Evaluation
All dogs must come in for an evaluation prior to being accepted for boarding or day care. We will assess your dog’s temperament overall and look for signs of aggression towards other dogs or people. We will also take note of signs of stress or any other problematic behavior. After the evaluation we will give you our honest opinion of whether or not your dog will be a good fit at the ranch.
Why is this evaluation so important?
Lone Star Dog Ranch is not like any other boarding facility. In every other boarding facility, your dog is alone 95% of the time. Why care about a dog’s personality if they don’t interact with other dogs? Here at Lone Star Dog Ranch, all dogs are free to play with each other, socialize, etc. For almost every dog, this does not present a problem. Dogs are social animals, and quickly adapt to the social order of the pack. A very select few dogs, however, simply cannot function in this environment. How do we know which dogs can’t get along? Again, this is where Lone Star Dog Ranch is different from other boarding facilities. We have over 40 years of experience observing dog behavior in a professional atmosphere. We are able to very quickly spot any problem behavior, and occasionally we enlist the help of some of our younger staff members. Our own personal dogs have been raised in this environment since they were puppies. They are no strangers to the interview process. They have the ability to quickly adapt any dog to the social order here, in a limited one-on-one fashion.
Our number one objective is your dog’s safety and we are strict about what temperaments we allow. Your dog needs to be nice. Being nice means different things to different people and that is another reason why our evaluation is so important.
While we inquire about how you would describe your dog’s temperament, in the end your dog will make their own choice about how they will act. If we feel your dog is not making good choices for themselves we will step in to make choices for them.
We are strict about the dogs we accept. Depending on their temperament, some dogs are not allowed at the ranch. Dogs who display any form of aggression are not allowed. People are often curious about whether the dogs fight. At the ranch the dogs do not fight because we do not allow it. While arguments are natural we are trained to keep the arguments from escalating into full-blown physical confrontations. If a dog is unable to heed our warning they will not receive a second chance.
It is paramount that your dog plays well with others. As the pack leaders we can judge very quickly what dogs are happy in this environment. Some of the dogs are clowns preferring to play with anyone and everyone. Other dogs are observers, more comfortable in the periphery. There are dogs that are the fun police, it’s their job to insure that the pack doesn’t get too carried away. And of course there are the dogs that earn their role as the dominant dog. There are many dynamics to a pack of dogs that we could talk about for hours and hours but it is important for you to know that the number one objective is the safety and happiness of the dogs that visit.
Lone Star Dog Ranch believes that the happiest place on earth for dogs is to be with a pack of dogs. Their instincts allow them to know where they fit into a pack of their friends. In the pack there are few mixed messages for them to understand. The rules that dogs live by are as old as time. Fit into the pack or don’t fit in at all.
Watching a pack of dogs is exciting and educational everyday. Our ranch is full of fun loving good-hearted dogs. Happy, funny, wild, full of energy, sweet, if these are the words you would use to describe your dog then your dog will be welcome to join in.
Grooming
For some dogs, we may require that your dog be groomed prior to staying with us. Why do we do this? Your dog’s health is very important to us. If your dog has a thick undercoat, or is matted, when he is exercising and playing, he won’t be able to cool himself properly. This presents a serious health concern as you might imagine. Try to imagine running a marathon in a fur coat. Also, if your dog likes to swim, and he isn’t groomed properly, when it’s time to come out of the pool, he won’t dry off quickly. We don’t want dogs going to sleep wet. When your dog is checked in he or she will be examined for fleas or ticks and if they are found he will require a flea bath to kill the fleas that are present and then flea protection will be applied.
Vaccination and Health
All dogs over 6 months of age MUST be spayed or neutered.
All dogs must have current vaccination records on file with us. You can have your vet fax them to us.
Including:
- Rabies within 3 years
- DHLP annually
- Canine Influenza Bivalent annually
- Bordatella every 6 months
Most veterinarian’s protocol is to vaccinate every 12 months for Bordatella.
Our requirement is that the Bordatella vaccine be given every 6 months.
The Bordatella (kennel cough) vaccine loses its effectiveness as time goes by and we feel that every 6 months provides a safer and healthier environment against this very contagious illness for the dogs that stay with us.
If your vet recommends a different vaccination protocol for your pet please follow your vet’s advice and have him or her fax us a note stating any changes.
Flea and Tick Preventative
All dogs are required to be on flea and tick control for their protection and the protection of the other dogs staying at the ranch. We recommend Advantage, Frontline, Advantix, or Revolution. If necessary, we can apply Frontline for a small fee.
Medication and Special Food
All medication needs to be in the original container, clearly marked, and accompanied by the following information:
- Dog’s first and last name
- Name of medication and strength
- Dosage per day and whether it has been administered the morning or afternoon of drop off
- We feed all dogs Diamond Naturals
If you choose to bring your own food you may do so.
Please package all food you bring for your dog by measuring out each meal, and placing it in a separate ziplock bag. For example, if your dog eats 1 cup twice daily, and you are staying for 3 days, please bring 6 separate bags, one bag per meal.