Paws Away

01/18/2025

Meet Letha—a curious, playful, and super-energetic 4-month-old puppy! This was her second stay with a sitter, and she’s already a pro—confident, happy, and eager to make new human and doggy friends!

12/25/2024

Our Paws Away team spending Christmas day with our guests, Maya, Apollo and Abby!

12/25/2024

09/24/2024

Ollie turned 7 years old today! Dedicated to all dogs. 🐾

I grew up without any pets (fish don’t count). When I was 4 or 5, I tried to play with one, took it out of the aquarium, made a tiny bed because I thought it was tired from all that swimming, and put it there to sleep. I couldn’t understand why my sister was so upset when she found the floating fish.

There weren’t many pet dogs around when I was growing up. Some families had cats, there were stray dogs on the streets, and only a few families had pet dogs, most of them were poorly behaved and untrained. As kids, we knew to avoid most adult dogs because of the risk of being bitten (which most of us were at least once), but we loved playing with street puppies - until they grew up and became those dogs to avoid.

When I was around 12 or 13, our next door neighbour got a Border Collie, named Colin. I was ecstatic! I could walk him on a leash and, for some reason, I craved that! Walking Colin made me feel cool. Other kids joined me and asked to hold the leash. I felt something special but I couldn’t explain it. Unfortunately, Colin wasn’t well trained, so one day he bit me and broke the skin on my arm. It was partially my fault but I didn't know what I had done wrong. I felt betrayed. After that, I stopped walking him. Following more bad experiences with aggressive dogs, I became afraid of them and decided I didn’t like dogs.

Once we moved to Canada and got our first house, we started adopting cats. Cats were familiar, didn’t bite, didn’t require any training and were “easy” pets. I’ve become a “cat person”.

And then something changed. About 10 years ago I started paying attention to dogs. We lived near a large off leash park and I would run alongside it while training for races. One day I caught myself wanting to be there with the dogs. That feeling surprised me. I told myself that it was a fluke and that dogs had no place in our lives - I knew nothing about them! But I couldn’t stop watching dogs in the parks and on the streets. Eventually, I started secretly watching a ton of YouTube videos about dogs. For a while I didn’t share this with Alex. I knew what he would say: “Dogs have no place in our lives.”

A year into this quiet obsession, I had an epiphany: I wanted a dog! How? Why? I knew nothing about dogs! How would I train one? How would we travel? How could we afford it? But once the thought was there, I couldn’t shake it. I wanted a companion. Even with no experience, I knew there was something magical about the bond humans have with dogs. I needed that connection.

I had two tasks ahead. One was easy-ish - learn as much as I could about dogs. The second was harder: I had to convince Alex… The good thing was that we’d been married long enough for me to know what NOT to do. I couldn’t just say: “Hey, how about we get a dog?”. That would end the conversations right there. I needed time and tact and a few tricks. Long story short, after a year, not only did Alex agree, but he got excited about the idea. That’s when we got Ollie!

Saying that our life has changed is an understatement. If you have a dog, you know. Humans evolved alongside dogs and we do have a special relationship with them. Maybe it’s because, throughout history, they helped us survive, find food, guard our homes and offer companionship. Whatever it is, a bond forms the moment you see them, touch their fur, laugh at their playfulness and look into their naïve and trusting eyes.

Having a dog is a commitment - it requires effort, worry, and expenses - but the bond you get in return is something you can’t find anywhere else.

Happy birthday to my best friend, Ollie

09/12/2024

Welcome Indie!

Indie is one of the most playful, active and adorable 7 months old puppy! Her life motto is "If it moves, I'll play with it!" 😀, whether it's a dog, a human, a fly or a leaf, she's ready to have fun! She's a very fast learner and is picking up doggie rules every day!

We love having Indie over for daycare 3 times a week. She makes us laugh and keeps us on our toes 😀!

08/27/2024

🐾 Discover our 5 Secrets to a Happier, Healthier Pup 🐶❤️: https://pawsaway.ca/2024/08/12/calgary-dog-owners-5-heartwarming-secrets-to-a-happier-healthier-pup/

What's your pup's favourite way to stay happy and healthy? Share below! 👇

08/24/2024

🐾 Calgary's Top Dog Parks: Adventure Awaits! 🌳 Here are our favourites for Unleashed Fun:

1. Nose Hill Park
2. West Hillhurst Park
3. Edworthy Park
4. Bowmont Park

And our fully or partially Fenced Favourites:

1. Southland Dog Park
2. Sue Higgins Park
3. River Dog Park

Which park are you visiting this weekend? Ollie, I, and our current Paws Away guests might just see you there! 🐶

08/24/2024

We're excited to present a new offering "Paws Away Puppy Social"!

Everyone who gets a new puppy knows that early socialization is absolutely key to raising a friendly and well mannered dog! You may have heard of the “100 new things in first 100 days” approach of helping your dog become well behaved and confident but accomplishing it is not that easy with many restrictions we hear about socializing a very young pup.

The main goal of our new Puppy Social program is to introduce your puppy to other puppies and adult dogs in a safe home environment and give them early exposure to a new exciting world outside of your own house.

Who is it for?

- Any puppy from 8 weeks to 8 months old.
- We accept puppies not yet fully vaccinated as long as you feel comfortable doing so. Since the program will be run at a private space of our home there is less risk, however, it is ultimately up to you to decide when is the best age to start. It is mandatory for the adult dogs participating in the program to be fully vaccinated, and we will check their vaccination records.
- Great for timid puppies for whom the puppy socialization classes at a bigger daycare centers may be too overwhelming due to the number of participating puppies, too large of a space, commercial setting, etc.

What is a Puppy Social program?

- Time dedicated to your puppies to give them an opportunity to gain confidence and get them the most positive experience in those early few months in a safe, relaxed, supportive and nurturing environment! This will give them a good start and initial exposure to a new space, sights, smells, objects, another human or two, a few well behaved and friendly adult dogs and other puppies.
- This is a program tailored to your puppy! Sorry, no human family is allowed to stay as we want to provide the puppy an opportunity to become a bit more confident on their own. This is also a great training for them to stay at someone else’s place for when you will need to go on vacation and leave your pup at your family, sitter or daycare.
- Don’t worry about not knowing how your pup is doing - we will be showering you with regular photos and videos of how they are doing during the social hour!
- Very small groups of puppies and adult dogs (up to 4 max). Attending adult dog/s will be carefully curated to ensure they are fully vaccinated, very easy going, friendly and good with puppies!
- There will be at least one human monitoring the group 100% of the time! We will be observing to ensure good behaviour of all dogs in a group, redirecting the pups’ attention as needed, provide new experiences, including exploring new spaces, going out for short excursions (around 15 min), offering sniffing and other games, etc.
- Program will run twice a week and you can choose day and time options (we offer both weekdays and weekend options).
- We will provide puppy behaviour and progress reports after the first and last sessions and will be sending you many photos and videos to give you a glimpse into how your puppy is adjusting.
- Should we suspect that this program is not a good fit for your pup, we will inform you immediately and return the payment fully.
- We suggest starting with 4 one-hour sessions but you can add additional sessions if needed.

Why join the Puppy Social?

- To provide early socialization.
- Start exposing your puppy to the outside world at a smaller scale to avoid overwhelming and stressful situations.
- Allow them to meet one or two other puppies AND adult dogs to get them to play in a very controlled setting.
- Get them familiar with being in a new space without their human family.
- Grow their confidence by allowing them to meet a few same and new doggies during the program.
- Exercise their young minds by expanding their world with new surroundings.

Cost:

- Initial program consisting of 4 sessions (1st session - 1 hour and 2-4th sessions - 1.5 hour) - $118
- You can purchase additional sessions at $30 per playdate

Few important notes:

- This program is NOT a training class!
- We will have other boarding or daycare dogs in the house but will coordinate who will be joining the Puppy Socials based on their behaviour and character traits.
- You will be required to fill in required forms prior to the first session

Contact me to book early as we have limited spots due to the nature of the program! We are looking forward to getting to know your pups and have some fun together!

08/19/2024

🐾 How We Do Things at Paws Away 🐾

Initial "Pawsitive" Chat 📞🐶 Our process begins with a personal conversation to understand your dog’s specific needs, habits, and personality.

Tail Wagging Introduction 🐾🏡 We invite you to a meet and greet at our home, allowing your dog to feel secure and begin to trust our team.

Peace of Mind Updates 📸❤️ We provide regular updates with photos, videos, and detailed behavior and health reports.

Fill in the Required Forms 📝🐕 For your pet's safety, we require an agreement of service and medical authorization.

Book now and experience the Paws Away difference: https://pawsaway.ca/services/

08/10/2024

Paws Away Services: Tailored for Tail-Wagging Joy! Cozy Overnight Retreats Paw-some Pampering Sessions Fun-filled Daycare & Playtime ✨ Ready to treat your furry friend? Inquire now for the ultimate Paws Away experience!

08/10/2024

Struggling to find the perfect home-away-from-home for your fur baby? At Paws Away, we get it! We're your dog's vacation house! While you're out having fun, rest assured your pup is living their best life (well, second-best – because nothing beats being with you! ) Give your dog a staycation they'll bark about! Contact us today!

08/09/2024

🏡🐾 Welcome to Paws Away: Your Pup's Home Away From Home! At Paws Away, we’re not just a dog boarding facility; we form lasting bonds with both you and your pet. We prioritize trust and familiarity to ensure your dog’s comfort and security with us. Visit our website to learn more about the Paws Away difference: https://pawsaway.ca/