IMPORTANT HEALTH & SAFETY NOTICE
Dogs with contagious diseases or parasites are not allowed at the Cheddar’s Pets. We are happy to provide care for injured dogs or those with special medical or health needs, but for the safety and health of other dogs at Cheddar’s, we cannot accommodate dogs with contagious disease or parasites.
Common diseases or parasites include, but are not limited to: bordatella (kennel cough), conjunctivitus, and intestinal parasites/worms. Symptoms of disease include: coughing, vomiting, diarrhea, discharge from the eyes, nose, mouth, and/or visible parasites in the stool.
If a dog shows signs of disease or parasites while in our care, we will isolate him from the other dogs and the owner will be asked to bring him to the vet for a check up. The dog is welcome to come back to Cheddar’s Pets only after the vet declares him healthy and free of disease or parasites.
If a dog arrives at Cheddar’s Pets showing signs of disease or parasites, or if a dog is actively being treated for disease or parasites, the dog is not allowed to stay. This is for the comfort, health, and safety of your dog and the other dogs at Cheddar’s Pets. Please call for more information about this policy.
AGE, HEALTH, and VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS
At Cheddar’s Pets, we separate dogs solely based on age. Puppies aged 8 weeks – 5 months spend the day playing in our puppy pen, going for short walks outside, napping, and having lunch in a quiet room. To help with house-training young puppies, your dog will be walked throughout the day and crated for short periods when not playing with his or her friends in the puppy pen. Many puppies eat multiple times a day, so please feel free to bring a lunch or dinner for your pup. Please label all food and include feeding instructions. Most puppies are mature enough to “graduate” to our adult daycare at 5 or 6 months of age.
Adult dogs aged 5 – 6 months and up will spend the day in our indoor-outdoor daycare facility. We welcome dogs of all temperaments and activity levels, and we will work with your dog to help him or her adjust to the daycare setting. To ensure the safety and wellbeing of the pack, we require that all incoming dogs aged 6 months and up are spayed/neutered, as these dogs tend to acclimate the best to the pack environment. Puppies graduating from the puppy pen into the main pack have until 8 months of age to get spayed/neutered. However, please be aware that unspayed/unneutered dogs who disrupt the pack environment will be separated from the daycare at the staff’s discretion.
We are able to accommodate senior dogs (aged 12 years and up) who may have special health or behavioral needs. If your senior dog is not comfortable in the large pack setting, we offer a variety of quiet areas in our facility where your dog can spend the day, and we will work with you to find a situation suitable to your dog’s needs.
We require all dogs to be up-to-date on their rabies, distemper, and bordatella (kennel cough) vaccines. We also recommend the canine influenza vaccine, but it is not required. We recommend that all dogs use Frontline, Advantix, or a similar flea- and parasite-control product, but please do not apply these products on the day your dog attends daycare, as doing so could be unsafe for the staff and the other dogs. We will ask for a copy of your dog’s vaccination records on your first day. Please provide us with updated records as the old ones expire.
Please let us know if your dog has any health issues that would impact his or her stay in our daycare. Examples include: injuries, recent surgery/stitches, skin conditions, illness, history of seizures, allergies, etc. We will do our best to accommodate any special health needs your dog may have.
Please do not bring your dog to daycare if he or she is showing signs of illness. Symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, rashes, coughing, or discharge from the eyes or nose may indicate an illness that could be contagious to other dogs. If your dog shows signs of illness while at daycare, we will remove him or her from the pack to a quiet area, and then alert you or your emergency contact.
Your dog’s health and safety at our daycare is of the utmost important to us. In the course of playtime with other dogs throughout the day, minor injuries such as scrapes or bumps may occur. In the event that your dog becomes sick or injured during the day, our staff will assist him or her immediately to ensure his or her safety. We will then contact you, or your emergency contact, to alert you of the situation.
BEHAVIOR REQUIREMENTS
At Cheddar’s Pets, our pack is made up of many different types of dogs. The majority of dogs that come to daycare are playful, happy, and friendly, and we also welcome shy or nervous dogs, as long as they are able to acclimate to the pack during their introductory period. Every dog is given a chance to adjust to the pack, and Ashley will be able to determine if your dog will be a happy member of our pack.
We do not allow aggressive or dangerous dogs. We do not allow aggressive play, barking, or dominant behavior, and our staff uses positive reinforcement techniques to maintain a calm energy in the pack. We understand that many dogs may be over-excited on their first day, and we will work with your dog to teach him or her the rules. Many clients have noted that their dogs’ behavioral problems at home are eased after experiencing the calm energy of our pack at Cheddar’s Pets.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
We request that your dog come to daycare with a leash, a well-fitted collar or harness, and ID tags. This will enable us to easily bring your dog in and out of the daycare. Pinch and chain collars are allowed, but we will remove them in the daycare setting for safety reasons.
Cheddar’s Pets is an indoor-outdoor facility; your dog will have the freedom to play inside and outside throughout the year. During inclement weather, we encourage our clients to provide coats for their dogs so the dogs may enjoy the outdoors in all types of weather. We suggest that you not send a fancy or valuable coat to daycare with your dog, as the coat might become damaged or soiled during play in the course of the day.
If your dog requires feeding during the day, please bring the food in a container labeled with your dog’s name and feeding instructions. We are also able to administer most medications throughout the day. Please call us for details.
