Doggie Daycare Dropout
Ok, so Arlo isn’t really a dropout so much as a “try again later.”
Arlo gets spurts of zoomies. He gets excited when the neighbors dogs are outside and wants to play with them. Because of this, my husband and I decided to try doggie daycare. I called a place recommended by a friend and they told me all about the activities he will be doing and the interaction he will be receiving. She told me most only drop their doggo off 1 or 2 days a week because the dog is so exhausted after a day at daycare that the next day they just want to rest. Sounded great!
The day came for our scheduled evaluation. The place was easy to find, clean, and a large building. The staff was very friendly and reassured me, as they pulled him from my side, that most dogs are like this the first day. It reminded me of dropping my child off at daycare the first time - tears and clinging to my leg which after a few days turned into not a second thought of me leaving.
It wasn’t but an hour after I got to work when my phone rang. “I’m so sorry but Arlo isn’t ready for daycare yet” - the words I didn’t want to hear. They introduced him to the 2 most passive dogs and he growled at them. Then, when another associate opened a door he tried to run out after him. They had to quickly stop him because there were 5 dogs in that room freely playing with each other. When they did, he got so scared he couldn’t hold his bowels anymore. Not only did he poop, but in his attempt to get away from those in front of him, he stepped in it. Now, Arlo hates having his paws touched - and I mean hates it. So, when they tried to clean him up he freaked out even more.
I called my husband who is a school teacher and off work due to bitterly cold temperatures, to pick him up. He said when he arrived Arlo was in the office and calm as could be. The lady at the front desk said he was a total sweetheart and even let her pet him a couple of times.
We were advised to socialize him in smaller steps. We are to google pet friendly stores and take him with us to walk around the store to get him used to people being around and noises everywhere. We are already aware that the Lowe’s by us allows dogs so that will be our first stop.
