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Focus on Customer Service
You may have noticed an informational sign at the front desk of each Lucky Dog for our Customer Service Representative and Operations Manager, Julie Paler. Please contact Julie with any customer service issues you may want to address, or comments on employees, both favorable or unfavorable.
Front desk staff name tags are being created in case our customers are not familiar with the person they are talking to.
We have chosen October to review and improve our customer service routines. We also encourage customers to come up with suggestions that may help us improve our customer service, and/or our canine care. All suggestions will be given personal attention and will receive due consideration. Thinking outside the box is allowed and encouraged!
Debi Ropes-Stevenson
General Manager Lucky Dog Resorts
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| Contact Us |
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4401 Mark Dabling Blvd
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80907
719-599-9663 |
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Protect Your Dog at Halloween
Every one loves Halloween, and this group of canine trick-or-treaters is no exception! Keep in mind however that Halloween can be a "tricky" time for your dog. Here are some basic Halloween safety issues you should be aware of!
Costumes are designed to change your appearance in a big way, but these changes can be frightening for your dog. Just a minor change in someone's appearance, like the use of a cane, or wearing a big hat, can frighten your canine friend. Now consider your dog watches you go into another room looking like his beloved companion and you return looking like Captain Jack Sparrow! This transformation can be a disturbing and confusing visual for him. Adding to this, your home is suddenly invaded by groups of scary looking visitors ringing your door bell!
Keep Your Dog Calm It is best to put your dog in a quiet room with a stuffed Kong, or his favorite toy once the Halloween festivities begin. Turn on the TV to provide some comforting and familiar background noise. Do not put your dog in the back yard, for enthusiastic trick-or-treaters have been know to tease or otherwise disturb dogs. Also, kids in costume tend to exhibit strange physical activities along with their wardrobe change (especially when they magically become "super heros".) Children are bitten on Halloween more than other times of the year, so tell the kids to cool it around the dog, and/or put your dog in a quiet place away from the kids.
Treats Can be Tricky
Lots of yummy treats for kids are dangerous for dogs, and some are potentially fatal. Raisins and chocolate are big offenders. Keep an eye on very young children in particular who might not realize the consequences of sharing their candy with four-legged friends.
Dogs In Costume
Dog costumes are not necessarily safe for dogs. There are no safety requirement for most dog costume manufacturers. Netting, sequins, wire, and elastic can all present choking or bowel obstructions hazards for your canine friend. A scared dog may run away with a costume on and get caught in trees or bushes, so do not allow him to wear his costume if he is not under your visual supervision.
Don't end up spending your Halloween at the veterinary emergency hospital!
Creating a safe, less traumatic Halloween event for your dog is better for all the celebrants, human and canine alike.
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Trainer's Corner
Positive Dog Training - The Right Definition
By Meldona Sauer
Agility Trainer
Dog owners and trainers define positive dog training in many different ways, but what exactly is positive dog training?
What positive dog training is not! Training that uses the fear of pain or intimidation to achieve desired results is not a positive technique. Pain or fear is not required for leaning; in fact, pain or fear can actually lower your dog's ability to learn by increasing his stress levels. Training equipment is a sign of what is positive and what is not. Positive dog trainers do not use tools such as choke collars, pinch collars, "good dog collars" or shock collars.
What positive dog training is!
In a nutshell, positive training uses motivation and rewards to help a dog form good habits, and have fun while learning new skills. It allows the development of mutual trust between dog and handler, and enhances the dog's natural willingness to learn. As the dog learns to look to the handler for leadership the bond between them strengthens. Positive dog training tools include the use of treats, toys, praise, clickers, marker words and even physical touch as rewards.
Many trainers and dog owners are finding that positive dog training is more effective than non-positive methods. This is because animals (and humans) tend to repeat behaviors that are
rewarded and extinguish behaviors that are not rewarded or ignored. I often tell clients to think of dog training as you would your job. If your boss provided only negative criticism of your work, you would have no desire to do a better job, or even have a chance to learn what he really expected of you. Treating your dog with positive feedback for the desired behavior is his "paycheck" for doing a good job. Not many of us would stay at a job with no reward on payday, or worse, physical or mental intimidation.
Take a positive approach to your dog training and it will become both enjoyable and fulfilling for you and your dog. As you build that special trust, the training just keeps getting easier!
Lucky Dog Resorts use only positive training techniques. We do not use any of the above listed negative reinforcements during our training, and our trainers are affiliated with only positive canine training organizations.
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| Pooches In Pink!
A Great Day!
 On Saturday Sept 6, Lucky Dog participated in the first annual "Pooches in Pink" event for the Susan G.Korman Breast Cancer Foundation. The event was held at Rock Ledge Ranch, Garden of the Gods, and the weather was beautiful! The costumed dogs looked wonderful (in pink of course) and we met lots of old friends and made some new ones too. Thanks to our wonderful clients and their sponsorships, we were able to raise money for breast cancer awareness, and have fun doing it! A large number of our staff turned out for this event and enjoyed wearing their special Lucky Dog pink tee shirts.We thank everyone who showed up for the great cause of breast cancer awareness,and we predict that this will be an event that grows yearly!
We haven't forgotten! Cat boarding at Lucky Dog South IS coming. We've had a slight delay in construction. Watch our website for updates on our progress!
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Kitty Korner!
It's Halloween!
HEY BLACK CATS - BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!
It's that time of year again! Ghosties and ghoulies, skeletons and witches. But it's all in good fun - isn't it? For the most part it is, but we share this planet with some not so nice individuals, and at Halloween they sometimes come out of the woodwork.
Did you know that most humane facilities will not adopt black cats out one or two weeks before and after Halloween? The reason for this is simple; there are attacks, mutilations and incidents of torture perpetrated on black cats at this time of year in record numbers. Other darkly colored cats such as tortoise shell (black cats with orange highlights) may also fall victim to these sick individuals. This is not a pleasant subject, but knowledge is power.
If you own a cat that goes outside, particularly black or tortoise shell cats, please attempt to keep them in, especially at night, during the Halloween season. There are many reasons to keep your cat safely inside at all times of the year, but if your cat has a dark coat there is another year around danger. Black cats have a higher mortality rate from car hits due to driver visability problems than any other color, and other darkly colored cats run a close second. Always wear reflective collars on all cats, especially dark felines that visit the outdoors!
It's our responsibility to keep our feline friends safe all year long, and never more important than this time of year! | |
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Holiday Madness is Upon Us!
Every year at this time we emphasize the need for our clients to reserve their boarding dates over the holiday season, as early as possible. Unfortunately, every year some clients call a week or two before Thanksgiving and Christmas hoping for a boarding reservation only to be disappointed. We hate to turn dogs away, but this time of year we are usually full at least three weeks before Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year. Rule of thumb: We will be full for Thanksgiving on or before October 31st, and full for Christmas and New Year on or before Thanksgiving.
Please don't wait to make your boarding reservations! If you are unsure of the exact starting or ending dates you can always make changes later. If you haven't already done so, get your reservation in today for all of your holiday boarding needs. A $25 boarding reservation fee is required during the holiday season and it is applied to your final bill. The reservation fee will also be refunded if you cancel your reservation at least 10 days before your drop off date.
If you have last minute plans and we are unable to accommodate your dog, please understand that we do not over crowd to insure the safety and health of all the dogs in our care. As always, we do not use crates for over night boarding under any circumstances!
Thank you and have a great Halloween! See you next month!
Sincerely,
Debi Ropes-Stevenson
Lucky Dog Resorts
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Save 10% On Any Natural Balance Sausage
(any size or flavor) |
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| Offer Expires: October 31, 2008 |
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