At The Pet Campus, Inc. we believe in providing a very social atmosphere for our canine clients. We know that dogs who have good social skills with both other animals and people, are not only good pets but welcomed members of society. Day Care is obviously focused on providing a social environment, but our boarding facility also provides a social context. Boarding clients are offered additional services which include going for a walk, playtime with a person and the dog's favorite toy, or they may select to be evaluated for social time with other dogs. Even the boarding accommodations provide social opportunities. Although the dogs have solid walls on the inside of their kennel space to provide peace and privacy, the outside of their runs is chain link, so they can see the rest of the boarding dogs. Most dogs make friends with their neighbors; if neighbors don't get along, they are switched around to other runs until peace is restored.
The pros to a social environment are innumerable but include mental and emotional stimulation, and a reduction in stress. Among the obvious social activities like walks and playtimes, the dogs create their own opportunities to bond such as the old "steal the toy or blanket from the next run" games, extended contact with the staff, as well as 2 meals a day to look forward to.
There are both pros and cons to the social environment of the kennel. The cons include the chance of injury or illness - much the same as with our children in school or day care. The Pet Campus, Inc. tries diligently to reduce the chances of both of these problems by educating our employees and by our medically sound, if unusual, vaccination requirements.
