Menu
Dec 19, 2019 | Posted by admin | no comments |
I was sitting at a coffee shop down the road from my Johns Island dog boarding facility at Moonshadow Pet Resort and overheard a conversation between a group of women.
Two of the three were excitedly showing off pictures of their kids with Santa and at school holiday programs, talking excitedly about what the man in red would be stuffing down the chimney in a couple weeks. The third was holding her phone, screen up, clearly debating whether she should share her picture. My interest was piqued. I watched with bated breath to see what could make her so nervous.
Finally, she said, “Look! I took Toby to see Santa, too!” Before even glancing at the phone, the other two women exchanged a strange glance. Then they peeked at the pic and totally melted. They each took turns saying just how adorable the scene was and how great the Santa was and how they couldn’t believe Toby was so well behaved for it all.
Given all of the hubbub, I knew I had to catch a glimpse myself. I stood and strolled by as if headed to the bathroom and was NOT disappointed by what I saw on the tiny screen. I also understood the woman’s hesitation at sharing.
Toby was hairy, had big droop ears, a tail, and a really goofy smile. Toby was the woman’s furkid.
Furkids are kids, too!
Long-time pet owners know that our dogs, cats, birds, fish, and all other furry, feather, multi-legged companions are part of the family, but not everyone gets it. The woman at the coffee shop was worried her friends just wouldn’t understand.
However, we at the world’s best doggie day care know, our pets are our fur babies. They deserve all the same treatment as their human counterparts!
We recently did our own pet Santa shoot, and it was a total blast. Santa adored the pups who came to play and pose, and they loved him right back.
We’ve seen some other trends popping up that we think level up the fur kid relationship, including full family photo shoots with pets, which we think is a fantastic idea!
Read on to learn about other ways people are bringing their fuzzy loves more into the family.
Blessings go both ways
No pet owner, and generally no person, will argue too hard against the notion that furkids bless our lives. They bring joy and laughter to our grimmest moods, as well as peace and comfort when we’re ill or blue. And since the end of the 20th century, our Christian friends have begun more and more to bless them back.
Saint Francis of Assisi was canonized in the early 1200s and is known as the patron saint of animals. Each year, on or close to October 4, Christians celebrate Feast of St. Francis. A more recent addition to the festivities has included having pets blessed by the clergy, and we think it’s a beautiful tradition.
The rise of doggie day care
Because we love our fur babies so much, we don’t like to think of them sitting around bored at home all day while we work, and since human children benefit from socialization and structure of child day care centers, we at Moonshadow want to offer the same options for our local fur population!
The first doggie cares opened around the same time popularity was increasing in pet blessings—bless the 1990s!—and they have only become more common since then. Doggie day care is a great short-term alternative to overnight boarding, and it keeps pups active and satisfied.
How we care for your babies
Moonshadow is dedicated to providing the best care for our furry pals, and we love them as our own when they’re with us.
All dogs who stay with us are evaluated for temperament and then paired-up with other dogs similar in size and temperament so that everyone is safe and happy. All play is also closely monitored to ensure the safety of all animals. This is one of the best jobs on site, just saying. Who doesn’t love sitting in a room or on a lawn of playful dogs?
All of the furkids are provided with a mid-day snack and time to rest. We keep the pups and doggos busy for longer than they are generally use to, so to make sure everyone is healthy and happy, they get an official nap time before afternoon play, just like human kiddos.
