Mystery Shopper

Back in June or July, I entered into a contest/program called the Chinook Entrepreneur Challenge. It is a program that helps new businesses or existing businesses working on an expansion of services, with their business plans. They host 8 classes over 2 months (once a week for 3 hours) that are dedicated to writing a business plan. Have I mentioned that this is all free?! Then, as an added bonus, they set you up with a mentor (a local business person) to help you with your plan and to give you some advice on your business. Then when you finish your business plan, they send it off to a whole bunch of evaluators who give you even more comments and advice on your plan. Sounds pretty good eh? Well I haven't even gotten to the good stuff yet....

The program is also a contest - you can win $15,000 cash for your business plus $5,000 in related services such as accounting and marketing. Sounds amazing eh? It is.

I stumbled across the program by accident one day while browsing the Internet and I'm so glad I found it. The classes were during a very busy time (I was just setting up Paws on the Run) and the due date for the business plan was at an even busier time (2 days before the daycare opened) but it has all been worth it. I learned a lot more about my business, my finances and what I needed to do to make Paws on the Run a success. Last week I found out I had made the cut for the top 8....this week I found out I had made the cut for the top 4. Today, I had to present to a panel of judges...and I've made the top 2!!! I'm so excited. And not just because I have the chance of winning some money but because other people think that my business plan might work! I know that sounds kind of silly but it was a really big leap of faith for me to invest a whole bunch of money into a business. I never thought I could work for myself because I like the stability of a pay cheque too much. But never say never! So now, I just need to do one more presentation at the final banquet on October 13 and then the judges will make their decision. Wish me luck!

I also just want to thank the "Mystery Shopper". One of the sneaky judges sent a mystery shopper in to check the place out. So whoever you are, thanks for the good review!

What a Day!

Whew! We had 20 dogs (once you count the three from me and Marja) at the daycare today! Our biggest day yet. It was tiring, yet fun. They just kept coming through the door all day long. It was great!

Here are a few pictures I took of the gang....I just went to download the pictures and realized the card wasn't in the camera!
:(

Balding

Cholti isn't actually balding, he is bald...but he is supposed to be. He is a Mexican Hairless. I've never seen such an interesting looking dog before. His skin feels like suede and is actually quite pleasant to the touch. Amanda got some cute pictures of him a couple of days ago when he was here and all I managed to get was the unflattering head shot before my camera battery died.

Use It or Lose It

Use It or Lose It - That is the Rogz slogan. We are really excited to be able to offer you Rogz "Passport ID's" at the daycare. They come in two sizes and nine different styles. We are selling them for the bargain price of $10! You can check them out at their website!

We we also be selling Lupine Collars and Leashes (they are guarranteed - even if chewed!!!) and will be putting in an order next week so if you want something specific, let us know and we'll order it for you.

Last but not least, we are selling Easy Walk Harnesses for $35 (I'm not sure if Marlin and I would have survived leashed walks with Coulee if it wasn't for the harness). If you want to try it out before purchasing, we will have 1 available for rent for $5 per day. We will also be renting out bark collars for $5 per day so you can try them out before making the plunge and spending $70-100 at the local pet stores (they don't work for all dogs).

We've thought about renting out other things like crates and doggie life jackets but we have no idea what you'd like...if you have any suggestions, please let us know!

Wild and Crazy

We had a really busy day today...it was great! The dogs were worn out this afternoon from all the action. Here are a bunch of photos Amanda took of the dogs having a grand old time running around the back area. I've made them small because there are so many but if you want to see the full size image just click the photo.

Grand Weekend

I'll start with Friday afternoon, when we picked up Chewy. She did really well, she wasn't pregnant and had never gone into heat. Phew! She must have just been putting on a little weight from a steady diet of good food. She was pretty dopey after the operation as you can tell from these photos.

Then Saturday was the grand opening. I had a lot of fun and I hope everyone who came did too! It was nice just to chat and mingle with all of you and the demo put on by Go! Dog! Go! was great. It is amazing that so many different breeds can excel at agility. I want to thank Amanda and her dad Jim, for all their help setting up, her mom, aunt and grandma for all the amazing baking (that we'll be eating for many days to come), Mark and Marlin for their skills at the BBQ and all the Go! Dog! Go! people for putting on an awesome show.

Sunday was the Go! Dog! Go! Birthday Bash - they just turned two! It was a blast. Coulee competed in the wiener dunking contest and the relays but skipped out on the musical mats - I had to DJ the event but in truth Coulee is not great at musical mats anyway - it involves too much work and not enough food. Sadie won the wiener eating contest - she actually beat the reining champion Jane who had never lost a match. Coulee was runner up but she was no competition for Sadie.

While proofing the post, I just noticed that the picture I posted of Sadie includes Perkins - a wiener dog. It really wasn't intended as a pun but never-the-less, maybe I should clarify the contest - she was bobbing for hotdogs not wiener dogs. :)

And last but not least I got to meet three new clients this weekend - Ruby an English Bulldog, Barley a Golden Retriever and Oliver the cat. What a lot of fun those three were! I really wanted to get some pictures of them but I planned to take photos on Sunday and it was raining. I guess you'll all just have to wait until next time.

Off to the vet

Since Chewy is here to stay, we are going to get her spayed. She is due at the vet tomorrow morning. We still can't get over how wonderful she is with all the dogs. She loves to chase their tails and their leashes and never seems to mind when they want to sniff and nudge her. Thankfully she hasn't shown much interest in the outdoors because with a constantly opening door, she has had many opportunities to escape.

If you've been thinking about neutering or spaying your pet but don't really have the funds, please check out NOKA's website. They offer reduced rates for low income homes.

Cold Outside

Yikes. I'm not ready for winter. As I type this it is actually snowing. SNOWING!!! Don't you wish you had booked a dog walk for today? I know I'm glad I'm working at the daycare and Marja is out walking... Sorry Marja! But there have to be some perks for being the boss. :)

I'll leave you with a few pictures of Ponz, taken last year in the snow. He didn't seem to mind the white stuff.

PS - The weather for Saturday is looking good - partially cloudy but 20 C.

Goofy Dogs

This site was just too good not to share. Check it out!

Reminder

Just a really quick reminder that our Grand Opening Celebration is this Saturday, September 22, from 11 - 2. It will be a casual event with BBQ burgers (keep your fingers crossed for decent weather), and a few drinks and snacks. We will also have Go! Dog! Go! doing an agility demo at 1 p.m. so be sure to stick around for that. The event is free but we will be accepting donations for the Prairie Dog Canine Rescue.

On Sunday, those of you with dogs are welcome to join Go! Dog! Go!'s birthday bash. There will be weiner dunking, relay races and more. These events will be held at the daycare from 10-1.

New Toy

At the daycare we are limited in the toys we can have because of some toy possession issues. So to make up for the lack of little toys we have 2 big play sets and 1 giant ball that no one can pick up. And today, our latest toy arrived - a new tunnel! Everyone loved the new tunnel - especially Perkins who loved to run through, rub up against the sides and roll in it.

Wild One

Whew! The dogs were wild at the daycare today...and non-stop too! We had a few more new friends that kept everyone excited and playing throughout the day.

Nypsy is an older jack russell who is very young at heart and loved to play with Gus the puppy.

Bailey, was a little unsure to start, but quickly got the hang of things and spent most of the day running after whoever was on the move.

Molly is a regular out on walks but it was her first day at the daycare. Due to all the doggie smells, she initially thought she was at the groomers or the vet and didn't want to come in. I hope we convinced her it is more fun to be here!

New friends

Yesterday was a day filled with new friends. First came Winston. A weiner dog pup who when I met him briefly a few weeks ago, was scared of his own shadow. Yesterday he was hanging out with the big kids in the "rough and tumble" room. He played with them all - big and small.

Then came Fergus. He can jump a 6 foot fence in about 2.2 seconds. Needless to say, we kept a very close eye on him outside. Thankfully, he was having a good time and didn't seem to want to leave all his furry friends behind. If you can believe it, this handsome guy was rescued a year ago and he was so malnourished that his fur had lost all its pigment. He sure has come a long way.

Then came Pipit and Tinbie, two flat coat retrievers. Unfortunately I have no pictures of them to share with you. Nothing I took would have compared to the beautiful pictures you can find of them, and their siblings, on their parents' websites - here and here.

Soak up the Sun

I couldn't resist taking these pictures of Perkins resting outside at the end of the day. He was really enjoying the hot sun on the cement and decided it was the perfect place for a quick nap.

Appropriately Named

You know how some names just suit some animals so well? Well Kramer here sure has the fur to match his namesake's (at least I am assuming it is his namesake).

You can't see his "sideburns" on the side of his body but trust me...they are wild.

His brother Frodo is his biological brother. Can you see any resemblance? I can't!

And I just had to leave you with this parting shot of Frodo's foot because it was so darn sweet.

PS - The Digger's Delights arrived earlier this week. We have packages of "Broc-oli", "Collie-flower", "Carrot Crunch", "Cheesy Chompers", "Lolli-pups", "Peanut Barkers" and Snack Packs that have contain a variety of the flavours.

Tug

I love watching dogs play together. It is one of the things that makes working at the daycare so much fun. At the daycare though, we have had to restrict toys because of the issues many dogs have over toys (i.e. some dogs feel the need to keep them all to themselves and will do pretty much anything to make sure no one else gets it - Coulee is like this). So it is such a treat for me to see two dogs playing together and sharing toys.

Not too long ago Kaylee got a new little sister named Maggie and she is so good to her. They played tug and wrestled almost constantly when I was there and there wasn't a single growl or even a yelp out of either of them. Kaylee would bring the toy for me to throw, drop it at my feet and if I wasn't quick enough, Maggie would sneak up and steal it...and the game would begin.

Panting Cat

I've never seen a cat as playful as Edward. He just won't quit. His favorite toy is a piece of fur that has been tied to a string. He will chase that fur forever...even if he isn't rewarded by capturing it very often. I was sitting in a chair with my feet on a stool and kept swinging the toy from one side of my legs to the other. Edward would hop up on my legs and down to the ground over and over again in pursuit of the fur. When I finally let him get it, he got a good grip with his paws and then sat and panted. I have never seen a cat pant before! Needless to say, we took it a little slower after this but he still didn't want to quit. Below is a picture of him playing tug-o-war with the same piece of fur. You wouldn't believe his strength! (Sorry for the bad picture. I didn't have my good camera with me)

Do you mind?

I didn't mean to capture this moment on film but it was too funny to delete.

Here are a few "nicer pictures" of Taz. He is three whole pounds of utter cuteness.