kennel during the hot part of the day. In winter,
they are out for shorter periods but more often, especially if the
temperatures are uncomfortably cold.
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Q: Are they supervised outside?
A: The dogs are always supervised when they are outside. Sometimes
we are outside doing yard chores, sometimes we are just sitting
on the deck watching the world & wildlife go by and, if I am
working in the house, I still have my eyes & ears on them as
I have a nearly 360 degree view and I'm only a few steps away from
the door at any point.
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Q: How secure is the fencing?
A: The 1.5 acre yard is enclosed with a combination of livestock
(sheep or elk) and chain link fencing, 6'-7' high, on 3 sides and
4.5' livestock fencing around the garden area. For worried or nervous
dogs (or known escape artists), we have 5 individual chain link
runs and one 50' x 50' chain link pen. There is so much happening
on this side of the fence,though, that most of the dogs don't even
think about "checking out" the garden area.
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Q: Can the dogs dig out?
A: They probably could, given a few days to work on the hole but
they are generally too busy playing with the other dogs or lounging
around to bother. We don't mind a little digging, especially if
it is to get to the cooler ground on hot days. We would only worry
if they were going non-stop digging with intent to get to the other
side.
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Q: Has a dog ever escaped?
A: Since moving out here in 2003, we've had the occasional wanderer
who found their way into our surrounding pasture (also stock fenced)
but have always come back when called or bribed. As for actual escapees,
we've only had one (this past year) who gave no indication that
she was worried about where she was but jumped the gate (reinforced
since then) when our back was turned & would not respond to
our calls at all. Even when her owner came out, she would not come
& after hanging around for a week in the neighbourhood, she
decided to take off further afield. Fortunately, she did meet a
group of people she let catch her & she was reunited with her
owner, no worse for wear.
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Q: My dog is intact. Is that a problem?
A: It is not a problem for us, as long as we know they are intact.
If they are in a heat cycle or one is expected during their visit,
we need to know that so we can keep them separated from any intact
males that may be out here at the same time. We may have to pen
the intact dogs, males and/or females, if a heat cycle is creating
problems among the rest of the kennel visitors. You will need to
make special arrangements to get an intact female, who is in a heat
cycle, out to the kennel as Launder-A-Pet cannot accept them at
their facility.
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Q: Do the dogs get one-on-one time with people?
A: Yes & no. Our "selling feature" is that they have
run of the yard to play & do as they please as long as they
are getting along with all the other dogs and not trying to escape.
Although almost all the dogs will find someone who plays the way
they want to, for as long as they want them to, there are some who
are loners or worried or just prefer to be around the people more.
For those dogs, they do tend to get more house time or more human
interaction/attention because they tend to hang around us more than
the other dogs. We can only offer hugs & pats, though, because
we have a policy of not throwing toys or sticks when the dogs are
out in the yard together. If they like that game, they have a tendency
to argue over who gets the toy/stick and then we have to break them
up before it gets "ugly" so it is no fun for anyone.
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Q: What is the person to dog ratio?
A: Me to all the dogs. Once out here, I think of the dogs as all
mine. Except for getting to stay in the house or bed with me at
night, they have all the privileges my dogs have.
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Pick-Up & Drop-Off (Booking)
Q: What time is the pick-up?
A: Pick up is 2:00 pm on weekdays. We won't wait around much longer
than it takes to load them all up as we want to get out of Calgary
before the rush hour traffic starts. The traffic (& road conditions)
can add an extra hour of travel time to the kennel.
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Q: When can I get my dog from Launder-A-Pet?
A: Unless we are caught in traffic/construction, the dogs are back
at LAP by 2:00 pm (although I may still be unloading them at that
point). You can pick them up anytime between then and 6:00pm (if
you know you cannot get there before 6pm, you will need to confirm
with LAP). If they are getting a bath on their return, you will
need to check with LAP as to when they will be ready. If I drop
them off at 2pm, obviously their bath/groom will not be finished
until sometime after 2:00 pm.
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Q: Is there a charge for the delivery service?
A: No. It is part & parcel of our services, since 95% of our
clients are in Calgary. However, if you drop the dog off before
noon, LAP has to charge you a half-day of daycare as they are looking
after your dog until I arrive.
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Q: Can I get my dog bathed before it comes
home?
A: If you would like your dog to get bathed before taking him home,
you will need to arrange that with LAP at the time of booking. They
can only do a certain number of groomings on any day so they need
to know in advance that you want them to have a bath. Please be
sure to call LAP to find out what time they will be ready. They
will have a very tough time having your dog groomed & ready
to go by 2:00pm if I've only just dropped them off. The grooming
services are a separate business from the kennel and the grooming
fees are paid to LAP.
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Q: How many dogs can the Mutt Bus carry?
A: The Mutt Bus is a Ford F150 with an 8ft box covered by a cap.
As more people send more gear out with their dogs, the amount of
dog carrying space has decreased. We are now limiting the number
of dogs we carry on any given day to 10 and we can only make one
trip/day (it is a 3 hour return trip for us).
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Q: Do the dogs travel in crates?
A: If they are being sent with a crate anyway, then yes. It helps
conserve space. However, new and/or small or worried dogs usually
ride in the cab with me so they get to know me better before they
get to the kennel environment. Bigger dogs, heavily shedding dogs,
easy going & happy-go-lucky dogs ride in the back. Once we're
on the highway, they basically lie down & go to sleep for the
duration of the trip.
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Q: How far in advance do I need to book?
A: In order to make sure your dog gets on the bus on the days you
want, you should book with LAP as soon as you know the dates you
are leaving. If something comes up that you do not need the kennel
services, it is easier to cancel than to arrange a stay at the last
minute. If you wait too long to book, the bus may be full on the
days you want and you may have to send them out on an earlier date
or they may have to come back on a later date.
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Q: Can I get my friend/family member to drop
them off/pick them up for me?
A: If you are having someone else drop them off for you, please
download the kennel forms & sign the release form in advance.
Then all the correct & important information about your dog
is on the forms and your friend is not left with accepting responsibility,
if something should happen during the stay, by signing for you.
As for someone else picking them up, we cannot just release the
dog to anyone who says they are here to pick them up. This is for
the safety of your dog & your peace-of-mind. If someone other
than yourself is picking up the dog, we need to know that (and who)
at the time of booking. If you have not prepaid the bill, that person
will be expected to pay the bill & collect from you later.
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Q: Can I drop them off/pick them up at the
kennel myself?
A: Only on weekends, during visiting hours, and we need to know
in advance to expect you. Only by special arrangement can we take
dogs during the week & we usually only do this for the 5% of
clients who come from outside of Calgary. To drive the dogs out
to the kennel yourself means that we have to cut into the yard &
play time of the kennel clients already out here, since they cannot
be in the yard when we get visitors.
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Q: Do I pay when I pick them up?
A: Yes - the bill, including any vet services, must be paid before
you can take the dog from LAP. LAP is a different and separate business
but they will collect cash or cheques for us. You cannot use their
debit/credit machine to pay for the kennel stay as that would be
considered a sale for LAP when it is actually a sale for us. You
can pay with cash (real money), personal/business cheques or with
credit card cheques (as long as the card number is on the cheque).
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Q: How much time do I need
to give to CANCEL my reservation?
A: We'd really appreciate at least 24 hours notice, either directly
or through Launder-A-Pet. We will not be billing you for a night
if you don't but it might save us an unnecessary trip into Calgary.
Once we are on the road, it is too late.
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Q: How much time do I need
to give to CHANGE my reservation?
A: It will depend on several things but, in general, the sooner
you let us (Launder-A-Pet) know, the better the chance you will
get the dates you need. First of all, it will depend on whether
or not the Mutt Bus is full on the new dates and it will also depend
on whether or not you had arranged for your dog to have a bath on
its return. LAP gives kennel dogs priority on their grooming schedule
so they may have turned away other clients in order to bath your
dog on the original return date. If you change the return date,
they may already be fully booked with other groomings on the new
date.
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