Drum Boarding Kennels

Morag’s Christmas Blog 2022

Wed, 21 Dec 2022 08:10:00 +0000

All of us at Drum Kennels and Cattery would like to wish our customers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Christmas isn’t always a happy time for your dog

Christmas is a time where a lot of us are extremely busy, especially in the lead up to the big day.
Visitors may be coming to stay, or just popping in for a visit.
All this extra activity can be unsettling for your dog.
So please give them some thought through the Christmas and New Year period.
If you are unsure how your dog will react to strangers in the house, put them somewhere in the house that is familiar, safe and warm with something to keep them occupied such as a stuffed kong.
Christmas crackers!
If my household is anything to go by, my dogs HATE Christmas crackers.
There is nothing worse than seeing your loving dog scared and shaking because those things on the dining table have just exploded!
We still enjoy crackers on Christmas Day but I take the ‘bang’ out first so when we pull them they don’t make a noise

Christmas food poisonous for dogs?
At Christmas time we all love to have delicious festive foods and share these with friends and family.
Here are some of the most common festive foods that can make your dog poorly………

Chocolate - chocolate coins on the Christmas tree, Advent calendars, Boxes of chocolates, even if they are wrapped and under the tree.
Christmas cake, mince pies and Christmas pudding - these all contain raisins, sultanas or currants which can be poisonous to dogs.
Stuffing - Onions, garlic, leeks, shallots and chives all belong to the allium family and can be found in most types of Christmas stuffing.
Nuts - certain nuts, especially Macadamia nuts can also make a dog ill.
All this sounds really scary!
.

Rescue dogs - loooking after them is a speciality of ours!

Wed, 11 Aug 2021 06:05:33 +0000

I thought today I would share some information on us kennelling rescue dogs.

I’m often being asked to kennel a dog that has been rescued while its owner is on holiday. The owner is naturally concerned that it will put the dogs behaviour back and or the dog will think its been abandoned!

Let me put you at ease and I’ll answer some of the regular questions I get asked. But before that, I would like to give you a bit of background to my experience with rescue dogs. I have for a number of years now, been involved in some form or another with the charity Nowzad.

We are asked from time to time to kennel a Nowzad dog that needs some rehab work, so we start by settling the dog into its new surroundings and letting it get used to our daily routine and seeing our staff on a daily basis.

So often kennels are a ‘safe zone’ for rescue dogs.

Some rescue dogs will be wary of a human getting too close to them. Sometimes they are too scared to eat straight off so we get on the floor and slowly offer food from our hand and usually within a few hours they are eating happily.

I will reiterate that it is our policy to never mix dogs from different households and only myself and my staff are permitted to go in with any dog.

I hope this helps to reassure you that we can and are more than happy to accommodate your rescue dogs in particular street rescues as that is where our expertise lies.

News from Drum!

Tue, 25 May 2021 08:00:00 +0000

Welcome back to all our customers.
I am well aware that I have been a bit lax in writing my blog and letting you all know what we have been up to, so, with no further ado, what has been happening here since Christmas?
We’ve painted the inside of one cattery block so its nice and bright for our lovely cat boarders.
The car park has had a spruce up which includes a new fence there too.
As some of you will know, years ago there was a problem with the road and subsequently we had to have some of our hedge pulled out to repair the road and surrounding area.
But more excitingly, I would like to introduce you to little Bhu (Bhuna).
Suzie also made the most amazing new sheep shed (Jackie and I did the “goforing” digging, concreting, post erecting and Jackie helped Suzie install the new sheep shed.
So, that’s brought you all up to date with our going ons through Spring.
Morag

Remembering Willow

Wed, 17 Feb 2021 08:00:00 +0000

Willow

I did have another blog planned for this month but then sadly, yesterday, we had to say goodbye to our beloved Willow so I felt as so many of our customers knew Willow, it was only right that I tell everyone a little bit about this amazing cat and why he touched our hearts so much.

One day my phone rang and it was a good friend asking if I wanted a kitten. the time had a stray cat arrive at their site who promptly had 3 kittens.

Wills very quickly took lead role in our home.
Unlike a lot of cats, he loved travelling in the car! passenger seat or on the lap of whoever was driving and ride down to the house.

He did like to tease the dogs we had boarding though!

When customers brought their dogs to stay he would always sit just out of reach, quietly watching the dogs.

If we were doing any work outside the kennels, Wills would be there, watching and demanding cuddles.

So Wills.

2020 and Covid-19

Fri, 08 Jan 2021 08:00:00 +0000

The year 2020 has finished………………….
So, as 2020 is no more, I thought it was as good a time as any to look back and reflect on what it has meant to Drum.
The start of the year was a good one.
But there were rumblings around the world about a new virus COVID-19.
Then it hit!
At first, I have to admit, we were all pretty stunned but then I saw that it was an opportunity to get things done around the kennels and cattery that we had been planning for years and never had the time to complete.
So we deep cleaned, painted the kennels, cleared cupboards and sheds and painted sheds and then painted even more!
We planted colourful flowers to greet our customers when they returned and all in all had a pretty good time in the glorious weather.
Also, sadly, we have lost some of our lovely old dog and cat boarders that have come to the end of their lives.
But what we didn’t plan for or even expect, was that the pandemic wasn’t getting any better.
So once again, after a very short reprieve, bookings were cancelled and a second lockdown was introduced.
We painted one cattery block this time!
We have had a few customers over Christmas but nothing like the amount we have seen in past years.
So, we were now looking forward to 2021 with the hope that we can see some return to normality for us all.
For now, we would like to wish all our customers old and new a very happy and healthy New Year.
With love from myself and the team.

Our Sheep

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Our sheep!
Over the past few years, from time to time, our customers have said.
Well, yes is the answer.
Approximately 10 years ago, our neighbour farmer asked us if we would like a lamb.
Joey spent the first few months of his life under a heat lamp at night and frolicking around during the day, always excited to us, especially if we were carrying his milk bottle.
I felt sad that he didn’t have any other sheep for company so a friend told me that a farmer friend of hers would be at Exeter market and he had an orphan lamb I could have.
Joey was a Poll Dorset cross who was very feisty!
I have had a few more lambs since then, Ronnie, another Suffolk cross, and two more Texel crosses Rosy and Poppy.
Our girls spend their time eating whatever they can find in the paddocks and up our drive.
The dogs in the kennels soon get used to seeing them when they pass the kennels in the mornings and evenings and out in the paddocks when we are walking the dogs.
Although, mine always go on their leads if we are near any livestock when we are out and about.
I’ve always wanted sheep and these guys have taught me so much.
The girls are getting old now and I’m not sure how much longer we will have their company for, but rest assured, they will be loved, cared for and pampered right to the end.
Stay safe everyone.
Morag

Your pets stay with us - keeping them happy.

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Enrichment

Enrichment.
“The action of improving or enhancing the quality or value of something”

So, how does this apply to us here?

Well, yes we are kennels and yes, the dogs are in kennels.
The more enrichment an animal can have the happier and healthier they are.
When a customer leaves their pet in our care, it is important that they go home in the same condition or even better!
So how do we achieve that?
Well, firstly, we feed good quality food.
Secondly, we give the dogs (I’ll talk about cats enrichment later in this blog) lots of attention and exercise.
Thirdly, we get to know every dog in our care and what their individual needs are.
All of the above comes under the heading of enrichment but the enrichment I am talking about is how to make their stay simply the best, so that at bedtime, the dogs are well exercised, their brains have been stimulated and they are ready to rest.
Interacting with each dog, stimulates them.
The cats in our care also have enrichment.
Cats love their comfort so we give them a choice of cosy beds to choose from.
We want the pets in our care to want to come back and we hope by making their stay enjoyable this will help.
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