March 2, 2013

Price increase effective April 1

We know that a price increase is never welcomed news. We have not raised our prices since August of 2008, yet, as is true for most businesses and families, our operating costs have continued to rise each year.

On April 1, our prices will increase from $17 to $19 per day for daycare, and from $25 to $28 per night for boarding. We will still offer a 20 percent discount for a second dog when boarding, making the cost $50 per night for two dogs. The cost for three dogs boarding will be $70 per night, a nearly 30 percent savings. Geriatric dogs, dogs who need insulin, and dogs who require several medications will be $33 per night.

If you would like to pay ahead for any scheduled boarding or take advantage of our Buy 10 Get One Free daycare deal, let us know before April 1 and we'll give you the current price of $17 per day for daycare or $25 per night for boarding.

A word about collars

If your dog is a regular at our daycare, you know we implemented the use of PlaySafe collars a couple of years ago. We did this as a safety precaution, since dogs tend to grab one another's necks while playing, and in doing so one dog can get its lower jaw caught under the other dog's collar. This can very quickly lead to a broken jaw or strangulation.

The PlaySafe collar has two Velcro closures that allow the collar to be removed quickly in such an emergency. A regular buckle collar or the snap-type collar is virtually impossible to remove when dogs are hooked together in this way because the collars are so tight you simply cannot get them undone. A choke chain (also known as a slip chain) is IMPOSSIBLE to get off if this happens. I have heard many horror stories during my years working with dogs and heard two recently that involved dogs choking to death while wearing choke chains. One of the instances involved two dogs playing together, as described above.

Please don't leave your dogs unattended with "choke chains" on. It is an accident waiting to happen and is not worth the risk.

Update on changes to dog-shooting law

In January, in response to the shooting of a dog in Terrace Heights in November, a group of concerned citizens met with Rep. Charles Ross (R-14) to discuss changes to the current law that allowed this tragic shooting of a pet to be legal. We heard back from Rep. Ross this week. He reported that his staff attorneys are working on the issue and are looking into a "gray area" within the statute. We're not sure if that's good or bad news, but we're pleased that Rep. Ross is investigating the current law. He said the issue will not be resolved in this legislative session, and he promised to keep us informed of his progress. Thank you Rep. Ross!

That's a lot of meals!

Thank you for your generous donations to Yakima's Meals on Wheels program that delivers prepared meals to house-bound seniors and their pets. We collected more than 270 pounds of dog and cat food that will help local seniors and their pets enjoy healthy, nutritious meals.