Making the most of life with your dog here in Palo Alto

Happy new year and updates for 2017

Posted on December 27, 2016
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As 2016 winds down, we wish you happy holidays and a happy new year! We have a few updates for the new year to better address client needs as follows; see also updated service pages:

Train and Board. Because of demand, train-and-board will continue to be our primary focus in 2017. There is a clear need for quality local train-and-board for the Palo Alto community, and we have worked this year with some well-known Silicon Valley names, whose privacy we maintain. In order for train-and-board to be effective, we need to spend time with your dog. For that reason, we charge by the week, but we are fine with limited stays and carry-overs of fee credits (e.g., if you pay for a week and use 4 days, you have 3 on account). Also, once your dog is housebroken, we can move to a half-day price relationship where you take your pup home at night or on the weekend.

Straight Boarding/Day Care. This will continue for existing clients, and on a space-available basis for new clients. If you don’t hear back from us promptly that means we are fully booked. If you are interested in our wait list, kindly indicate the same. Please note that puppies and younger dogs are accepted for train-and-board only. Rates for boarding will stay the same, day care will remain at $5.00/hr and $200 minimum/week for regular clients, and for one-off clients (in-town visitors, etc.) we will try to help you if we have space at our full boarding rate for full or partial days.

Elder Care. This is a new service that we began in 2016 to accommodate a very dear little old dog who has since passed away. Her owner worked full-time and she couldn’t be home alone, but she couldn’t be in a typical day-care environment that would be too busy and stressing for her. For dogs with elderly needs or shorter-term hospice or medical situations, we give preference to these owners in boarding/day care for their elderly dogs who may need special care. You are charged the same rates as above.

We’ve added a local resource page!

Posted on April 18, 2015

We’ve added a new local resource page, where we share information about other local options for day care, training, and sitting, as well as information about services we don’t provide, like dog walking, playgroups, and off-leash hikes, along with info on local veterinarians, pet stores, etc. It’s a work in progress, so we will continue to update it, and if you have suggestions, please send mail to cathy@paloaltodogs.com.

We always talk with you about potential alternatives and supplementary services, so we thought it makes sense to put it on the site as you explore your options and figure out what’s best for your dog and your lifestyle. Although we do have space for new clients, we’re small and intend to stay that way, as our intimate atmosphere and close relationship with dogs is what makes us special. We’re always very happy if you tell us you’re having a great experience elsewhere, as that helps us with referrals when we talk with other people. Also, we don’t have any business relationship with these other providers, we’re just doing this to help share information, as it’s a small world after all!

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We’ll be swimming this summer!

Posted on March 24, 2015

We’re putting in a nice big swimming pool at our place in Modesto, so we’re excited about swimming this summer! It’s also a great way for dogs to exercise: powerful, energetic dogs can burn energy, and older, delicate dogs can work their muscles without stressing them. We’re often there on weekends, so that means any dogs we’re watching will get a chance to swim, as well as to run around on the space we have there. Ok, we took this photo at the Beverly Hills Hotel, so we’re not quite on that level. But we’re going for a nice classic rectangle pool like they have, to fit the architecture of our 1920s Spanish style place.

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Doggie Halloween events this weekend!

Posted on October 22, 2014

This Saturday, October 25, there are two terrific events where you can have fun with your dog for a good cause.  They don’t conflict, so why not go to both!

From 10am-1pm, Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society have a Bark-for-Life event in Atherton, at Holbrook-Palmer Park.  The event features dog walking in Halloween costume, along with an opening ceremony, kid’s trick-or-treating, a photo booth, “wag bags” for registered dogs, and vendor fair.

The cost to register is $20 per dog household, or $10 for a single dog.   The event supports ACS programs and services, and the event promotes cancer awareness and education.

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From 1pm-3pm, the Friends of the Palo Alto Animal Shelter, along with the City of Palo Alto, have the 2nd Annual Dog-O-Ween at Rinconada Park.  It’s FREE, and you can win prizes by participating in the dog costume contest.

Also you can enter their raffle to raise funds for the shelter and have a chance to win some great prizes.  I blogged about this already over at Palo Alto Online, see more info and some terrific photos from last year.

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Lady’s five minutes of fame

Posted on September 13, 2014

I have another blog called Love That Pup about dogs and animals over  at Palo Alto Online, where I recently posted “Try the Moonlight Dog Walk,” about walking your dog at the annual Moonlight Run for charity.  Since the event is sponsored by the Palo Alto Weekly and the City of Palo Alto, the Weekly thought fit to feature the post on the news slider of their home page.  So here’s the screen grab from my dog Lady’s five minutes of fame.  She is a Redbone Coonhound, although I am well-versed in explaining how she is not a Vizsla (they have light nose, light eyes, sporting group) or Rhodesian Ridgeback (lighter coat, ridge on back, more powerful build, although technically the better guess because they are also in the hound group).  The Moonlight Run event is over for this year, but do think about going out and supporting it next year, whether as a runner, walker or dog walker!

 

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Some of our pet portraits

Posted on June 26, 2014

We take a lot of photos of the dogs we’re taking care of, as we communicate with owners throughout the day with photos and text messages to stay in touch.  As a result, we end up with a lot of fun shots to play around with.  Once you know the dog’s personality, and experiment with the image, you can make a really cool portrait.   Let’s be honest, people like picture of their dogs and other pets, or of themselves with them (we do too).  That’s how we started doing pet portraits for people.  We manipulate an image to give it a unique effect, and then have it infused in metal for a modern, durable presentation.

The work is reproduced on metal in a high-gloss finish at a size of 8″x 8″ for a modern, intimate miniature, great for the office or bedside table, or as a gift. The image is infused into an aluminum surface, not over it, and achieves a breath-taking luminescence from reproduction in this medium; the high-gloss finish provides a brilliant surface that maximizes the image details.  We either work with your images, or create new ones to play with.  We charge $98 for the finished product, plus $20 for an optional lucite stand to enhance the display.   Here are some examples!

 

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Photos of the new dog park on San Antonio

Posted on January 17, 2014

Here are some photos of the new dog park in Mountain View on San Antonio, next to the Village housing complex.  It’s a small pocket park, done as part of the housing development, but in this small space they’ve done a wonderful job of integrating attractive public art and useful dog park features such as doggie astroturf, people seating areas, water fountains, and the like. You can’t see it from San  Antonio, so you have to drive into the development on its left side.DSC_0043

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Thoughts for the new year: follow your dog

Posted on December 29, 2012

As we look to the new year, and reflect on how we would like to approach it, let us consider our dogs as our guide this year.  Dogs are all about love, loyalty, service, perseverance, and courage, namely your dog has the nobility that we seem to lack in ourselves. Your dog doesn’t care about money, status, or appearances, and your dog lives in the moment and doesn’t bear a grudge. His only frustration is when he can’t be with you and serve you. This sentiment is expressed so well in Ralph Waldo Emerson‘s poem below, as our dogs know how to give all to love, and nothing refuse:

Give all to love;

Obey thy heart;

Friends, kindred, days,

Estate, good-frame,

Plans, credit and the Muse,—

Nothing refuse.

’T is a brave master;

Let it have scope:

Follow it utterly,

Hope beyond hope:

High and more high

It dives into noon,

With wing unspent,

Untold intent:

But it is a god,

Knows its own path

And the outlets of the sky.

It was never for the mean;

It requireth courage stout.

Souls above doubt,

Valor unbending,

It will reward,—

They shall return

More than they were,

And ever ascending.

Leave all for love;

Yet, hear me, yet,

One word more thy heart behoved,

One pulse more of firm endeavor,—

Keep thee to-day,

To-morrow, forever,

Free as an Arab

Of thy beloved.

Cling with life to the maid;

But when the surprise,

First vague shadow of surmise

Flits across her bosom young,

Of a joy apart from thee,

Free be she, fancy-free;

Nor thou detain her vesture’s hem,

Nor the palest rose she flung

From her summer diadem.

Though thou loved her as thyself,

As a self of purer clay,

Though her parting dims the day,

Stealing grace from all alive;

Heartily know,

When half-gods go,

The gods arrive.

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