I just wrapped up a week at a great dog daycare in Ottawa, Ontario – coincidentally enough called, Ottawa Doggy Daycare & Training Center. I met lots of new friends there and had some interesting adventures.
I’ll start at the beginning. Before Mum left for the Cayman Islands, we looked around at a couple of places to find the best one for a little celebrity. The first one we looked at was called the Ottawa Dog House. I went in with Mum and Dad to look around. Definitely not suitable for a celebrity. It was a small, empty and decrepit looking bungalow house with what looked like an improvised wood and wire backyard fence. There weren’t even beds in the house! Just a bare floor to lie on. Next!
We came to the Ottawa Doggy Daycare and it was an instant hit. The owner was very nice and gave us a little tour. It was a big warehouse-type building, but nicely done up with sections for small and big dogs. The outdoor part was a bit small, but at least it was properly fenced. You can always tell how good a place is by how many forms you have to fill out about your dog. That way at least you know that all the dogs have had their vaccinations.
Since my first day there I really took to one of the employees named Kathleen. I guess she kind of played my motherly figure while Mum was gone. She was also a good photographer and agreed to take the place of my usual 24/7 camera crew while I was at daycare.
Kathleen introduced me to a wonderful lady dachshund named, Dixie. Here’s the two of us on the couch. Technically, the dogs are not supposed to be on this couch, but who are we kidding? We’re dachshunds..
I was a bit lonely at first though, not knowing where my own Mum went, or why Dad was leaving me in this strange place for the day.
Kathleen (and all the other staff there) took great care of me. They always made sure I was happy and comfortable. They even gave me this cool orange ball to play with. At first I thought it was just another regular ball, but when I saw it rolling around I noticed treats started falling out! Awesome!
But when you’re out in the yard, or the ‘pen’ as some dogs call it – things change. You got to watch your back. Many of the dogs there recognized me and came to my side to form a clique, which I so dually dubbed, ‘Da Dawg Gang’. There were a few of us, including Dixie the dachshund, Scout the terrier, and Horton the puggle. They had all been going there a long time so really knew the ropes. That’s me and Scout below. You can see he looks like a ‘scrapper’.
Below is Horton and I. He is a cool dog with a long history. He wouldn’t tell me exactly why he was there. Anyway, in the below picture he was leaning over and whispering something to me. He said, “Hey Crusoe. Can I have your pawtograph? But don’t do it in front of the others.. It’s for my Mom”.
I met this one dog named Maggie the springer spaniel. She was just like my best friend, Laffie. So naturally, I got along really well with her. I would race up and down the pen, having her chase me. Too fun!
The last day was when the real action happened. There was this new lady who just got put in the joint daycare, and as I was feeling more confident from being there a while, I figured I would go check her out. I told Scout to watch my back.
So I trotted on over, trying not to look too conspicuous. It was only by coincidence that she turned her back to me during my approach, and so didn’t see me coming. When I got up to her I couldn’t help but take a peep (and a sniff) up her skirt. She obviously didn’t take very kindly to this surprise – as she whipped around and nipped me right on the nose! Can you believe that?!
Being a celebrity and gentleman, I felt it was not my place to fight a girl. So I merely walked away, although I can’t say without a little broken pride. If it had been a male dog though, I would have bitten his face right off.
After the ‘fight’, the employees all rushed in to help me. They cleaned me up really good and even put polysporin on my (‘supposedly’ small) cuts. I also had to fire Scout as my personal bodyguard when I realized he had been playing with a bone while he was supposed to be covering me. That’s what you get for trusting those you don’t know very well. Maggie came to see me after and gave me a bunch of kisses. Plus, Kathleen was there to give me some extra comfort.
Anyway, those things can happen no matter where you are. I have to say that the Ottawa Doggy Daycare did a fantastic job looking after me. The staff treat me like a real celebrity, and are always happy to see me come and sad to see me go. They are very dedicated and very passionate about what they do. You have to appreciate that.. Kathleen even said I was her ‘main squeeze’ while I was there, and that I was the ‘sweetest’ little guy.
Mum is supposed to go on another trip this July (without me again, so we’ll have to discuss that), but I’ll definitely be back to the Ottawa Doggy Daycare Center! I just hope Maggie and Kathleen are still there! If you happen to be one of my fans in Ottawa and looking for a dog daycare in the West-End, I would recommend this one 100%!
What have your daycare experiences been like?
Keep ballin’,
~ Crusoe
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