Creatures Great & Small

11/01/2025

Bi***es in heat...

Bitch is not a naughty word to real dog people. It refers to a female dog and we do use correct terminology.

Please let us know if you are bringing us bi***es in heat to board or groom. There are additional fees for bringing in bi***es in heat and not telling us doesn't negate the fees. It just frustrates us because they impact the behavior of the other dogs in our facility and we can mediate this by moving intact males as far away as possible, certainly not putting them next to each other.

We know some of you have issues spaying your pets, but did you know intact males will often not eat in the presence of bitch in heat? Did you know that it will often make males urinate all over to mark territory? Did you know it can make intact males difficult to deal with behaviorally?

If your pet is in heat, please let us know ahead of time. Yes, they can be groomed. However, we reserve the right to refuse service because it could be horribly disruptive on the day you're scheduled. Yes, your pet may board. However, we need to reduce the stress to other animals in our facility.

Help us out by being honest about your pets. Unlike other facilities in town, the owner tracks her females and knows their progesterone patterns. So, we know about bi***es in heat. We also collect our boys and freeze their semen, so we understand intact boys. We are not anti-reproduction. However, when dealing with multiple animals it is critical to know what we are dealing with! We do believe in being responsible when around other pets.

But, I have a large breed dog and the vet or breeder recommend waiting to spay? Yup! Very normal and healthier for most dogs, but all you need to do is tell us your bitch is actively in heat before we bring her in the building.

We will work with you, but you also have to work with us or we won't be able to continue to book your appointments.

We work with a lot of dogs with behavioral issues and if your irresponsible behavior places our staff at risk we take it very seriously.

Thank you for your cooperation.

10/21/2025

A few of quick reminders:

Boarding Clients, we are rapidly filling up for Thanksgiving and Christmas 🎄🎄. We don't want anyone disappointed, so let us know asap if you need a reservation. I expect to be wait-listing by the end of this week!!!!

Grooming Clients, our holiday schedule is almost full. If you want holiday grooming, please call us asap. We have several days with a wait-list already.

Daycare Clients, we take a break from Daycare over the holidays. Please stay tuned to our social media for any last minute changes. Otherwise, please plan on no daycare the week of Thanksgiving. We can accommodate some exceptions, so inquire if you feel you need assistance.

Cat Clients, some cats hate going back in their carriers. If you call us about 30 minutes before you get here, we can get them crated so you are not waiting.

Any questions, just reach out!

Happy Fall 🍂🍁🍂🍁🍁🍂

10/21/2025

Another view of our window...

And yes, all the dogs shown were groomed here by our staff. They were trained here (and other places) by our staff. They were boarded here.

10/21/2025

Some photos from the last couple of weeks.

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10/21/2025

Some dogs go from playtime to posing.

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10/21/2025

Some of you will notice the birds are out of the window. For this week, we decided to share a few of our recent winnings at our National Specialty Dog Show. Some of you have noticed the bus hanging around and that usually means we are training dogs or heading to a show.

This year was particularly special for us because, like so many of you, we had a dog that needed training to get through some issues. For a year we have been retraining one of our dogs. It was rewarding to see our hard work was successful.

At a National Specialty, you are competing with the best of your breed, professional handlers (that show dogs full-time). We left winning:
Arnold
1 Reserve Winners Dog
2 Best of Winners (including the National) (major wins)
2 Best Owner -Handled (Katie showing)
New Champion

Kurt
1 Select Dog
1 Award of Merit (National)
Best Stud Dog

Eve (the puppy)
Best Puppy in Sweeps (Nationals)
1 Reserve Winners Bitch
1 Winners Bitch (major win)

Alex
Select Bitch (Nationals) w/ Emily handling
Best Junior Handler (Emily)

TJ
Extended Generation (Nationals)

Spirit
1 Reserve Winners Bitch
1 Winners Bitch (major win)
Veterans

Spirit and TJ both represented the veterans. Unfortunately, we were unable to show Rocco (the Papillon). His ring time conflicted with the Anatolians all weekend.

One of Kurt's other sons also won Select dog at two shows and with his owner won the other 2 owner-handled awards. Big wins for Grouper!

We are excited to share these wins with you, as we feel it's important for you to know we strive to bring you our knowledge and expertise every day!

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10/21/2025

It was very hard to tell this guy it was time to be groomed. I woke him from his nap and then he had to show me how adorable he is ...

10/07/2025

Charlie and Arnold both had spooktacular days at the spa.

10/02/2025

If any of our Jasper fans want to help out, I have started a Meal Train for Jasper for his upcoming surgery.

Jasper's having surgery! While this is exciting and long awaited, Jasper is still having major surgery that will significantly limit mobility for a brief while. He will require extra care for the first week couple of weeks so during this time we want to help relieve some of the stress of any medical...

10/02/2025

Playing and positive interactions with other dogs are important. We don't want dogs overwhelmed by crowds, that can damage a dog for life. Small groups can be more ideal for most pets. There are always the extroverts that can handle large groups, but most dogs don't fall in that category.

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10/02/2025

Good Morning! 🌞🌞🌞

Our hours of operation during the normal work week (M-F) are from 0800 to 1730 (8:00 am to 5:30 pm). We do allow drop offs for daycare only as early as 0730 (7:30 am), no earlier.

Should you need early drop off for any other service, grooming or boarding, this must be arranged in advance. Otherwise, my staff is directed to have you wait until we open. This is to allow us time to take care of the animals boarding with us and prepare for the day's workload.

Why do we allow the exception for daycare? Our daycare clients see us daily and usually don't require us to gather a lot of instructions. These are usually very quick transactions in the morning and less disruptive. Boarding and grooming requires a more detailed transaction so we need to be ready.

We call grooming clients one to two days prior to your appointment to confirm your appointment. This is a great time to give us the heads up that you will need an early drop off. Dropping off at 0730, does NOT guarantee that your dog will be groomed by 0830. Dropping off before we open, doesn't mean we groom your pet before we open. It is strictly a courtesy that can be arranged should you let us know ahead of time.

Thank you for your understanding.