You guessed it – my annual Summer memo. As always, if you’ve been here a while none of this is a surprise to you. For our new friends: some basics for the next couple of months! 1- Please get your dogs on their flea and tick preventatives. It is officially the season, blech. 2- We are going to be very very busy this Summer season. I just ask you have some patience with the checking in and out processes. As such, might I recommend labeling your pet's belongings. It helps us from getting similar items mixed up. If you could also portion out the food (always pack more than they need!) it helps moves things along faster up front. Make sure all your meds are portioned out properly with your pup's name on them. 3- We will do our very best to post pictures but with a higher volume of dogs, sometimes it simply isn't possible. That doesn't mean anything is wrong, it means the health and safety of your pets comes first. Pictures second. 4- If you would like to check in on your pups, please email info@theallaboard.com. That seems to be the most reliable form of communication. Again though, *do not* panic if it takes a minute to get a reply. If you don't hear from anyone, assume all is well! No news is good news (with Gary Gnu - iykyk). 5- if any of your contact has info has changed, something with your pooch's health has changed - really if anything has changed, including your emergency contact, we need to know. We're partners in your pet's care so keep us in the loop! We have heard it all and I promise judge NOTHING. 6 - This time of year, with all the standing water outside, plants emerging, folks chemically treating their lawns and putting down seeds, creates some hazards for our otherwise healthy four legged friends. *Don't let your pets excessively play or drink from puddles. All sorts of parasites can form and get your pet sick. It can be as simple as diarrhea or as significant as heartworm from the mosquitos that live in there. I know your home, much like here, is a place you can’t police every bit of standing water but we all do our best, am I right? *Be mindful of where your pooch is walking. If you see their paws are inflamed you can bet they walked through something they aren't accustomed to. I always recommend having allergy meds on hand specifically for this time of year. *Mushrooms, thanks to this Seattle weather, are springing up everywhere. Do NOT let your dog eat them. While most are safe, many are not. 7 – My millionth reminder to NOT let go off your dog’s leash in the lobby. Don’t do it. Donnnnnnn’t dooooo ittttt. Until a staff member has that leash in his or her hand, you hold it. 8-One of the nicest things about my location is the dog’s access to outside. But with outside comes bugs. Bees, spiders, etc. I’m not going to lie to you and say no one has ever gotten a spider bite here. Nothing serious but it has happened. I can control a lot but Mother Nature plays by her own rules and they circumvent mine. So yes. There are bugs outside here. My own dog considers bees to be spicy sky raisins, and while I try to discourage her from going after them, you know how sneaky dogs can be. 9- If your pooch has experienced heat stroke at any time, you need to tell us. Animals become increasingly more sensitive to the heat after heat stroke. We need to know so they can be managed differently. As always, my disclaimer: I'm not a vet. If you have any questions about anything I've written here please confer with your medical professional. If you learn something interesting, tell me! I think that’s everything! Of course if you ever have any questions or comments, reach out to me! I’m always lurping around somewhere. Kayla and Emily are also always available to chat. Marianne