A Lesson from the ANIMAL KINGDOM

If animals can love someone who isn't like them, we can too!

Friends forever.....The orangutan was in a rescue and not doing well. This old hound wandered in absolutely emaciated and the orangutan snapped to like his buddy had arrived. He stayed with the hound night and day until he was well and in the whole scenario, found a reason to live. They are now inseparable.

Best friends Suryia the orangutan and Roscoe the Blue Tick hound live at the Tigers sanctuary in Myrtle Beach , South Carolina . Suryia and Roscoe spend hours together every day - they're particularly keen on swimming. The three-year-old orangutan goes everywhere with Roscoe. A dog's not just a man's best friend, he's an orangutan's too!

The MOST AMAZING Video I have seen!

R.I.P. Albert

(Pic: Albert 12-03-08)

Albert was born on June 3, 1993. He arrived to me, 8 weeks later, as a snotty-nosed puppy that was supposed to be put up for sale. (Back then, I didn't know any better about how to buy puppies and we shipped them in from the mid-west, via truck.) (Many of you don't know that for a short period of time, back in the early 90's, I had a puppy store in Martins Ferry. Back then, it was called "Animal Attraction". What a stupid name for a business...)

Anyway-back to the puppy-He was so tiny and was the prettiest cream-colored puppy that I had ever seen. I decided not to "send him back on the truck" and that I could "fix" whatever was causing his snotty nose. I kept him in the house (away from the other puppies) and got an antibiotic for his cold. Of course, I was the one who had to play with him and love on him and keep him entertained. That was tough (did I tell you how cute he was?).

So-here we are-September 17, 2009...16 years later. I put Albert to sleep this morning.

He's seen it all. He's lived in 7 different homes with me and has seen the fiance, the marriage, the divorce, the Martins Ferry puppy store failing, my paramedic training and jobs, the launch of a church, the plans to launch another, the dream of opening another puppy shop, the success of The Perky Puppy, Play N Stay's opening and it's success.

He's seen me happy and sad, and for all intents and purposes, has watched me "grow up". He wasn't around during my childhood, but sometimes I think that growing up through our 20's and 30's is just as important.

Albert loved car rides, cats, and Pupperoni. He loved squeaker toys. And he loved to give you hell if you didn't feed him on time.

Albert's elderly years were spent as the house chihuahua at our dog hotel, Play N Stay Pet Camp. He was demanding ("I wanna go in the office, NOT the living room.") and for years, barked at all of the "intruders" (customers). Everyone loved him: staff, customers, and of course, me.

Occasionally, Albert would trip and fall down and get right back up again. It SUCKS to get old.

Albert's been getting thin and weak over the last few months. He would have good days and bad days. His appetite could often be described as inconsistent and finicky. He was incontinent. The spring in his step was gone. He stopped being himself a long time ago.

This week, Albert began falling a lot. He struggled to get back up and often couldn't. So we made the call to Dr. Steed to have Albert put to sleep.

Here's the part where I tell you that it was the most responsible and loving decision that I could make for him...where I admit that sometimes when we love something we have to set it free. Albert was a prisoner in his body, and he wasn't coming back. I had to do for him what he couldn't do for himself. I love him too much to let him keep falling.

Albert had cottage cheese and Pupperoni for dinner last night, which he gobbled enthusiastically. He got a bath this morning and went for his last car ride, all bundled up in a blue fleece blanket.

He's buried under a tree in the back yard in a nice shady spot. We will miss him.

Rest In Peace Albert. Run free. We love you.

Update

Well-I imagine you all think I dropped off the planet. Good News!!! I didn't!

We've pretty much spent the entire summer at Play N Stay. There aren't computers there and even if there were, it's too much fun to play with the doggies!

It's been a very crazy cool summer at Play N Stay. We've broken every record and had a blast doing it! Our staff are INCREDIBLE, AMAZING, FANTASTIC, STUPENDOUS!! Seriously-we have the best team anywhere-GUARANTEED! We met a lot of new dogs and had a great time with our regulars as well! Every dog had a wonderful time! It is THE place for any great dog to vacation for sure! We're very proud!

Grooming (Soapy Puppy) is going very well! We've done some major transformations and makeovers over the last several months. I'll try to share some pictures soon.

As you know The Perky Puppy has been closed for the summer, which turned out to be a good move. We couldn't have pulled off at Play N Stay what we did this summer without all hands on deck. (Did I tell you our staff is great?) We have been doing several "special order" puppies over the summer and that has been really good. I love the trust that our customers place in us when they special order a pup with a deposit. We use the same standards to choose a special order pup as we do for the store. It's great to watch the owners faces when the baby they've been waiting for finally arrives!! NEAT! Perky Puppy will reopen sometime in the fall for the winter months and then close again for the spring/summer season. It has been the right move to make it a 4-6 month operation yearly.

We have been accepting and placing Lucky Puppy rescues at a steady pace. It's all been without much fanfare because of being away from the computer. We currently have 2 rescues available, Buddy-a min pin/chuihuahua and Tiny Tot/Jelly Bean-a baby Jack Russell. (Yes, I know that Tiny Tot/Jelly Bean is a funny name. We just can't decide and so our staff call him both!) We have 3 more rescues coming in over the weekend-a Papillon, a Pom, and a Chihuahua/Pom mix. They will need to be neutered and evaluated and will be available for adoption soon after.

I think that's a good summer wrap up! We hope you've enjoyed your summer. We certainly have...This is a dog lover's paradise!
Thanks for your support!
Jessica

JET EXPRESS: New Bathing System!

We've just installed a new Bathing System! We call it the JET EXPRESS Dog Bath, because it delivers the cleanest bath in town!

Now, instead of the old-fashioned bath, every dog who is bathed at Play N Stay Pet Camp (boarding) OR through the Soapy Puppy Doggie Spa (grooming) will receive our new JET EXPRESS at no additional charge!


Our new JET EXPRESS bathing system jet-sprays our specialized shampoos deep into the coat (at 20 gallons a minute), cleansing the skin (not just the hair) at the deepest level, and blowing old dirt & hair out away from the skin!


It's invigorating and most dogs absolutely LOVE it! (As a staff, we have agreed that we need to invent a people version of the same system!)


It's safe for all dogs, from short-haired to long, and from puppies to large breeds...even our 16-year old Chihuahua "Albert" loves it!


Call 740-695-4566 today to treat your dog! Ask for a JET EXPRESS Dog Bath!

Road Trip

Hey All! Lots of fun stuff happening over here at TPP/PNS!

Big news for today is that I'm heading to Pittsburgh, where I will spend the day with a Grooming Salon owner and will hopefully also take a tour of Camp Bow-Wow.

I'll keep you posted! I'm EXCITED!

Talk with ya soon!

Blueberries and Mud!

What do BLUEBERRIES and MUD have in common? And why are they being talked about on a dog & puppy blog?

Because VERY SOON, we will be offering Blueberry Facials and Spa Mud Masques for boarding and grooming clients at Play N Stay Pet Camp and the Soapy Puppy Doggie Spa!

Now, before you check out on me (I know you are rolling your eyes), let me explain a little more.

But first, GET YOUR DOG OVER TO THE COMPUTER, so that I can talk to him or her directly.

OK, dogs, here goes:


BLUEBERRY FACIALS: Believe it or not, Blueberry Facials are pretty cool! Here's why: Dogs-let's be honest-we KNOW that you can't wash your own face. And most people who bathe you won't wash your face either (often they just kind of bathe everything else and act like you don't even have a face). And if your people DO wash your face, it's often just a little "wipe off" of the hair...not really scrubbing your face. (And, you know, all of your people scrub THEIR faces...some even do it a few times a day!)

Our special Blueberry Exfoliating Face Wash (due to arrive this week) is specially formulated for dog faces and dog whiskers. It's tearless and exfoliating, so the spa attendants can really scrub it down in...which is very, very relaxing-it feels SO good!

After a nice facial massage, it rinses away cleanly removing 85% of those ugly tear stains and breaking down all of the mouth and slobber gunk that make your whisker crunchy and sticky. (And for those of you with really wet faces, either from tears, slobber, or your water bowl, your face won't smell like old socks anymore!) You and your owners will be delighted with the smell of Fresh Blueberries that lasts and lasts! (It's great for long, dangly ears too!)


MUD MASQUES: For all of our 4-legged friends with problem skin (dry, itchy, flaky, or hot spots), this is the spa treatment for you! Specially formulated mud with Dead Sea Minerals & Eucalypus Oil is massaged into your skin (not just your hair). If it's nice day out, you can wear your mud out into the play yard, where the heat from the warm sun will feel so good on your skin. (If it's a yucky day out, our spa attendants will lay warm, damp towels on your body, so the mud can penetrate over the next 15-20 minutes.) The mud masque then "goes to work", moisturizing your skin and coat, relieving the itching and burning that makes you crazy sometimes. Once the masque is rinsed away, you will be thrilled at the results! Your old dry hair and skin will be lustrous & beautiful!

All the neighborhood dogs will be so envious when they see the whole new you!

Both products will be available as a service and available for purchase, so your owners can do-it-themselves at home!

Update!

WOW! The last several weeks have been a blur! Here's an update in 90 seconds or less:

• Wheeling Home and Garden Show was a huge success! We met so many wonderful people and saw some old and new friends! Thanks again to Blue Ribbon Rentals for the sweet flat screen!
• We took Nike (our Blue Heeler) to the Home Show as a commercial for the 2 Heelers that are currently in rescue (Duke & Dexter). We've bben showing them all week. Looking good so far. Hopefully we will choose homes for them this weekend.
• We almost sold out of puppies at The Perky Puppy! We were down to 2! Yes-you read that right-TWO! Had to make an emergency trip out on the road, visiting breeders who weren't expecting us until next week. Thankfully, some pups were ready to go, so we are back up and running.
• Play N Stay has been rocking since Valentine's weekend! CRAZY!!
• Our groomer has been a grooming fool! We need her to grow two more arms, so we can double her up! That's a very good thing!
• I'm still not caught up from the Home Show...I need a Personal Assistant who will work for Dog Food...he he he...
• Vanessa has been sick for 2 weeks, but hasn't missed a beat. She's a champ!
• Ness is filling out a survey about pet stores. We are laughing...how many days are we open? How much in annual sales? How much is the average ticket sale? HA HA HA!!! We are WEIRD...aren't we??? Good thing they don't ask how much money we really get to keep. That would be BAD! No questions about how much fun we have...Why is that?
• We've taken in several rescues in the last few days. Look for updates soon. Many are special needs.
• We've got a real sweetie in the rescue named "BlackJack" that needs a family with kids. He had a family that couldn't keep him. He misses them terribly. He is lonely. We're trying to keep him happy, but he is grieving. Could make me cry.
• That's it. That's all I've got. More soon...

AWESOME!

New Year's Eve

Well...it's 7:30 PM on December 31st.

I am almost recovered from my head cold, and that makes me very happy. I'm not too bad of a whiner, but I DO appreciate feeling like my usual sparky self. I am so thankful that I have good health.

I just got back from running groups and serving dinner at Play N Stay. It's a packed house there! Always lots of fun! We'll be back over there tonight (close to midnight) for last night run and to pass out "Happy New Year's Hugs" and play the dog-toy version of "watching the ball drop". (smile)

Just in case I haven't said so recently...I love my life. Sure, it's hectic and chaotic alot of the time. Sure, the phone rings off the hook at really weird hours. Sure, I miss having a living room (the store took it over a few years ago). Sure, I see more puppy poop in a day than most people do in a year. But...I'm living my dream...and there's NOTHING like it in this world!

Granted, the real life version of The Perky Puppy doesn't look like I thought it would. There's a WHOLE lot more bookwork & paperwork than should be allowed by law. More puppies to care for=more payroll=more advertising=more $$ spent=more paperwork=more chaos, etc. Sometimes the world spins so fast that I don't know how we keep up. In 2009, we're going to get back to our roots...keep a little less puppies in the store and not dance so fast. There will still be a great selection, we'll just be working smarter, instead of harder.

We're looking forward to 2009 at The Lucky Puppy too! It's fun to watch that part of the business grow.

Thanks for your continued support! It's great to know that you are watching us change and grow and that you're cheering us on! 2009 is going to be a WONDERFUL year! We wish that for you as well!

All the Best!

Love,
Jess

Oh No...

"Happy"

"Happy" is one of our rescues.

He is a Male (Neutered) Maltese Puppy, who was born on 8/25/08.

Happy only has 3 feet.

He is missing his right rear foot.

Maltese puppies are tiny and covered with slime at birth. It's mom's job to clean them up and to chew off the umbilicus. It appears that Happy's mom was inexperienced & overzealous and got confused, chewing off his right rear foot too.

The injury is completely healed and not visible, unless we point it out to you. Actually, the rescue folks who neutered and transported him didn't notice it. We only noticed it when we were grooming him.

He plays, walks, and runs fine.

He is happy (hence, the name) and enthusiastic, and does not appear to have any idea that he is "different" than the other puppies.

Don't you just love dogs? He doesn't judge himself like people do. We're often comparing ourselves to other people, labeling ourselves as "luckier, unluckier, fatter, skinnier, richer, poorer, better off, or worse off". We get hung up on the bum deal that we got in life, determining our value based on who we're comparing ourselves to.

Let's not do that any more. It doesn't help anybody.

Let's just be like "Happy", dealing with what we are given and making the best of it every day.

Let's just be HAPPY!

BIG NEWS Revealed!

OK...so here's the secret we've been keeping...

Are you ready????

(Drum Roll)

We have a...

(Drum Roll)

GROOMER!!!!!!!!

YAY!!!!!!! (Jumping, Leaping, Skipping for joy!)

Yep! That's right! We've got a groomer! All professional and all! It's been a long time dream that we would have a groomer on staff...now it's happening!

Here's the scoop though...

We are starting kind of slow...just a few days a week...so our staff can adjust to the changes and the traffic patterns of MORE CUSTOMERS!

If you would like to schedule a grooming appointment, give us a call at 740-695-4566.

Did I say "YAY!!!"????? LOVE IT!!!!

What do you want to know??

OK...it's your turn...what do you want to know? Ask us your questions and we'll do our best to answer them right here on this blog. They can be anything from a dog question (yours or ours) to an advice question to career questions to "How do I follow my dream?" questions.

Simply hit The "comments" link at the end of this post and send them over! OR you can email me at jessica@theperkypuppy.com with "BLOG QUESTION" in the subject line (otherwise, we'll just think you have an email question and it won't get posted here).

We look forward to hearing from you.

Sleeping Beauty

Wanna see the 4-legged love of my life? She's my tired little baby, a Chinese Crested Hairless, named "Calliope". (OK...so she isn't a baby. She's going on 5 years old.) She was so tired tonight from her big week at Play N Stay. Once the day settled down, she just wanted to sleep. Poor girl couldn't get much rest for all the picture-takin'! I LOVE HER!!!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the breed, she was born hairless (except for her head, tail, and feet). It's a double-recessive gene that causes the hairlessness, so she had littermates that were fully furry (called "powder puff"). The hairless gene also causes her to not have a full set of teeth, so her tongue falls out of her mouth on a regular basis. Poor thing. She feels like soft leather and gets sunburned in the summer and cold in the winter if not protected.

She has the SWEETEST temperament of any dog I've ever owned, and I must confess that I would make a complete fool out of myself and would clone her IN A HEARTBEAT if I could afford it!!

Out my window...

Looking out my window at the play group of doggie guests at Play N Stay Pet Camp.

Today's guests include: Lola, Peanut, Hank, Jack, Shyla, Tanner, Tucker, Macy, Barney, Reese, Bosley, and Albert...all in one big group! Everything from a 16 year old chihuahua to a 3 year old Boxer! (All carefully managed of course.) They are having such a good time! This is so good for dogs!

My 4 (Calliope, Nike, AxelRod, and RockStar) just got back from staying for 4 days at PNS. They come home happy and better behaved than when they went! I love it!!

This has turned out better than I'd ever imagined!

I just have to say...I'm really brilliant some times, but I underestimated just how brilliant I really am...which, of course, means that I'm not really all that brilliant after all. (wink)

I'm so proud of the crew at Play N Stay! They rock!

Church

Hi Everyone!

I'm back! It's been a busy season of globe-trotting on behalf of our church, Real Life. In May, we were at a conference in Atlanta (called "Drive 08"). In October, we were back in Atlanta ("Catalyst"). And just this week, I was in Loudonville, Ohio, at a conference called "the sticks".
(Which, by the way, is in "the sticks". This conference was all about churches making a big imact in small towns.)

For those of you who are unaware, Vanessa and I are fun-loving folks who have a blast "doing church" in a whole new way!

Now, most of you know that church is great for folks that like church, or at least like THEIR church. It can be tougher for people who don't understand or don't desire a lot of pomp and circumstance, church lingo, or aren't even sure about this Jesus-guy. These are the folks that Ness and I worry will fall through the cracks...the people who don't like church. So we are always studying and reading and talking with people who specialize in making church "cool".

We currently serve at Real Life UMC in Morristown. We serve coffee in church and play cool, contemporary music from a band that ROCKS!!! We're on the leadership team there and took 13 people with us to "the sticks". We had a lot of fun-being Real People living Real Lives!

Anyway...just wanted to let you know why I was AWOL. We're back now. All of the dogs and puppies were happy to see us.

And just so you know, if you have questions about God, Jesus, church, forgiveness, or need prayer, you can always email us at jessica@theperkypuppy.com

Thanks for letting me share!
Jess

Can You Do This?

Alf, Ginger, and Snickerdoodle

Just wanted to let you guys know that things here are great. All of the puppies are settled in. Some have started to go home. We have more appointments scheduled for tomorrow. If there is somebody you have your eye on, you'd better throw your hat into the ring...we've got some Pittsburgh ads starting soon, which always drums up some excitment!

Life Is Good!

Just got word that the Golden female is getting adopted by a long-time customer of mine!

21 years ago, their family bought a Yellow-Naped Amazon Parrot from me, back in the Barclay's Birds days. Yes...that was the bird store I owned with my mom in Bridgeport. It was technically the beginning of The Perky Puppy, since we sold some puppies there. (I'll do a blog post soon about all of that. Too much for tonight.)

Anyway, "Alf" the Yellow-Nape is still going strong (which isn't a shocker...they can live to be 85 years old or more). They adopted another Golden Mix from us 3 years ago (left on the side of a road in a box), "Ginger". They're gonna name this little girl "Snickerdoodle". Good for her!! Good for them!! I'm so happy!! Thanks Marilyn!

Variety is the spice of life!

WOW!!! Today is such a great day at Play N Stay! We have 25 dogs staying this weekend! And the best part is the variety...check this out...we've got:

2 Dachshunds, a Beagle, 2 Schnoodles (Schnauzer/Poodle), a Maltese, 2 Shih Tzus, a Pekingese, 2 Cocker Spaniels, a Lhasa Apso, 2 Yorkies, a Springer Spaniel, a Welsh Corgi, 2 Poodles, a Pomeranian, a German Shepherd, a Lab Mix, 2 Chihuahuas, a Bichon, and...um...something else...racking my brain...I'll figure it out and let you know...

Anyway, we had a 21 dog play group this morning before breakfast! It was so much fun! Many of this weekends dogs are "regulars", so they know they are stable and know the routine. The new guys are still figuring it all out (where to go, what to do, etc.), but that "pack nature" takes over, and they pick up what we do very quickly.

It's amazing to watch the transformation that occurs in an uncertain dog when he or she is hanging with a confident and stable pack. It's way more therapeutic than what people can accomplish. I can do my best to make the newbie feel comfortable and welcome, but the best comfort comes when they pick up on each others positive energy...the mood of the pack sets the tone for the day for everybody (including me).

So...What pack are YOU running with?? Do they help you through life when it's tough to find your way?? Do they make your life better?? Are they confident and stable?? If not, it may be time to reevaluate.

Have a great day!
Jess