2010 Holiday Boarding

Barks would like to remind you that we are here for your Holiday pet care needs. Important information regarding, Boarding, Grooming, Training and Doggie Daycare are located below including FAQs. If you require more information, please call 281-970-2284 or info@barks5thave.com

We require that all pets are current on vaccines prior to entering our facility, you can bring copies of your records or simply call your vet and have them fax to us 281-970-2044. Barks 5th Avenue takes pride in the cleanliness of our facility, we require all pets are current on vaccines; understand that when you take your pet to a facility where there are other animals in large quantities, you accept the risk of common illnesses, such as but not limited to Kennel Cough, upper-respiratory infection, diarrhea, etc. Barks 5th Avenue is not responsible for your dog contracting illness while in our facility. We will however notify you immediately should your dog show symptoms of any of these common illnesses. Please consult your vet before boarding your pet.

• Holiday Hours
  • 11/25 Thanksgiving Day – closed
  • 11/28 extended check-in/out hours 9am-10am and 5pm-6pm
  • 12/24 Christmas Eve 7am-1pm
  • 12/25 Christmas Day – closed
  • 12/26 extended check-in/out hours 9am-10am and 5pm-6pm
  • 12/31 New Year’s Eve – 7am-1pm
  • 1/01/11 New Year’s Day – closed

Upgrade your pets stay…

• Doggie Daycare – 8 hours of free range boarding in our 1 acre backyard or our indoor/outdoor Central Bark Park. $18/per day/per dog while boarding.
• Bully Sticks and raw bones – prices range from $3.99-7.99
• Grooming – pamper your pooch with a professional bath or groom. Call for pricing.
• Training Refreshers – $25.00/session must have completed Barks Behavior Boot Camp.

We would like to remind you that…

• Check out at Barks is before 12 noon, if you pick up after 12 noon you will be charged for that night
• There will be a Holiday surcharge of $6.00 per animal on these days Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.
• We feed Precise Foundation as our kennel food – this is an additional $1.00 per feeding. You can bring your own food as long as it is packaged into individual feedings and labeled.

Please note!

• All pets linens are changed a minimum of 2x daily, we can not guarantee you will get your linens back in the same condition as when you dropped them off. You can upgrade your pets stay by asking for plush bed rental, peanut bully sticks and/or raw bones.

· Food from home is accepted but please make sure you put portions into individual servings with your pets name and your last name on each bag.

· Doggie Daycare is for dog friendly dogs only, if you are not sure if your dog meets this criteria we can help identify whether or not your dog can participate. DD is available 7 days/week even during holidays.

• As stated above you must provide current vaccination records prior to your pets stay at Barks. .
• Please call to schedule a tour – for the safety of all pets boarding at our facility we do not give tours during holiday boarding.

FAQs

Can I bring my pets bed or an article from home to leave with my pet? In order to maintain a sanitary and comfortable atmosphere while boarding, we change every pets linens twice daily. Therefore, if you choose to bring items from home Barks is not responsible for the condition of the personal items once returned.

Can I bring toys and treats for my pet? Barks supplies complimentary chew toys and balls. Raw bones and bully sticks are available as food upgrades and range from $3.99-7.99.

What requirements does my pet need to have in order to participate in Doggie Daycare? All dogs participating in DD have to be dog friendly. If you are unsure of your dogs eligibility for DD we can help identify whether or not your dog can participate.

How many times a day is my dog walked? If your dog is not participating in DD then your dog is walked three times daily in our 1 acre backyard.

What is the feeding schedule? We feed two times daily, morning and evening unless otherwise requested.

How big are the kennels? Kennel size varies depending on the size of the dog, we make sure that all dogs have enough room in their kennels to turn around and walk back and forth. If you prefer not to have your pet in a kennel then you can board in one of our suites.

Why Raw?

We get this question from many of our clients looking to improve their dog and/or cats health; we think the more pertinent question should be WHY NOT RAW? Let’s be open minded here, I know raw meat sounds strange and you have many questions, let’s address these one at a time, below I will answer FAQs to help you better understand why raw dog food is best for your pet. If at the end of this post you should still have questions, please feel free to contact me directly Kristen@barks5thave.com, I will be happy to set a one-on-one appointment with you to create a customized nutrition program.

Q: What are the benefits of a raw diet?

A: Well my friends the benefits are endless. A raw diet provides live enzymes, phytochemicals, antioxidants, and unadulterated amino acids, as well as vitamins and minerals that only a raw diet can provide. These nutrients are lost when a food is chemically processed and/or cooked with high heat. Other benefits include but are not limited to – fewer allergies or controlled symptoms, glossy coats and healthy skin, smaller firmer stools, healthy teeth and gums eliminating the need for dentals, increased energy and lean body mass.

Q: Is raw meat safe for my dogs to consume?

A: The answer is YES absolutely it is! In their “natural” or “ancestrial” habitat, dogs would hunt and eat raw meat, in fact they might consume the same carcass over a period of days. Please remember that dry “kibble” dog food was not even created until about 70 years ago – so what was a 1930′s canine to eat? Their main diets consisted of left overs, yes table scraps and they HUNTED. Clearly we can not give our dogs the scraps off our modern tables but we can however provide the raw part, without them having to hunt. Today’s pre-manufactured raw diets are pathogen safe and ready to feed out of the bag. They are pathogen safe more for the human handling concerns than for the health risk to the dog.

Q: Will my dog have diarrhea from the transition to raw?

A: Yes, some do and some don’t, there is no way around it, think of a vegetarian deciding one day to eat steak. Yes, there will be digestional changes during the transition process. How bad it will be is going to depend on the sensitivity of your dogs stomach and how quickly you transition. The general rule is to transition over a 2-3 week period, gradually incorporating the old food with the new. Work through it, your pet will benefit in the long term.

Q: My veterinarian recommends a prescription diet, shouldn’t I feed what my vet recommends?

A: There are extreme situations when yes, you should follow your vets reccomendations on what to feed, however just like your general practitioner is not your nutritionist neither is your vet your pet’s nutritionist. Your vet knows a little bit but not enough to make an educated recommendation, the “prescription” pet food industry is much like the pharmaceutical industry, get it? Educate yourself on the facts and then find a vet that augments your wishes for your pets health, not one that goes against it.

Q: Is raw more expensive than regular dog food?

A: Well it depends on how you view it…yes the actual cost of the food is more than dry food of any variety however, the long term benefits keep you out of the vet’s office. You do the math and decide.

I hope this information is helpful, we believe that a well balanced dog is obtained through training, nutrition and socialization.

visit www.truthaboutpetfood.com to learn more facts.

Kristen Woodliff, Canine Nutrition Specialist

Barks 5th Avenue