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Your source for current news at Central Bark
Read below for timely information such as holiday hours, dog show updates, special activities, and sometimes even special discounts.
NEW Vaccine for Canine Influenza is available!
Finally, a vaccine is available to protect your dog against Canine Influenza (a disease that causes kennel cough type symptoms in dogs, that may lead to pneumonia in some cases). Click here for more info.
Price Increases
Our last price increases were in May 2007. Our rates are going up slightly on June 1, 2009. Our rates are still very competitive. One thing to keep in mind is that at Central Bark, the dogs actually play all day. They have 3 breaks during the day when they are not out in the play areas: 30-45 minutes early in the morning for breakfast, 1 1/2 hours for the noon lunch/naptime, and another 30-45 minutes later in the afternoon for dinner. The dogs do not necessarily play non-stop while in play group - they are well-supervised so content to nap as needed, but it is their choice. Paying adequate staff to supervise the dogs all day is not inexpensive. A survey of Central Bark customers showed that most were willing to pay more to maintain a full day of play, versus cutting back on playtime in order to avoid the price increase.
For frequent boarders, we are now offering pre-paid, non-refundable Boarding Packages. A 15-night package costs $390, which is $26 per night. The 30-night package costs $600, which is steeply discounted to only $20 per night. These packages must be used within 12 months of purchase. They can be used for multiple visits - we will keep track for you.
Happy Holidays!
Merry Christmas to all... and to all a good night! You may have heard the saying - a tired puppy is a good puppy... below are Kiva's exceptionally perfect puppies!
We have a waiting list for Christmas - so if you have waited until the last minute the chances are slim - but not zero - that your dog can stay with us for Christmas.
We will close at 6 pm (instead of 7 pm) on Christmas Eve. We will have Holiday Hours on Friday, December 26 and Friday, January 2 (8-9:30 am and again in the afternoon 4-6 pm) - as well as on Christmas Day and New Year's Day. We are always open every day of the year, but on holidays the hours are limited.
Canine Flu in Colorado Springs
Canine Flu has arrived in Colorado Springs. There is no approved vaccine available for this very contagious disease that has symptoms quite similar to canine cough caused by Bordetella. We had an outbreak of this disease at Central Bark in early July 2008, and have not had any contagious dogs at our facility since July 14, 2008. We were in "semi-shut-down" mode until July 28, and now business is back to normal. I am still in the process of mailing out detailed letters to our customers who had dogs stay with us in early July. I did have testing done to confirm that this was in fact Canine Flu and not Bordetella. Most dogs had fairly mild symptoms, but a few did require fluids and additional antibiotics to recover. Dogs are most contagious within the first 72 hours after exposure - often before they show symptoms. Most dogs show symptoms (coughing, sometimes vomiting, sometimes fever) 2-5 days after exposure. The good news is that most dogs are no longer contagious 7 days after exposure. The other good news is that most of our Central Bark "regulars" now have immunity to this disease (probably for at least 2 years). PLEASE, NO MATTER WHAT KENNEL YOU TAKE YOUR DOG TO, DO NOT TAKE YOUR DOG TO THE DOG PARKS 7 DAYS PRIOR TO BOARDING!!! Please do not be the owner who brings a contagious (but not yet showing symptoms) dog to a kennel where many dogs will be exposed as a result. If your dog has already had Canine Flu, your dog can go to the dog parks without risk. Your vet can submit a titer test to determine if your dog has developed antibodies to Canine Flu (and therefore has immunity). If you have ANY questions about this disease, please consult with your vet and feel free to call us to learn about our experience with this disease (this applies to other kennel owners as well - I have learned alot due to this experience and am happy to share what I learned). We are ALWAYS open about any possible contagious diseases at Central Bark.
I have noticed some "less than accurate" information on some of the local websites - possibly because testing to confirm the cause of their "cough" outbreaks was not done, so it is not known that these outbreaks were also due to Canine Flu. Here are some IMPORTANT FACTS on CANINE FLU:
1. Central Bark had lab testing done to confirm that Canine Flu was the cause. 2. Dogs are most contagious within the first 3 days after exposure to Flu. 3. Dogs usually show symptoms 2-5 days after exposure - so are contagious BEFORE they show symptoms. 4. Most dogs are no longer contagious 7 days after exposure, even if still coughing. Note that this is VERY different from the "cough" caused by Bordetella! Dogs can carry Bordetella for a long time after they are symptom-free. The drawback of Canine Flu is the lack of immunity - when Flu first comes to an area, no dogs have immunity - but the contagious period is short-lived compared to Bordetella. The drawback of Bordetella is the potential for long-term carriers - but many dogs have some immunity either from vaccination or prior exposure. 5. Even without the cleaning and disinfecting done at all conscientious boarding and daycare facilities, the Flu virus usually survives in the environment for only 3 days. 6. Dogs who were at Central Bark during the outbreak are known to have been exposed to Canine Flu, and should be immune for several years. This is valuable knowledge. If you are unsure whether your dog has had the Flu, your vet can submit a titer test to determine if your dog has developed antibodies. I am going to have this test done on my own dog - she was not at Central Bark during the outbreak but I think I brought it home to her, as she had mild symptoms. (Will report back with the results later.)
Seasonal Safety Tips
Be sure to watch out for the deer - the bucks will be in rut through January, and can be quite aggressive. They will gore dogs with their antlers rather than run.
Dog Show News
After some recent wins in Eagle, CO, my Bernese Mountain Dog Sapphire's Fire N Ice (aka "Kiva") is almost a champion. She only needs 2 more single points. Kiva has taken a break from showing in order to raise her puppies.
The next show weekend in Colorado is not until February. Click here to visit the Onofrio website for more dog show info.
Old Dog Show News
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Van's major and Best of Breed
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Kiva's major win in Pueblo
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There was some serious show dog grooming going on at Central Bark on Friday, November 9 before the Southern Colorado Kennel Club dog shows in Pueblo Nov 10-11. Kammie groomed 3 Pekingese, a young Puli, a Bernese Mountain Dog and several Afghan Hounds to look their best in the show ring.
It was a successful weekend. Sharon's Berner "Kiva" (Sapphire's Fire N Ice) was Winners Bitch on Saturday, and placed second in the large Open Bitch class on Sunday. Kiva was expertly handled by professional handler Wendy Melnick. Click here to visit Wendy's website.
Kammie's 9-month-old Afghan pup "Van" (Komar's Absolutely Not a Lyric) won his Puppy Dog Class both days, and was Winners Dog, Best of Winners AND Best of Breed on Sunday.
The 8-month-old Pekingese "Buddy" (Sterling's Prodigy Buddy Boy) was Reserve Winners Dog on Saturday, and on Sunday he was Winners Dog and Best of Winners.
The Puli "Kashi" (Bowmaker Akashi) took Reserve Winners Bitch on Sunday from the 12-18-month-old class.
Also, former Central Bark employee Laura Bergstraser won a Group 4 with her veteran collie bitch "Kiss" (CH Wild Wind's Dressed To Kill CD HT AXJ OA RN) and a Veterans Group 2 on Saturday. We still love Laura! If you have a pre-teen or teenager interested in showing dogs, Laura teaches Junior Handling classes at Canine Solutions (as well as conformation handling for any age, to help prepare your dog for the show ring).
December's Craft Project
At Central Bark we enjoy making the dogs and their families feel special. So, just like at a children's daycare center, we have craft projects (usually on a monthly or quarterly basis). We use the finished results to spruce up our decor, and then send them home with the parents to make room for the next month's project. For those families without school age kids, here is your opportunity to have some "refrigerator art" or other keepsakes, too!
December's project is ornaments. We are currently in the process of photographing the dogs and decoupaging their pictures on glass balls. We write the dog's name and year and finish off with a glittery bow.
November's Craft Project
November's project was pawprint turkeys - below is a sample. Silly, but fun!
Halloween fun - dressing up the dogs!
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