Limited Services Dec. 9-11, 2019
We will be partially closed for the installation of new kennel doors beginning Monday, December 9th, and resuming full operations at 7:00 am on December 12th. We will be open for grooming only on the 9th, 10th, and 11th. We will not be offering boarding or daycare on those days.
Boarding service is available through Monday morning, December 9th. We ask that if you have a pick-up scheduled that day, you arrive no later than 11:00 am. Boarding drop-offs will resume at 7:00 am on December 12th.
We will be available by phone during construction, so don’t hesitate to call! If you have any further questions, you can also email us at clubpetmilford@gmail.com or call (248) 685-8836.
And just a reminder, we have a second facility, Club Pet Too, located in Commerce Township. If you plan on using any services there, let us make it easier by transferring your records for you … just ask!
Thanks, as always, for your patronage!
Dogs and Children
“Dogs behave as though they expect us to read their expressions accurately. When we don’t … both dogs and humans can get in a lot of trouble.” -McConnell, Patricia. For the Love of a Dog: Understanding Emotion in You and Your Best Friend. Ballatine Books, 2009.
The key to successful child-dog relationships is in communication and careful management.
Dogs provide us cues about how they feel. Don’t wait for obvious cues, like trembling, growling, or biting, to intervene in child-dog interactions. More subtle signs your dog may be stressed are panting, yawning, tongue flicks, ears not in their natural position, wide eyes, avoiding eye contact, tail tucked, or tail tilted to one side. If they are up and moving around, they may sniff a lot, drink more water, mark/urinate, mount, or seem distracted. One major word of caution… you should not correct your dog for growling. It is a warning sign for a bite, and if you take that away, they are more likely to bite with no warning. Instead, manage the cause of the aggression.
I have observed certain practices in my home that I believe created a loving and respectful relationship between my nine-year-old dog and my three-year-old daughter. While I am not an animal behaviorist or dog trainer, my years of working with dogs have given me a lot of insight into how dogs communicate their emotions, and how to successfully respond to the messages they are sending. My personal belief is that it is not enough that our pets tolerate their relationship with children, but that they have the same excitement and bond with them that they do with us.
Try using these phrases:
- What is Buddy’s body doing?
- When Buddy’s body does ___, it means he feels stressed/scared/tired.
- Isn’t it fun to watch Buddy do ____ It means he is happy/relaxed/excited.
- How do you think Buddy feels when you do ___?
- You may play with Buddy when he invites you.
- If you are upset/angry/scared, ask a grown up for help with Buddy.
- When you are calm, Buddy feels calm. When you are excited, Buddy feels excited. He looks up to you.
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Here are some other ideas for creating a respectful and loving child/dog relationship:
- Allow your children to participate in caregiving routines as soon as they show interest.
- When petting your dog, ask them to pretend their hand is a pancake.
- Massage your child’s arms, legs, or head with your fingers, then ask them to give your dog a massage the same way.
- Practice body parts by only allowing them to touch or pet the spot you say. “Show me Buddy’s ear, shoulder, foot,” …etc.
- Dogs and children should have safe spaces and breaks from one another.
- If your dog is experiencing sickness, pain, or outside stress, they may act differently.
First Aid Kits for Pets
At Club Pet and Club Pet Too, we enroll all our staff in Pet First Aid courses as a part of their job training. Many of our employees have commented that one of their favorite parts of the course was learning how to build a pet first aid kit. Many of us now have them in our homes and cars.
We use the online course available at pethealthacademy.com — Anyone can enroll!
Below is a list of the contents of a basic pet first aid kit:
- At least two slip-leads
- Bottled water
- Very tasty dog treats or canned food (hint: most dogs can’t resist canned cat food) with a pull-top
- A container for water, a plate for food
- Plastic baggies
- Safety pin (to poke a hole in Diphenhydramine capsules, or for sliver removal)
- Emergency blanket
- (Muzzle-set) You can make a muzzle from a slip-lead if you don’t want to commit to this one!
- Gauze roll
- Non-stick gauze pads
- Gauze or cotton pads (get a big stack, used to control bleeding)
- Adhesive tape
- Q-Tips (long handled are better)
- Tongue depressor(s)
- Digital thermometer (since nobody reads the old-fashioned ones anymore)
- Spare battery for your thermometer
- Bandage scissors
- Tweezers
- Syringe (100mL)
- Pen light
- Antibiotic Ointment
- Topical Steroid Cream
- Hydrogen Peroxide
- Lubricant, such as petroleum jelly
- Saline Solution
- Styptic powder
- Pepcid (10 mg recommended)
- Diphenhydramine capsules (for quick action)
EXAMINE YOUR KIT TWICE A YEAR FOR EXPIRATION DATES & TO RE-STOCK!
Club Pet Groomer Rescues Alligator
Puff, the magic escape artist alligator, is back home in Milford Township after an adventure on Thursday.
“He’s my buddy,” said James Kozub, who has owned the American alligator for 20 years and has lived with him in Milford Township for the past eight years. “He’s never been a problem.”
Kozub admits Puff was “a mad gator” on Thursday after he broke loose from a tether he had been left on in the front yard of their home in the 2000 block of East Commerce. The four-foot alligator then took a stroll at ended up at a yard in the 1900 block of East Commerce.
On his way, he was spotted by Dawn Stuebben, who had just left work at the nearby Club Pet, a dog boarding facility where she is a groomer.
The Plymouth resident was on her way home and couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
“It was scary,” she said. “It looked like a big monitor lizard walking across a front yard. I said, ‘What the hell is that? Is that real?'”
Stuebben pulled into the parking lot of St. Mary’s Church and said people in the driveway of the home looked unfazed. She then realized they hadn’t yet seen what she now recognized as an alligator.
Moments later, they were calling the police, who responded at 4:35 p.m. July 18.
Stuebben said she and a man at the neighbor’s home worked together to capture the animal. She tied together three dog leashes while he got a pole and makeshift hook. Stuebben, hands shaking, then lassoed the alligator under his jaw.
“He was upset and hissing, but not trying to come at us,” she said. “There was a drainage ditch that goes under the road and he was heading that way. We knew we’d never get him out if he got that far.”
Puff still had a small harness around the front of his body, with a broken wire attached.
According to the police report, the neighbor was aware that Kozub owned a pet alligator. Police were able to reach Kozub, who was at a Madison Heights water park with his family, and he arrived about an hour later, taping Puff’s mouth shut and carrying him home. He put him in his above ground swimming pool to cool off.
Kozub said he was in high school when he bought Puff from House of Pets in Dearborn Heights 20 years ago. He has since lived in Westland, Redford, and for the past 8 years, in Milford Township. He said he has legally owned his pet in every place he has been, and even informed township officials of Puff when he moved here.
Puff has a cage in Kozub’s home. Young children also live at the home, as well as Kozub’s 11-month-old Great Dane/Mastiff mix Zeus.
Kozub is also a beekeeper and has had a variety of interesting pets over the years, including chickens, pigs, and birds, but Puff has outlived them all.
While he can’t cuddle Puff, he enjoys him, calling the alligator “hardy, and fun to watch,” as well as listen to with the noises he makes. He keeps Puff’s size in check by controlling the temperatures to which he is exposed.
What does an alligator eat? Kozub says, “everything.”
“It’s hard for people to understand,” he said. “People judging me don’t know about alligators. They make good pets.”
Kozub emphasized it is not against state law or DNR regulations to own an alligator and in the police report, an animal control officer confirmed that to police.
Kozub was issued a citation for failing to maintain a reasonable control/leash law in Milford Township.
*Article originally appeared on hometownlife.com
Enrichment Activities for Your Dog
Can’t make it to daycare? Here are some enrichment activities to entertain your dogs that go beyond the basics of tug-of-war, fetch, and walks. Activities that offer mental stimulation can calm anxious dogs, curb unwanted behaviors, and improve communication between you and your dog.
1. Bones: Both natural and synthetic bones provide dogs an outlet through chewing, and dogs’ latent prey instincts are activated by the smells and flavors of the treats. Until you know your dogs’ chewing habits, don’t leave them unattended with bones!
2. Stuffed Kongs: If you have the time, pop them in the freezer after you stuff them. Your dogs will stay busy licking, digging & chewing the tasty treats out of the center. Popular stuffers are peanut butter, cheese, broths, and pumpkin. These can also be mixed with favorite treats or food. BEWARE OF XYLITOL — this is a common sweetener in human food products that is toxic to dogs!
3. Food Dispensing Toys: as dogs bump and knock the toy around, kibble falls out. Dogs will work hard to get all the food out. The food also falls out in an unpredictable way, and that added challenge provides more stimulation.
4. Snuffle Mats (nose work): Dogs explore the world with their noses. Introducing them to interesting smells is like teaching them a new language! Certain herbs and spices, the scent of other animals, and of course, food, can all be infused into snuffle mats, toys and bedding. If your dog shows a real interest in using their sniffer, you can take it a step further and play hide and seek with the new smells.
5. Bubbles: Dogs are wowed by the bubbles bobbing in the air, catching them in their mouth, watching, chasing. They are unpredictable (like prey) and that adds a level of mental stimulation that chasing a ball lacks. You can even get scented bubbles!
6. Laser Pointer or Toys on a String (just like the cats like): Get your dog moving from the comfort of a chair!
7. Sound Enrichment: Certain kinds of music, wind chimes, or specially produced “dog soundtracks” can break up the monotony of a too-familiar environment.
8. Massage: Slow, intentional touch, where you pet or massage your dog in a pattern, carefully holding or massaging specific spots on their bodies, takes thought. Your dog will also be thinking about how you’re handling them, and therefore, this kind of touch becomes an enrichment activity.
9. Casual Walks: Allow dogs some purposeless walks, where they can wander and sniff entirely at their own pace!
Tools for Home Grooming
Maintaining your pet’s coat in between professional grooming improves the experience of grooming for your pets and improves the health and appearance of their coats. It takes time and commitment to learn proper technique and outcomes, but it is much easier if you have the right tools for the job!
1. Flat slicker brush – This tool detangles and de-matts long haired and curly haired dog breeds. For your pet’s safety and comfort, make sure that you don’t use the brush directly on their skin. When detangling, start at the tips of the hair and work towards the base of their coat. If the brush is pulling their skin, you can pinch the base of the hair with your fingers as you de-matt.
2. Curved slicker brush – This tool works like a flat slicker brush but has the mechanical advantage of longer pins and a curve to power through stubborn mats. I choose this brush when dogs have very thick or long hair, or large areas of matting. Because it “digs in” more when you’re brushing, it is even more important to be vigilant about not making direct contact with your pet’s skin.
3. Curry brush – This is a tool that’s great for de-shedding short-haired dog breeds and is the only brush that works on a wet coat. It can really improve the quality a bath. Once your dog is wet, use the curry brush to massage the shampoo into the coat. You’ll notice loads of hair coming off as you massage, and the water and shampoo penetrating the coat! Rinse well, and you’ll have a much less hairy dog on your hands after a bath!
4. Greyhound comb – This is an essential tool for all long haired and curly coated dogs (and works great on cats!). No brush-out is complete until you can run your comb through your dog’s coat- from base to tip. It can be used to find hidden areas of matting and break up stubborn mats. Work back and forth between your slicker and your comb as you brush, and you’ll be doing professional-level de-matting in no time!
5. Double-sided flexible slicker – This slicker is great for big brush-outs, because it contours to your pet’s skin, making it more comfortable than traditional slicker brushes. Because it lacks rigidity, it doesn’t work as well on stubborn mats, but it is a great tool for long haired dogs or double coated dogs.
6. “The Furminator” (not pictured) – Nothing beats a Furminator for coaxing undercoat and shedding fur from a dog! It is a powerhouse of a tool and can cause injury to a dog if it is not used correctly, including causing cuts and brush “burn.” It should not be used on wet or damp hair. If you’re thinking of picking one up for home use, we suggest watching some tutorials online before you dig in!
Except for the Furminator tool, Club Pet Too sells all the tools described above for the convenience of our customers. We also carry a selection of shampoos and conditioners. Our experienced groomers and bathers are happy to make recommendations on products for your specific pets and demonstrate best practices for using the tools we recommend.
Dog Day Afternoon
We’re excited to announce the Dog Day Afternoon fundraiser for the Milford, MI Dog Park project, a grass roots group working to create a dog park at the land at Milford and GM roads. The event is sponsored by Rivers Edge Brewing Company, and will take place on Sunday, May 19th, Noon-5pm in the River’s Edge parking lot.
The goal is to raise $20,000 by May 31st to receive a matching grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation! So let’s all pitch in and help make that happen!
There will be dog contests for Best Smile, Best Superhero Costume, Best Hairdo, Can Do a Trick and Looks Most Like Owner! River’s Edge wine, beer, cider and soda will be served outside, so you can have a brew with your dog! Plus, the release of our Joy Dog Cream Stout!
There will be several other vendors and sponsors on site with dog-related merchandise and goods. Plus, you can make a $20+ donation and receive a souvenir tote bag that you can fill with free giveaways!
There will be a fantastic silent auction and many more events to be announced as well!
Admission to the event or contests is any monetary donation to the dog park project.
You can also donate directly here: patronicity.com/milforddogpark
PLUS, make sure to visit The Suzanne Haskew Arts Center, The SHAC for their Dog Day Afternoon event and get local artists to do paw print art with your dogs!
Event sponsors include: Club Pet, Inc, Club Pet Too, Pet Supplies Plus – Milford, MI, Bub’s & Betty’s, KOKO Aloud, Sit, Stay, Walk Pet Sitting Services, Highland Supply and The Suzanne Haskew Arts Center, The SHAC.
Our Newest Foster Dog…. TRIXIE!
For nearly as many years as we’ve been in business, we’ve provided boarding services to an organization called Teacher’s Pet. Teacher’s Pet is, IMHO, a revolutionary organization! They pair dogs from local shelters with at-risk youth in dog training programs that benefit both the dogs and the kids! During their time together, a transformation takes place in both the dog and the student. The training the dogs receive gives them the experience of positive experiences with humans, and basic manners, thereby making them more adoptable! The kids that do the training develop positive emotional bonds with the dogs. They learn empathy, responsibility, and patience.
In the last year, Teacher’s Pet has taken on a couple new projects.
Teacher’s Pet has begun working with Covenant House and Detroit Animal Care & Control, to provide residents of Covenant House with on-the job training and enrichment at the DACC shelter. Teacher’s Pet oversees their work and pays their wages. These youth are directly responsible for many of the tasks that go into the care of the animals and facility. They are learning skills that make them employable in the future, and providing essential services for the dogs at the shelter. Underlying these tasks, a transformation takes place in the human and animal participants, as they create meaningful relationships with the teachers, the dogs, and one another.
This April, Teacher’s Pet is throwing a Gala Fundraiser to raise funds for the Covenant House Program. Club Pet & Club Pet Too are among of the proud sponsors of this event. Check out the below link if you’re interested in donating, volunteering, attending, or sponsoring this event!
Recently, the organization has taken on rescue, pulling dogs who are being overlooked at larger shelters and providing them foster care and the hope for quicker adoption. Club Pet and Club Pet Too have agreed to house dogs in their rescue and promote their adoption. We have housed seven of their foster dogs to date and look forward to taking on more. This our latest foster at Club Pet Too, Trixie! She’s petite, loving, great with dogs, and a real cutie!