Citizen Canine: About Us
Tina Merrill established Citizen Canine in October, 2000. She had often traveled on business and had come to realize the necessity of having good and reliable care for her dogs while she was away. She therefore created Citizen Canine to provide a daycare and boarding service dedicated to keeping dogs happy and healthy while their owners were away. Tina also assembled a team devoted to realizing her dream of giving dogs the care they deserved.
Members of the team must become Certified Pet Care Technicians (CPCT) through the Pet Care Services Association, and they must become certified in CPR and Pet First Aid through the American Safety & Health Institute. Every staff member also spends hours in Citizen Canine’s behavior and training department learning how to read the body language of dogs. Many staff members also have degrees and certifications in veterinary medicine, behavioral science and dog training. Citizen Canine is committed to helping its employees improve their skills by offering regular workshops and seminars and on-the-job training.
Our employees are thus dog care professionals who have devoted themselves to giving the best possible care to our canine guests. They help new arrivals get settled in, prepare special meals for dogs who either have special dietary needs or are just finicky, play many games of fetch, and make sure all dogs are comfortable in their beds at night. As many of them are themselves dog owners, they treat each guest like their own dog.
The day care offers a stimulating social and physical experiences for dogs, and the dogs are kept in small groups divided by temperament, size and age to ensure the most fun and the fewest disagreements between guests. The program alternates play with rest so nobody is exhausted, over-stimulated or stressed out.
Citizen Canine also offers a variety of training programs, ranging from obedience school for puppies to the basics of running agility courses. The programs can be tailored for timid dogs or extremely energetic dogs.