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From grooming and nutrition to daycare and playcare, the options for pet care are nearly endless. Learn a few tips from the pros on selecting the best for your furry best friend.
Few of us can envision life without a pet, as companion animals have been an important and integral part of our lives for millennia, sharing our homes, hearts and even beds on a daily basis.
Dogs and cats are a part of the family, and we commit to them for their life at the time of birth or adoption from a reputable breeder or shelter, so proper care, nutrition, shelter, medical attention and interaction with humans and other animals is essential for a healthy and well-adjusted pet.
Vital considerations also include training, daycare, pet sitters, boarding and grooming.
Groomers can be a blessing. Most of us can recall wooing our dog into the bathtub with a treat, only to have Fido happily snatch the biscuit and dash down the hallway to freedom. But finding the right groomer can be as hard as finding the right hairdresser. We want our dogs to look fluffed and fabulous, but we also want them to be safe.
Grooming is an important part of being a dog parent. Grooming doesn’t just make your pup look good, it’s an essential part of keeping them healthy. Overgrown nails, impacted anal glands and bad teeth can cause pain, discomfort and in some cases, death.
Brushing your dog’s teeth prevents all kinds of unpleasant health problems that have nothing to do with dog breath ... like heart, liver and kidney disease.
Keeping nails trimmed allows your dog to move around comfortably. Long, overgrown nails can be very painful to your pup. Plus, trimmed nails are less likely to mark up your floor.
Cutting any hair that falls into the eye can prevent eye irritation; keeping ear hair trimmed can help prevent ear infections. Cutting hair and brushing helps keeps mats and dreadlocks away. Bathing keeps dirt from being tracked all over your home but also helps control parasites like fleas.
With increasingly busy lifestyles, many people are away from home most of the day. It’s not a good idea to leave pets home alone for hours at a time; therefore, dog daycare is becoming very popular, with a number of facilities available in the Roanoke Valley and beyond.
The Roanoke region has many professionals who make the task of caring for our beloved pets an easier one, as well as bringing peace of mind when we’re away for work or travel.
Dog daycare is one of the fastest growing businesses in the pet care industry. As human culture changes, so do the needs of pet-owning consumers. Housing in much of America offers less opportunity for dogs to have enriched lives within the confines of their own backyards than it has in the past. Yards are smaller and often communities have neighborhood covenants that do not allow humane fencing. Owners have more pressure and expectation put on their time, and proper exercise, training and enrichment of man’s best friend often fall by the wayside of an increasingly demanding lifestyle.
Padgett Grooming of Roanoke is in its second generation of business, founded by the late Helen Padgett 50 years ago and now owned and operated by daughter Debbie Flannagan, a former teacher, who left education in 1998 to become a groomer. Flannagan said her business has grown through “word of mouth” advertising.
Potential clients searching for any kind of pet services should look for experienced professionals, she notes.
“Caring, compassion and experience are important,” says Flannagan, who learned grooming from her mother, who also professionally showed Pekingese and Poodles.
“Love for animals is a big part of being a good groomer,” says Flannagan. “People can look in and watch what we do. We take good care of animals. We don’t use restraints. Dogs are much happier without them.”
They have a legion of repeat customers whose canines feel at home with Flannagan and her assistant. Dogs realize you’re going to make them feel special, according to Flannagan.
“They enjoy their bath ... it makes them feel good.”
There is no set age for when a canine should have its first grooming, although Flannagan recommends “the earlier the better, so they become accustomed to the experience and don’t fear it.”
Regular grooming, which Flannagan recommends be done every six to eight weeks, also keeps canines healthy.
“Their skin can’t breathe if there is a lot of matting and dander. Dogs should be regularly groomed to maintain their coat.”
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