Citizen Canine http://www.citizencanine.net Deluxe Dog Hotel in Oakland CA Sun, 13 May 2012 18:22:56 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Best Food/Puzzle Toys for Dogs’ Mental Stimulation http://www.citizencanine.net/best-foodpuzzle-toys-for-dogs-mental-stimulation/ http://www.citizencanine.net/best-foodpuzzle-toys-for-dogs-mental-stimulation/#comments Sun, 24 Apr 2011 03:03:49 +0000 alice http://www.citizencanine.net/?p=1453 Here at Citizen Canine, we believe that happy, healthy dogs need a balance of physical exercise, healthy diet, rest, love, social interaction and MENTAL stimulation. That last one is often overlooked by most pet owners.

Mental stimulation can come in many forms from positive reinforcement training games (tricks, agility, flyball, nosework, freestyle etc) to [...]]]> Here at Citizen Canine, we believe that happy, healthy dogs need a balance of physical exercise, healthy diet, rest, love, social interaction and MENTAL stimulation. That last one is often overlooked by most pet owners.

Mental stimulation can come in many forms from positive reinforcement training games (tricks, agility, flyball, nosework, freestyle etc) to food & puzzle toys. Our dogs are smarter than we give them credit for. Working their brains for 30 minutes can tire them out just as much as an hour of physical exercise.

Our staff have tested out and recommend the following food & puzzle toys with their own dogs, but would love to hear about any other recommendations! We carry many of these toys in our retail area and recommend them for anyone who owns a high energy dog.

1) Nina Ottosson’s line of interactive dog games (Casino, Spinny, Tornado etc)

These are some of the best toys on the market if you want to literally ‘see’ your dog thinking and problem solving. However, they do require you to interact and play the game WITH your dog. These are not toys that you can just leave your dog with. But they are a great bonding activity to work on with your dog and then show off to all your friends, family and coworkers!\
2) Canine Leo Genius

These rubber bowling pin shaped toys are a wonderful way to feed your dog their daily meals. Interlocking two or three toys together rapidly increases the difficulty for your dog and can keep them occupied for hours trying to get the last couple kibbles out.

3) Tug-A-Jug

This is another great food toy. It’s much easier to fill than the Leo Genius’ but owners with hardwood floors may not like it’s hard plastic construction. The level of difficulty on this one is mid to high without much ability to change. This makes it hard and potentially frustrating for dogs who are not used to using their brains much. But it’s been wonderful to watch my two bully breed dogs figure out their own very different techniques for extracting their kibbles out of the Tug-A-Jug.
4) Buster Cube

Another hard plastic food toy, that is cube shaped but with a maze of compartments inside that randomize the distribution of kibbles as your dog plays with it. Again, it can be noisy for households with hardwood. However, keeps my dogs engaged for at least an hour each meal.
5) Talk-to-Me Treat Ball

Similar concept as the Buster Cube, but this is ball shaped and includes a recordable voice feature that is comforting and encouraging for your dog when you leave them with this toy and go to work. They spend an hour or so working on getting their breakfast kibble out while hearing encouraging recorded sounds of your voice and then nap the rest of the day until you return.  If they wake up mid-day, they can go back and nudge the ball to hear your voice and maybe get rewarded with the last bits of kibble left from the morning.

]]> http://www.citizencanine.net/best-foodpuzzle-toys-for-dogs-mental-stimulation/feed/ 2 IMPORTANT Community Input Needed for GGNRA Plan to limit/ban offleash dog trails! http://www.citizencanine.net/important-community-input-needed-for-ggnra-plan-to-limitban-offleash-dog-trails/ http://www.citizencanine.net/important-community-input-needed-for-ggnra-plan-to-limitban-offleash-dog-trails/#comments Tue, 01 Mar 2011 03:29:48 +0000 alice http://www.citizencanine.net/?p=1402 Our friends from DogTec (Veronica Boutelle) informed us of this developing community-wide issue:

For those of you who haven’t yet heard, we’re facing losing our off leash areas in the San Francisco Bay Area. This is critical to dog professionals and dog lovers and has ramifications for how these decisions get made throughout the country. Please take a moment to see how you can use your professional expertise to help produce a positive outcome to this process.

THREE VERY IMPORTANT POINTS

First, recognize that the GGNRA plan is a DRAFT. It can be changed. One of the messages the lawyers and planners spear-heading this mission have emphasized again and again is that there is precedent for changing these drafts. Don’t heed those that say it’s a done deal. It is not.

Second, you don’t have to live in the area to make a difference. Comments are counted and considered regardless of where they come from—even out of state. This is a national agency we’re dealing with. Please, even if you don’t use these parks or have never seen them, participate in any way you can—it sets precedents for other areas, too.

Spread the word. Share this with all your clients, friends, family—any dog lovers you know. This impacts us all.

5 THINGS YOU CAN DO

1. Write a letter to share your comments
Where to post your comment:

http://165.83.37.12/dogplan

This is the only place your comment will count. There’s been some confusion about this. If you’ve posted somewhere else, go to this site and do it again.

Comments must be in by April 14th. Earlier is better. Do it today while you’re thinking about it.

If you live in the area, copy your elected officials. www.ecodog.org has a list of all of their email addresses.

And be sure to cc Nancy Pelosi, Diane Feinstein, and Barbara Boxer—they have not been supportive of off-leash causes. www.ecodog.org has their contact information as well.

What to write about:

The comments that count most will be those that have substance. It’s not enough to just say that you want off leash areas—that helps from a numbers perspective but we’ve been told that comments coming from a place of expertise will help the most.

Write what you know. Talk about what you see happening in the areas you walk in, and be specific. Are dogs hassling wildlife? Who uses the areas, and how? What impact does off leash play have on the lives of your clients? On the urban experience? On the behavior of dogs having to share close space with humans? What other solutions are there besides putting dogs on leash or banning them altogether?

If you’re inclined, take a look at the GGNRA draft and speak specifically to it—that’s very powerful. It’s an enormous document, but you can read the 30 page executive summary and take a look at the parts specific to where you walk. It can be found here:http://165.83.37.12/document.cfm?parkID=303&projectID=11759&documentID=38106 The more you can directly challenge the data, assertions, arguments, assumptions in the plan, the better. This approach won’t be for everyone, but if you’ve got a little extra time on your hands and really want to take the GGNRA to task, go for it!

Some arguments you might to speak to:

These recreation areas sit in an urban setting with the highest per capita dog ownership of any other setting in the country. These areas were originally chartered as recreation areas, not pristine wilderness. The movement to make them wild land makes no sense, as they are in the midst of an urban environment.

The draft states that there are 23 other places to walk dogs besides these areas. Almost all of these are dog parks—use your expertise to explain why this is NOT the same thing as an off-leash open area of trails or beaches used by everyone. Use your expertise to explain the limitations and problems associated with dog parks. They are attempting to downplay the original recreational intent of the parks. Don’t let them; speak to human quality of life that parks provide urban residents. (For a great overview of this issue and the politics behind it, visit this blog post written by a Dog Walking Academy graduate: http://meetthekarazans.blogspot.com/?spref=fb )

In addition to the off leash issues, there is also a provision about permitting professional dog walkers. Be sure to weigh in on this. What are your thoughts? How could a permit process be designed that might help promote the profession? What should a dog walker have to do to get a permit? What does it mean to be a professional dog walker? And one argument that has not been made: If you’re going to require dog walkers to have permits and run a professional business, why not then leave the areas free to off leash use? In other words, rather than closing the areas, require people to use them responsibly—to have dogs under control, etc.

A central argument the GGNRA is using is the impact on wildlife. But a) it is not a one-or-the-other situation. There is no reason dogs and wildlife can’t co-exist, particularly with responsible dog ownership and professional dog walkers. Also, there is little evidence that dogs are actually impacting wildlife. For example, the Audubon Society itself reports that only one (!) snowy plover nest was disturbed by a dog in one of its studies. Most are disturbed by people walking in the dunes.

Finally, you can comment more than once. You can make arguments for each area you walk in, for example. Or if you think of another angle, go ahead and write again.

2. Attend an Open-House meeting
This is another opportunity to submit your comments. You can drop in any time during the open hours and submit comments in one of three ways. Either bring a pre-written piece to deliver in hand, or fill out the comment sheets provided there, or speak with a GGNRA representative who will add your comments to a flip chart.

Wednesday, March 2 **
Tamalpais High School
Ruby Scott Gym (changed from Student Center)
700 Miller Avenue
Mill Valley, CA 94941
4:00 – 8:00 p.m.
** There is a silent protest scheduled to take place across the street from this meeting. Bring your dog if you like. The protest will take place from 4-6pm. Numbers matter. Please attend if you can, and bring friends and their dogs, too.

Saturday, March 5
San Francisco State University
Seven Hills Conference Center
State Drive
San Francisco, 94132
11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Monday, March 7
Fort Mason Center
Building A
Marina Boulevard at Buchanan
San Francisco, CA 94123
4:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Wednesday, March 9
Cabrillo School
601 Crespi Drive
Pacifica, CA 94044
4:00 – 8:00 p.m.

3. Fill out this survey
The East Bay Regional Park District has put up a 2011 Master Plan Survey. Part of the survey is about whether or not to continue to allow off-leash hiking in the parks. Please take a moment to weigh in to preserve off leash trails in the East Bay.

http://www.ebparks.org/planning/mp/survey

4. Donate
The Crissy Field Dog Park Association is spending a tremendous amount of money on behalf of us all. They are the ones funding the lawyer and the NEPA experts (a company called Tetra Tech that is helping to go through the GGNRA plan line by line to refute its incorrect claims and challenge its arguments). They are a non-profit. Please support them as best you can, and encourage others to as well.
Visit www.crissyfielddog.org to donate.

5. Spread the word
Share these directions with others. If you are running a dog business, be sure to let all your clients know what’s going on and what they can do. Numbers matter.

]]> http://www.citizencanine.net/important-community-input-needed-for-ggnra-plan-to-limitban-offleash-dog-trails/feed/ 0 Great Floor Resealing Project 2011 http://www.citizencanine.net/great-floor-resealing-project-2011/ http://www.citizencanine.net/great-floor-resealing-project-2011/#comments Sun, 09 Jan 2011 00:05:07 +0000 alice http://www.citizencanine.net/?p=1228 As some of you have already seen, we began our 2011 floor resealing project on Jan 5.  The health and safety of all our canine guests is Citizen Canine’s top priority, therefore periodic resealing of our concrete floors is a necessity.  We have made every attempt to make sure that this month-long process will have [...]]]> As some of you have already seen, we began our 2011 floor resealing project on Jan 5.  The health and safety of all our canine guests is Citizen Canine’s top priority, therefore periodic resealing of our concrete floors is a necessity.  We have made every attempt to make sure that this month-long process will have minimal impact on our normal operations.  Thank you for your understanding and for bearing with us through during this time. If you are interested, you can follow the progress via pictures on our Facebook page.

The most challenging period will be the first couple weeks since our lobby, front desk, office, restrooms, staff room and grooming rooms are essentially out of commission as the floors are stripped and restained & resealed.  We have moved our office and front desk operations into a cozy little dog room.  Our canine guests are still receiving all their normal care (except for baths since our grooming room is not available at the moment - but the dogs are secretly very happy about that!) Once these areas are completed, the rest is much easier to navigate and will have far less impact on our operations.

It is important to note that during the rest of January and the beginning of February, we will not have access to all our rooms for boarding/daycare.  We will be able to house about 75% of our normal capacity. The flooring company has estimated that everything will be complete around the week of February 7 – just in time for our Wags & Wuv benefit event!  Please come have fun, help some animals in need and check out our snazzy new floors!

]]> http://www.citizencanine.net/great-floor-resealing-project-2011/feed/ 0 WELCOME TO OUR BLOG: AROUND THE WATER BOWL http://www.citizencanine.net/welcome-to-our-blog-around-the-water-bowl/ http://www.citizencanine.net/welcome-to-our-blog-around-the-water-bowl/#comments Thu, 11 Feb 2010 22:32:09 +0000 dana http://www.citizencanine.net/?p=1035 Good Day Fellow Dog Fanatics!

We at Citizen Canine have decided to expand the news area of our web-site into a full fledged blog.   I’m Dana, general manager here at Citizen Canine, and newly elected resident blogger.   

I’ll be writing about all the latest happenings at Citizen Canine, including the antics of our canine [...]]]> Good Day Fellow Dog Fanatics!

We at Citizen Canine have decided to expand the news area of our web-site into a full fledged blog.   I’m Dana, general manager here at Citizen Canine, and newly elected resident blogger.   

I’ll be writing about all the latest happenings at Citizen Canine, including the antics of our canine guests.    But I’ll also be chatting about anything and everything else dog!    

Look for special guest bloggers, including other members of the Citizen Canine staff, clients, behaviorists, and even our guests.  

I do hope you’ll follow this blog and join the conversation!   After all…if you don’t join me, I might as well be blogging to the dog!  (can dogs read?   find out in a future Around the Water Bowl entry)

Dana Kleveland

be the kind of person your dog thinks you are

]]> http://www.citizencanine.net/welcome-to-our-blog-around-the-water-bowl/feed/ 0 Citizen Canine Awarded Level II GOLD Standard Accreditation! http://www.citizencanine.net/citizen-canine-awarded-level-ii-gold-standard-accreditation/ http://www.citizencanine.net/citizen-canine-awarded-level-ii-gold-standard-accreditation/#comments Sun, 24 Jan 2010 02:01:15 +0000 alice http://www.citizencanine.net/?p=1021 Citizen Canine has recently been awarded Level II Gold Standard Accreditation from the Pet Care Services Association through their Voluntary Facilities Accreditation Program.

The program provides member pet care facilities the opportunity to show compliance with industry established standards and earn accreditation from the Pet Care Services Association, the global resource for pet care [...]]]> Citizen Canine has recently been awarded Level II Gold Standard Accreditation from the Pet Care Services Association through their Voluntary Facilities Accreditation Program.

The program provides member pet care facilities the opportunity to show compliance with industry established standards and earn accreditation from the Pet Care Services Association, the global resource for pet care facilities. The Accreditation Program establishes nationally recognized standards for design and performance for pet care service providers including boarding, grooming, and dog daycare facilities. This continual review and revision of accepted standards is the cornerstone for professional improvement in the pet care service industry.

The Pet Care Services Association recognizes two levels of accreditation. The Level I Standards consist of items considered essential for proper facility operation. To be awarded Silver Accreditation, a facility is required to meet all of the Level I Standards. Level II accreditation is for those facilities wanting to distinguish themselves by demonstrating they offer additional services and meet a higher level of standards in all areas of pet care and business operation. A facility that incorporates applicable Level II Standards into their operations may qualify for Gold Accreditation.  This is determined via extensive written and oral submissions followed by certification testing and an onsite evaluation.

We at Citizen Canine are grateful that the PCSA developed the Voluntarily Facilities Accreditation Program.  We are honored to have received the Level II GOLD Standard Accreditation - the highest possible accreditation level in our industry.

But the greatest honor of all remains that you, our clients, choose to entrust us with the care of your canine companions.   

Thank-you for choosing Citizen Canine!

]]> http://www.citizencanine.net/citizen-canine-awarded-level-ii-gold-standard-accreditation/feed/ 0 WARMEST WELCOME TO OUR NEW STAFF! http://www.citizencanine.net/welcome-new-staff/ http://www.citizencanine.net/welcome-new-staff/#comments Sun, 13 Dec 2009 01:39:41 +0000 admin http://citizencanine.net/?p=628 Please join us in welcoming some new staff members who got on board prior to the busy Thanksgiving period. Annie Boehm, Amber Acridge, Bianca Brown, Brittany Buenvenida, Courtney Cedillo and Kayla Mogg all assisted in making our Thanksgiving guests feel right at home. Coming from a variety of backgrounds – dog trainer & behaviorist, [...]]]> Please join us in welcoming some new staff members who got on board prior to the busy Thanksgiving period. Annie Boehm, Amber Acridge, Bianca Brown, Brittany Buenvenida, Courtney Cedillo and Kayla Mogg all assisted in making our Thanksgiving guests feel right at home. Coming from a variety of backgrounds – dog trainer & behaviorist, veterinary technician, professional dog grooming and even zoo keeping! – these new team members each bring a unique set of skills and background experiences that sets our pet care service apart.

]]> http://www.citizencanine.net/welcome-new-staff/feed/ 0 2009 Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Request Lists Are Open! http://www.citizencanine.net/2009-thanksgiving-christmas-and-new-years-request-lists-are-open/ http://www.citizencanine.net/2009-thanksgiving-christmas-and-new-years-request-lists-are-open/#comments Wed, 19 Aug 2009 23:33:31 +0000 alice http://www.citizencanine.net/?p=936 In order to accomodate as many clients as possible during the busy holiday season, we have a special reservation procedure specifically for these time periods.

We will be happy to take your holiday REQUESTS from now until September 15. Please understand these are requests and NOT confirmed reservations.

In order to accomodate as many clients as possible during the busy holiday season, we have a special reservation procedure specifically for these time periods.

We will be happy to take your holiday REQUESTS from now until September 15. Please understand these are requests and NOT confirmed reservations.

On September 15, we will go through out REQUEST list and fill all our rooms for Thanksgiving, Christmas/Winter Holidays and New Year’s. We give priority to existing clients who stay with us often throughout the yera and requests that meet or exceed our 5 night minimum for Thanksgiving & New Year’s or our 7 night minimum for Christmas/Winter Holidays.

Deposit letters are sent out in the mail for those clients who receive rooms. Client have until October 15 or November 15 to send us their deposit in order to sercure the room for Thanksgiving and Christmas/Winter Holidays respectively. Any rooms that are not secured with deposits by those deadlines will be released and refilled from the request list.

Unfortunately, we will not be able to contact clients with requests that have not received a room, as we often have several hundred requests for only 60 available rooms.

Please also keep in mind that our peak season pricing is in effect from:

  • Monday, November 23 – 30, 2009 for Thanksgiving period
  • Monday, December 21, 2009 – January 4, 2010 for Xmas/New Year’s

This is an additional $10 per night per room.

]]> http://www.citizencanine.net/2009-thanksgiving-christmas-and-new-years-request-lists-are-open/feed/ 0 Citizen Canine’s Online Store Is Now Open! http://www.citizencanine.net/citizen-canines-online-store-is-now-open/ http://www.citizencanine.net/citizen-canines-online-store-is-now-open/#comments Fri, 19 Jun 2009 23:54:37 +0000 alice http://www.citizencanine.net/?p=924 Does your dog like to strut his stuff at the park in cute tees?  Check out the designs we offer at our online store!  All designs displayed below can be purchased on a variety of tees, tanks, long-sleeves and sweatshirt styles. 

Are you always packing your dog’s boarding and daycare belongings in plastic bags?  Isn’t it time [...]]]> Does your dog like to strut his stuff at the park in cute tees?  Check out the designs we offer at our online store!  All designs displayed below can be purchased on a variety of tees, tanks, long-sleeves and sweatshirt styles. 

Are you always packing your dog’s boarding and daycare belongings in plastic bags?  Isn’t it time that your pup had his/her own luggage for their hotel stay? Check out our stylish and customizable monogrammed tote/canvas bags that are re-usable, durable and eco-friendly! 

Come back periodically to see if we have any new items and feel free to suggest any design ideas!

]]> http://www.citizencanine.net/citizen-canines-online-store-is-now-open/feed/ 0 WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST TEAM MEMBERS! http://www.citizencanine.net/welcome-to-our-newest-team-members/ http://www.citizencanine.net/welcome-to-our-newest-team-members/#comments Tue, 05 May 2009 19:35:18 +0000 alice http://www.citizencanine.net/?p=821 Citizen Canine is excited to have 5 new pet care specialists join our team just in time for the busy summer season! Jeremy Hinton, Stacy Lewis, Alice Tong, Stephanie Milani and Joshua Hewitt will be directly involved with doling out the love and care for your dogs, so don’t be shy and say hello next time [...]]]> Citizen Canine is excited to have 5 new pet care specialists join our team just in time for the busy summer season! Jeremy Hinton, Stacy Lewis, Alice Tong, Stephanie Milani and Joshua Hewitt will be directly involved with doling out the love and care for your dogs, so don’t be shy and say hello next time you and your pup come for a visit!  Stay tuned to our “Meet the Staff” page as we get their pictures and bios updated.

]]> http://www.citizencanine.net/welcome-to-our-newest-team-members/feed/ 0 Dana and Alice passed their CKO exams! http://www.citizencanine.net/dana-and-alice-passed-their-cko-exams/ http://www.citizencanine.net/dana-and-alice-passed-their-cko-exams/#comments Fri, 24 Apr 2009 02:50:47 +0000 alice http://www.citizencanine.net/?p=687 Congratulations! After months of preparation, Dana (General Manager) and Alice (Operations Manager) passed the written and oral exams administered by the Pet Care Services Assocation to become Certified Kennel Operators!

This is just one of the many ways that we renew our dedication to continuing education in order to provide the best possible care [...]]]> Congratulations! After months of preparation, Dana (General Manager) and Alice (Operations Manager) passed the written and oral exams administered by the Pet Care Services Assocation to become Certified Kennel Operators!

This is just one of the many ways that we renew our dedication to continuing education in order to provide the best possible care to all the dogs at Citizen Canine.

]]> http://www.citizencanine.net/dana-and-alice-passed-their-cko-exams/feed/ 0