Well I have finally got myself back on track with this site, got my new iPhone and downloaded a GPS tracker app.  Going to start mapping some of the walks that we do with the dogs )

To start it all is the Valentines day walk of 2010, Auntie Jeen was working this week so was down to Myself, Aunty Janet, Paul and Fiona… As well of course as the dogs (Harry, Roxy, Bruno, Hetty, Ruby and Slug (Molly)

OK so I have not been as vigilant as I wanted to be with the updating here.  But as the saying goes, better late than never

Last time I was here I was talking about putting Harry into a Kennels for the weekend while I went to my cousins wedding and mypetstop was chosen as the kennels of choice.  Well the wedding went really well and my speech even got a few chuckles so that was a bonus.  We (Me and the happy couple) both wanted our dogs kept together in the kennels and this wasn’t a problem when we dropped them off, they were more than willing to accommodate. On arrival we checked in and settled the bill then were taken to a staging room where we went over the dietary requirements and any health issues they might have.  The staff were top notch and really made us feel at ease and answered any questions we had.  Once everything was covered off we were allowed to take the dogs down to their “apartment” and help them settle in.  We took their own beds, thought that this might help them settle a little better, we also had the TV package upgrade which I thought was a good option to have as it gives them familiar noises, etc…  We also bought them a toy each from the shop at the front of the store that was put in the rooms after we left.

So that was that .. they were in and we were doing wedding related jobs.  There were times we were tempted to ring and see how they were doing but remained strong and resisted.  Also the beer flowing late into the night / early morning might have had something to do with it also.

So Sunday afternoon comes around and we head to pick them up.  We went down to the apartments to collect them ourselves (with a member of staff).  I have to say I was very pleased, they were both healthy and the room was clean and well looked after, to be fair they delivered everything they promised and both dogs were over the moon to see us.  Don’t think there are many things that beat the sight of your dog when it’s pleased to see you, not just wagging his tail, but literally wagging his entire body.

I think all in all it was a great place to take Harry, and if I ever need a kennels again they will be the first choice.  While I was there I looked at some of the other facilities they offered and I’m definetely entertaining the idea of the Hydrotherapy Pool, looks ace

If I was to offer any suggestions about how the service could be improved then the only thing I could think of would be add some other extras; maybe as well as a television upgrade a radio would be a good idea.   With the world today mostly all being online then another option maybe to offer a “Webcam” service where the owners can dial in remotely and see their dog live online to set their concerns to rest?  But other than that there isn’t much in my opinion that needs to be changed, the staff and venue are top notch.

About 18 months ago I was honored to be asked to be Best Man at my cousins wedding, now at the time thought little about what I was going to do with my then puppy during the wedding, and also maybe not fully realising what it meant to be best man.  As the date got closer and my list of jobs from the bride to be grew (thanks Fiona), it dawned on me that Harry was going to have to go int he kennels for a few days during the actual event.  The bride and groom to be also had a dog (Roxy) that would have to be kenneled as well.  Seeming as they have grown up together so far and get on really well we took it upon ourselves to find a nice kennel where they would be looked after, treated well and be able to stay together.

Our first port of call was to check with the local vets, to  see if they could recommend anywhere, but to be honest we didn’t get much fruit through that search.  The company I work for (Utility Masters), is an energy management specialist and one of our newer customers happened to offer dog boarding services.  So decided to do a little research on them and the facilities they offer.

mypetstop have 3 locations throughout the north of England (Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle) and pride themselves on basically being a hotel for dogs.  They offer high standards in all the areas you would expect and also some that you would not even have thought of.  It looks like they try and make the “apartments” as comforting as possible.  Each apartment even has 2 heated rooms, one for play and the other for resting and eating.  The services are even as extensive as the facilities, it appears more to be a doggie day spa more than a kennels.  You can tailor your dogs stay down to number of activities, length of walks, number of  treats, the list is endless.

Once I saw what they were offering I didn’t look anywhere else, not to sound too cheesy, but it appeared to be perfect, exactly what we were looking for.  So for 3 days (2 nights) and a mid range package that includes 2 walks a day, playtime, treats and other use of facilities we are paying £47.85 per dog.  I don’t think you can argue with that considering that it also gives us the peace of mind they are being well looked after.

So they are booked in for the wedding weekend and will hopefully want to come home on sunday when we pick them up, from the things I’ve seen so far they might be too happy there.

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OK, so it’s getting darker earlier now and having a black dog on a dark field at night is asking for trouble right?

First thing I thought was one of the shiny reflective collars, this worked brilliant as long as I actually knew where to shine a torch, not so much when he decided to have a little run about.

Someone mentioned that pets at home sell flashing collars, so headed down there and found they actually have a few different types. I ended up choosing the High Visibility Yellow Reflective Flashing Dog Collar by Coopet. The main reason I opted for this was the build quality, it looked a lot better than the other cheaper offerings they had.

So I get the collar home and glad to realise i chose the right size, I know I should have measured him first but I’m not one for thinking everything through. There are 4 setting that the collar is capable of; off, fast flash, slow flash, on. The only setting I would have liked to see was a Knight Rider style light running around his neck, think that would have looked kind of cool.

Ok so to the testing… the fields I usually take him on are pitch black and 2 rugby pitches long so plenty of room for “testing” purposes. Turned it on and let him loose ha ha

I have to say I was very impressed with the outcome; I was able to see him wherever he goes, no more stealth dog now, never out of my site…

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