Pet Bookings

Take a leisurely drive down S. US 31 just past Franklin and you will find the most charming Bed & Breakfast.  There is a catch, though.  This Bed & Breakfast is for your pets!  Kathy and Sandy have created a delightfully comfortable atmosphere for pets to stay while you are away on vacation.  In fact, their mission is to provide clients and their pets exceptional, convenient, consistent, reliable, worry free, and compassionate service with all the regard for the pet’s comfort, health, safety, and happiness during their stay. “We will treat your pet like they are apart of our family while your family’s away!”  It starts when you walk in and notice every detail was taken into account to ensure your pet’s happiness.  They take pride in their hands on facility and make each experience unique and memorable.  This is an all-inclusive accommodation.  All pets are given cuddle time, play time, and couch time at no additional charge.  That’s right, your pet can relax on their living room couch and watch TV just as if they were at home.  Due to recent success, they actually operate two facilities.  The other location is in Morgan county and easily accessible right off Highway 37.  Both are equally above par!  Stop in and take tour; they would love to show you around!

Indianapolis pet owners now have even more options when it comes to boarding their pet!  Pine Ridge Pet Resort, Shelbyville, is located just off of I-74 and is easily accessible from the Indianapolis area.  Lynn Berryman has been boarding pets since 1994 and believes that meeting the individual needs of each pet is of the utmost importance.  ”Our goal is to give the pet owner peace of mind, knowing that their pet is in the best of hands and receiving the best care possible while staying with us.”  You can definitely expect quality pet care and and friendly staff when boarding your pet with Pine Ridge Pet Resort.  Find out more about them on their website, www.pineridgepetresort.com.

PetBookings.com is proud to welcome its newest member, Beverly’s Precious Pets!  Beverly’s is located in Fishers and is easily accessible from the Carmel, Noblesville, and Indianapolis areas.  Kevin DeTrude’s true love for animals is displayed by the first class facility he provides for his clients.  No matter the needs of your pet, Beverly’s will see they are lovingly and properly cared for.

Beverly’s not only has boarding accommodations, but also offers a Doggie Daycare program.  That’s right, even if you are not boarding your dog, you should still check them out!  Your furry friend will love to socialize, run, and play in Beverly’s Doggie Daycare Program.  To find out more about the Doggie Daycare program, click here.  It’s a great way for your dog to spend their day while you are away at work.

Also, Beverly’s Precious Pet Campus also offers an exclusive Bark Park for you and your pet.  It’s an outstanding feature to add to your pet’s boarding stay.  With over six acres to romp, run, and explore, your pet will surely enjoy this experience!  The Bark Park is a great place to take your dog for a play date, too!  All it takes is a membership that is easily purchased through Beverly’s and you are ready to go.  It’s a great way for you and your dog to get out, get social, and get some exercise all at the same time!

It was certainly a pleasure getting to know Kevin and his facility during the setup process for PetBookings.com.  I am sure you will enjoy your experience with them, too!

Do you love your dog?  Silly question, right?  Of course you love your dog!!  Then why would you feed your dog anything less than a high quality dog food?  Your dog depends on YOU to give them the nutrition they deserve to live a happy and healthy life.  Nutrition is vital to your pet’s health and happiness, but it also can save you money in the long run.  Feeding a quality food can prevent costly health problems.  More and more dogs are being prescribed expensive drugs to regulate their health and quality of life.  In many cases, unnecessary drugs could be avoided if proper nutrition was included in their daily lives.  But how do you determine a good quality dog food from low quality substandard kibble?  READ THE INGREDIENTS!!  Don’t be swayed by name brand, T.V. commercials, or any other marketing ploy.  Turn the bag over and simply read the ingredients.  At a quick glance you will be able to determine quality from crap.  If the first ingredient is corn, read no further.  Corn = Crap.  Today, there are so many options available for your pooch.  There is no reason to settle for inadequate dog food.

Obviously, reading all of those ingredients on the backside of a dog food bag can become tiresome and confusing.  This is why I have gathered a couple of resources to help you.  The first is a handy grading system by Sarah Irick, dog enthusiast.  This grading system is obviously not an exact science, but a good frame of reference for you to begin.  To grade your dog’s food, go to Grade My Dog’s Food and use the scoring system to calculate a point total.

Below is a sample list of dog foods with the score already calculated

Grade A
Timberwolf Organics Lamb and Venison / Score 136  A+
Solid Gold Bison / Score 123 A+
Dick Van Patten’s Natural Balance Ultra Premium / Score 122 A+
Eagle Pack Holistic / Score 119 A+
Wellness Just for Puppy / Score 117 A+
Authority Harvest Baked / Score 116 A+
Chicken Soup Senior / Score 115 A+
Eagle Pack Holistic Chicken / Score 114 A+
Innova Dog / Score 114 A+
Innova Evo / Score 114 A+
Natural Balance Duck and Potato / Score 114 A+
Canidae / Score 112 A+
Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables / Score 110 A+
Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken / Score 110 A+
Kirkland Signature Puppy Chicken, Rice and Vegetable / Score 108 A+
Dick Van Patten’s Duck and Potato / Score 106 A+
Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult / Score 106 A+
Foundations / Score 106 A+
ProPlan Natural Turkey & Barley / Score 103 A+
Royal Canin Bulldog / Score 100 A+
Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula / Score 99 A
Royal Canin Dachshund 28 Formula / Score 97 A
Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice / Score 97 A
Wolfking Adult Dog (bison) by Solid Gold / Score 97 A
Nature’s Select Chicken & Rice Puppy Growth Premium / Score 96 A
Eagle Pack Large and Giant Breed Puppy / Score 94 A
Eagle Pack Natural / Score 94 A
Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold / Score 93 A
Grade B
Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice / Score 92 B
Flint River Ranch / Score 92 B (non-specific fat source)
Eukanuba Natural Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B
Nutrisource Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B
Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy / Score 87 B
Grades C and D
Nutro Chicken, Rice, & Oatmeal / Score 85 C  (non-specific fat source)
Nutro Natural choice Lamb and Rice / Score  85 C
Eukanuba Large Breed Adult / Score 83 C
Iams Large Breed / Score 83 C
Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium / Score 73 D
Grade F
Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies / Score 69 F
Bil-Jac Select / Score 68 F
Pro Plan All Breed / Score  68 F
Diamond Maintenance / Score 64 F
Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+ / Score 63 F
Purina Dog / Score 62 F
Science Diet chicken adult maintenance / Score 45 F
Pedigree Complete Nutrition / Score 42 F
Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice / Score 23 F
Purina Benful / Score 17 F
Purina Come-n-Get It / Score 16 F
Pedigree Adult Complete / Score 14  F
Ol Roy / Score 9 F

Another helpful tool is the website www.dogfoodanalysis.com.  Search your dog’s food, read the reviews, and see how it ranks.  This will give you good insight about what you are feeding your best friend!

Fourteen years after the first customer-oriented reservation website’s debut, there is finally an online option for pet owners!  Consumers have proved they are comfortable and confident in making their reservations online for:

• Hotels/Motels
• Car Rentals
• Airlines
• Cruises
• Cabins
• Campgrounds
• Hostels
• Resorts
• Bed & Breakfasts

In fact, more than 70% of all travel related reservations were made online last year alone (Pew Research).  Online reservations first started in the airline industry, with the hotel industry following close behind.   Each additional complimentary sector of the hospitality travel industry fell in line right behind the next, like a stack of dominoes; each one offering their services to be reserved online with instant confirmation.  It seems like every conceivable option for travel planning has been addressed and is available to be booked online EXCEPT for pet boarding reservations.  What about pet owners???  When planning a vacation, it is just as necessary to make a boarding reservation for your pet as it is to make hotel reservations for yourself.  Omitting either one can make it awfully difficult to go on vacation.   Consumers are able to book their flight, find a hotel, and rent a car from the convenience of their home computer– why not book a reservation for their pet, too?  When the first major online-travel-websites launched in 1996, only 16% of Americans were Internet users.  Today, there are thousands of websites for consumers to book online travel, and almost 80% of Americans regularly access the Internet.

Q. So why have online pet boarding reservations not been an option until now?

A.  Pet boarding reservations are unlike any other type of reservation being made online.  They are much more complex than the normal hotel reservation.  Many more preferences and intricacies need to be taken into account in order for pet boarding facilities to offer their inventory online.  Petbookings.com has identified these needs and integrated these preferences into a fully customized website solution. The process used by petbookings.com to secure pet boarding reservations is unlike any other in the world!

My dog celebrated her 7th birthday yesterday.  Well, I am not sure if she really knew it was her “big day” or not, but we celebrated nonetheless.  Now, we didn’t celebrate in the sense of throwing a big party or hiring a clown or anything.  She would prefer a mailman anyway (and yes, our mail delivery carrier is a man).  We whipped up her favorite kitty pancake, gave her some extra belly rubs, and took her for an extra long walk.  It’s hard to believe she is seven years old!  Where does the time go?  I still remember the day I first picked her up from the humane society.  She was a rescue and was so excited to just be going… anywhere!  She had no idea where she was going or who she was going with–all she knew was she was breaking free… and break free she did!  In fact, I couldn’t stop her from breaking free for the first six months.  If she was off lead, she was gone.  She had no worries and was about as curious as a cat.  My mom always use to say, “Any dog that runs away isn’t smart enough to realize how good they have it.”  Well, I didn’t give up on her, and every time she took off, I went after.  Turns out it was worth it.   Finally, by the age of 1 year, she figured out the “come when called” trick.

She hasn’t left my side ever since.  At seven years old, she is not nearly as active as she once was, but she still gets as excited as ever when it’s time to play.  She is also fully employed.  She thinks it is her job to scare the mailman away EVERY DAY.  So, around one o’clock in the afternoon, she stands watch and barks her head off when a man in uniform comes along with some paper to drop in our mail slot.  She must think she is the employee of the century because every day the mailman comes, she barks, and he leaves.  She obviously thinks, “This guy comes every day, I bark and carry on, and he goes away–What I’m doing must be working!”  I am not really sure how to cure or break her from this habit, but at this point I am not really sure if I want to.  She thinks she is protecting the house and if at anytime an actual intruder were to approach, I know my house would be safe…  so I let her do her job.

I am not sure how many more birthdays she will have, but realistically she is on the downslope of the mountain.  Her life expectancy is 12-14 years.  As with any of us, there is no use in wasting time fretting about our demise, but rather celebrate and give thanks for what we have today.  If the next 7 years are as good as the first, I am in for a real treat!

Getting a new puppy is a very exciting event in anyone’s life.  It is the beginning of a new relationship with a personality which could conceivably be around for the next 10, 15, or 20 years!  Sometimes it is odd to ponder all of life’s events which your new pet will experience with you.   Cities, events, jobs, and even friends come and go, but pets are by your side for all of life’s changes.  I think this is why they are so dear to our hearts, because they are ALWAYS there.  Through good times and bad, pets comfort us, support us, and are just good companions.   This is why it is not so important to choose the perfect pet name.   That’s right I said NOT.   It’s not important because if you just give them a little time, they will eventually name themselves.  I believe the best way to name a new puppy is to take it home and get acquainted first.  Does it really matter if you give it a name on the very first day or not?…They don’t listen to you right away anyway, so don’t rush into a name just for the sake of naming your pet.  This, too, is a good way of receiving lots of good ideas and name possibilities.  If your pup doesn’t have a name, thats the first piece of advice others will offer as soon as they hear of your new acquisition.  Letting your children or grandchildren come up with the name is always fun and cute.  You often get a spotted dog named Spot, a brown dog named Brownie, or a white dog named Snowflake.  Along the way, as you live your life alongside your furry friend, your pet name for that little companion may just change a few times.   Just as a family member’s name might change from Bobby as a little boy, to Robert as a grown man, we can often find ourselves referring to our pet’s name in the same way.   The fact is, you can name your pet absolutely anything you like! Some prefer human names which make them sound as if they are literally members of your family (which they are). However, the same person who refers to their cat as “Bob” might go home at night and call that cat anything but “Bob”… In the seclusion of their own home they may prefer Buddy, Baby, BoBo,  or even Mr. Snuggle Pants.  The point is, people call their pets whatever is on their mind at the moment.  It is almost intimate in a way that no one else ever hears those little conversations you share with your pet.  Is this where the term “pet name” comes from?  Silly fun talk that only you and your pet understand.  Before you know it, you will have 3 or 4 different “pet names” your pet responds to.  Because it’s not the name that’s important to the dog, it’s the voice speaking it.  This is why it is not of dire importance that you come up with the perfect pet name right away.  The perfect pet name takes time and will come with time.  Just come up with something that will get you started. Your pet will take care of the rest!

If you are anything like me, you have already started dreaming of summer and warmth! Its almost time to plant your vegetable garden, hang clothes outside to dry, and to plan your summer vacation. For many, planning your trip may be fairly simple; decide where to go, how to get there, and where to stay.  For others, there is one other aspect to address before leaving town-  What do we do with the family pet?  I guess we all face similar options when dealing with this issue.  First option: Can we take them with us?  As much fun as it would be to include “Fido” in the family vacation, it is usually not a feasible option.  Second option: Who can watch Fido for us while we are away?  Well let’s see, there are parents, neighbors, friends, brothers, sisters,  and, oh yeah, that one boy that lives across the street.  These are all great options if the other party is as willing to commit to care for your dog as much as you are committed to go on your vacation.  Pets can be a lot of work and undoubtedly the feeling of imposition almost always accompanies the act of dropping off your dog along with a list of instructions at your brothers house for the week .   Option number 3:  Hire professionals.  For some, the thought of leaving their beloved family member at a unknown strange place is simply not an option.  Others meanwhile, have experienced the process of boarding their pet at a professional facility, and have come to the realization that a boarding facility is not a dreadful abandonment of “Fido”, but merely a vacation for them as well.  Pet boarding facilities are extremely well versed on the responsibilities and duties of proper pet care.  With all due respect, it is their livelihood.

In America today, it seems businesses are driven by the almighty dollar.  Fortunately, when it comes to boarding facilities, this is not the case.  This is one industry which has not been stricken and dominated by a “giant conglomerate” such as Wal-Mart.  Boarding facilities are in the business because they love the business, caring for PETS!

Many boarding facilities are family owned and operated, and there are no investment firms getting rich on the fact you board your dog for a week.  While quality boarding facilities are not hard to come by in this day and age, availability sometimes is.  So many pet owners, when they must leave town for whatever reason, trust their local boarding facility to care for their pet.  Unfortunately, there are only so many vacancies facilities are able to offer and availability is often times limited.  In order to avoid stress when planning your vacation, it is best to include your pet’s accommodations along with your other travel planning needs such as airfare, hotel, and…pet boarding.  Some facilities fill up months in advance so it is advised to make reservations for “Fido” as soon as you know your dates.  Doing so will ensure that you will secure a spot at the facility of your choice.  If you are not able to secure a reservation at your usual place, it is not the end of the world.  Simply try a new place.  It is always good idea to have your pet accustomed to more than one place in case availability is limited at your first choice.  You may have to drive ten or fifteen minutes further, but quality pet care is certainly available for you.

In a world of right now, last minute deals, and uncertainty, PetBookings.com puts my mind at ease by offering instantaneous confirmation for my pet boarding needs. “What a great service to offer our clients!” exclaimed one local pet boarding facility owner.

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