The most important thing on the day of our move was to find a safe place to keep Pepper for the day. He's a runner. I think that's how he ended up in a shelter in the first place, so taking him to someone's house was out of the question. In our old house he climbed the fence and squeezed himself through four inch posts and got out several times. So, I decided to look into day care.
I thought day care would be great, because I'd have gone through the enrollment process and could use the day care on other occasions if Ron and I were going to be out for the entire day. Well, getting your dog into day care is pretty much like getting them into preschool. I'm laughing right now as I write this, thinking of all the questions we were asked and the tests that Pepper had to take. Yes, you heard me right. Pepper had to pass a temperment test in order to be admitted into the day care. It makes perfect sense. They don't want aggressive dogs.
The first "school" I contacted would not take him. I had to commit to sending him regularly, at least once a week. I was just looking for a safe place for him in emergencies. The second place I checked out is called Animal Keeper. It's right near the Y in Encinitas, and I'd driven by there many times and saw happy dogs running around the yard, so Ron and I went for a tour. Since Pepper is a small dog, he would go into the Tiny Tots program. I told them he loved to play with big dogs, but they said he must stay with his own size for safety reasons. The yard was big, with toys galore, an obstacle course, and lots of places for the dogs to just sit and hang out. In the summer they put a wading pool out there and really let them have some fun. They're in the yard most of the day, but at 3:00pm they bring them inside and put them in a "suite." It's a good sized room, much larger than a crate, with a nice soft blanket and a TV! The reason they bring them inside is that it makes it much easier for pick up, which is from 3:30-6:30.
We thought this would be a fine place for Pepper to go on occasion, so we filled out the form, had the vet send over his records so they knew he was up to date on all his shots. Then we took Pepper for the temperment test, which he passed. Whew!
On moving day we dropped Pepper at Animal Keeper at 7:45, and picked him up at 5:00pm. He was happy to see us when we returned, but I felt comfortable knowing he had played all day and was looked after by loving people.
I was telling my friend Kay about Pepper's day at day care, and she told me such a funny story. She used to have a friend that worked full time and sent her lab to doggie day care Monday through Friday. The dog used to sit in front of the house waiting for the bus to pick him up. He just loved going to day care. Of course he didn't know that Saturday and Sunday the bus would not come for him, but he'd still sit out there waiting for about an hour, then figure that he wasn't going, and come in the house. I think Pepper would love going to day care every day. He just loves to play. I take him to the dog park three times a week, and that will have to do.
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