Summer is in full swing, and we have so much going on! Here’s a taste of what we’ve been up to at Petropolis.
Ask the Trainer on July 18th
Does your dog bark constantly? Potty in the house sometimes? Struggle with separation anxiety? If you have questions, we have answers! Drop in anytime from 3 to 6 pm on July 18th to ask all your animal behavior questions. Dr. Jesse McClure, our resident dog expert, will be hanging around ready to help.
Dog Days of Summer Day Care Party
Starting today, we are officially in the Dog Days of Summer! This is the hottest part of the summer and also the time of year that the ancient Greeks associated with the “Dog Star” Sirius. What better way to celebrate than with a doggy day care party? Join us on Tuesday, July 30th, for our Dog Days of Summer Doggy Day Care Party. We’ll be splashing in Canine Cove, taking photos, and keeping cool. Plus, your pup will take home a photo from the party and a cookie from Treats Unleashed!
If your pup is new to doggy day care at Petropolis, give us a call at (636)537-2322 to schedule their FREE first day before the party!
While the first day of summer is technically a few weeks away, it sure feels like it’s already begun here at Petropolis! We have dogs in Canine Cove nearly every day, the salon is busy with summer cuts, and lodging is already filling up for Independence Day. Keep reading for some more updates about what we’ve been up to and what you can expect later this month.
Welcome Dr. Jesse McClure, Our New Canine Behavior Manager
It seems like our training team is getting stronger every day! We’re so happy to welcome Dr. Jesse McClure to our team as our new canine expert. Jesse has over 15 years of dog training experience and a Ph.D. in neuroscience and behavior. He got his start training narcotic detection canines for the Coast Guard, and he and his dog Rebel even provided explosive detection support for the 2005 presidential inauguration.
Now, Jesse (and his dog Ramekin) are heading up our new behavior department aimed at helping pets with specific behavioral concerns including extreme cases of anxiety, fear, and aggression. We’re so excited to offer behavior modification in addition to our training programs, and we can’t wait to see what amazing work Jesse can do with our Petropolis Pups.
“The Paw-fice” Doggy Day Care Party
Our favorite TV show shouldn’t be reserved for people, so we’re bringing it to the pups! Join us on Tuesday, June 25th, for our “The Paw-fice” Doggy Day Care Party. For the price of a regular day of doggy day care, your pup will get a full day of fun with their “coworkers.” They’ll also get an office-themed treat from Treats Unleashed and a photo to take home. Plus, weather-permitting, they’ll get to spend the day splashing around in Canine Cove!
Is your pup new to doggy day care at Petropolis? Give us a call at (636)537-2322 to schedule their FREE first day before the party.
4th of July Lodging (and Safety) Reminder
We’re less than a month away from the biggest holiday of the summer! While the 4th of July is an exciting, fun holiday for humans, it can be scary and dangerous for our pets. The 4th is the absolute worst holiday in terms of pet loss. During backyard barbeques, there are plenty of opportunities for pets to escape out the door while guests come and go. Plus, fireworks and firecrackers trigger flight responses in many dogs. It’s important to plan for your pet’s safety and peace of mind.
That’s why we recommend boarding your pet whether or not you’re leaving town for Independence Day, especially if you plan on hosting. Large gatherings can be stressful for pets anyway, and the added danger of pet loss makes the 4th of July a perfect storm. Give our Reservation Specialists a call at (636)537-2322 and let them help you plan your pet’s lodging stay. And don’t worry – they won’t miss out on the 4th of July fun! Our dogs will spend the day splashing around in Canine Cove and playing with their furry friends. Plus, don’t forget to add a special holiday meal to your dog’s stay when you book; we’ll be serving watermelon, blueberries, and (of course) hot dogs!
When a dog spends an extended period of time in a shelter, it can be extremely detrimental to their health and mental wellness. Between the confined spaces, lack of activity, and loud noises, a dog can easily become overstimulated and stressed. Plus, dogs in shelters are not learning how to live in a home environment, so it’s often difficult for them to make the adjustment after adoption. That’s where foster homes come in. They help get dogs out of the shelter and into homes, making for more well-adjusted dogs ready to take on the challenge of home life.
About Needy Paws Rescue
Needy Paws Rescue is a foster-based rescue based out of St. Louis that pulls dogs from high-risk situations and shelters and places them into foster homes. Being entirely volunteer-run, the rescue relies heavily on the work of their gracious foster parents who put in the work to get their pups adoption-ready.
While getting dogs into homes is important, keeping them in those homes is the goal, so Needy Paws works with adopters throughout the adoption process. Their dogs go to their forever homes fully vetted and spayed or neutered. Then, they teach adopters how to best care for the newest member of their family.
Being a foster-based rescue, Needy Paws operates through donations and weekly adoption events. They also host an annual 6k and one-mile fun run, Paws in the Park, that helps fund the veterinary needs of the dogs in their care.
If you want to open your home to a dog in need, consider fostering for Needy Paws Rescue.
St. Louis, Missouri, has one of the largest animal shelter populations – and the largest stray animal population – in the country. In cities like ours, pets left on the streets, surrendered by their owners, or seized by the police find themselves in municipal shelters, many of which have high kill rates. Luckily, the city of St. Louis has CARE STL, the Center for Animal Rescue and Enrichment of St. Louis, which provides a safe place and a bright future for these homeless pets.
About CARE STL: The Center for Animal Rescue and Enrichment of St. Louis
CARE STL began in 2018 with the signing of a city contract, making them an open admission municipal shelter and giving them control over the city “pound.” Unlike many municipal shelters, CARE STL strives to avoid euthanasia whenever possible. Their save rate currently sits at 96%, qualifying CARE STL as a no-kill shelter. CARE works to save all adoptable and medically-treatable animals that enter their facility, and they are getting closer to that goal with every single adoption.
Currently, CARE STL operates out of their shelter space, but they have recently started work on another location that will serve both homeless pets and the greater St. Louis community. They hope to use animals to help underserved populations through programs focused on literacy for children, job preparedness for low-income students, and rehabilitation for ex-convicts. They have partnered with Scholastic to create a program in which young children can read to shelter dogs, and they’ve partnered with Meals on Wheels to transport food and veterinary care to low-income pet owners. Through community outreach and education, CARE STL is helping create a more caring community for the city’s people and pets.
If you’d like to help the animal population of St. Louis City, please consider donating to the renovation of CARE STL’s new facility or their existing shelter.
If you’d like to provide a safe, loving home for a pet in need, visit CARE STL.
We’ve had a busy month here at Petropolis Pet Resort, and it’s only getting busier! Here’s just a small peek at what we’ve been up to.
New Grooming System
We’ve recently been testing out a new dog bathing system from Ogena. Unlike a traditional bath, our new grooming system can be used anywhere, meaning dogs who are reactive to or stressed out by other dogs or the bathtub can be bathed in the privacy of their own rooms. The system cleans all the way to the skin and stimulates the dog’s hair follicles, which makes for a softer coat and less shedding. It’s quick, easy, and – in our experience so far – less stressful for some of our clients. Kaya (right) gets to enjoy a peanut butter snack while she is bathed right on her grooming table!
If your dog has had trouble with traditional grooming environments in the past, consider giving our new system a try. Talk to one of our groomers to see if this kind of treatment is right for you and your pet.
Spring Break Lodging
With all this cold weather, it’s hard to believe spring break is just around the corner – but it’s true! And if you’re going on vacation, why not send your dog or cat a fun getaway of their own? Spots in our hotel are already filling up, so hurry and book your pet’s reservation. Our reservation specialists will work with you to create the lodging and play package that’s right for your pet so you can have peace of mind while you’re away. Call us at (636)537-2322 to book your pet’s stay now!
Cat Jungle Updates
The renovations to our Cat Jungle are almost complete, and our feline guests are already loving the changes. We’ve enjoyed watching them discover all the new rooms have to offer. Not only does the space look incredible, but it also accommodates for the needs of different types of cats. We can’t wait to show you the finished product very, very soon!
According to the ASPCA, approximately 1.5 million pets are euthanized in shelters every year. While there are plenty of reasons a pet might be euthanized, one of the big ones is that municipal, open admission shelters must euthanize to make room for more homeless pets. When time runs out for the dogs and cats in these shelters, Five Acres Animal Shelter steps in.
About Five Acres Animal Shelter
Five Acres Animal Shelter is the only no-kill animal shelter in St. Charles County, so they never euthanize pets to make room for more. Their adoptable pets come from private citizens who can no longer care for them, animal control seizures, and overcrowded shelters across the state of Missouri. With the help of donors, volunteers, and fosters, Five Acres finds loving homes for hundreds of dogs and cats that otherwise may have been put down.
Along with finding homes for animals in need, Five Acres Animal Shelter also helps the community through their food pantry, AniMeals. AniMeals serves pets belonging to individuals and families on limited incomes. By supplementing these owners’ needs with food and other supplies, the program keeps pets in loving homes and out of shelters.
If you’re ready to welcome a pet into your home, consider adopting from Five Acres. Their adoption process matches the right pet with the right home, so their dogs and cats are more likely to be placed in their forever home.
According to the ASPCA, approximately 3.2 million cats enter shelters and rescues every year. Of these, most come in as strays or feral cats. With so many families adopting puppies during the holiday season, we feel it’s important to remember all the cats awaiting their forever homes in shelters and rescues across the St. Louis Area. That’s why our Shelter of the Month is Tenth Life Cat Rescue!
Tenth Life Cat Rescue was founded in 2009 by Elizabeth Frick. She started out with no money, a handful of supporters, and one cat in her own home. Over the years, Tenth Life grew to support over 50 foster homes around St. Louis and more than 100 cats. Their mission is to provide care to stray cats and kittens, especially those with special needs, in the hope of finding them adoptive homes while ending cat homelessness and unnecessary euthanasia.
Instead of a traditional shelter environment, Tenth Life Cat Rescue operates mostly through fosters. They also feature about 10 to 15 of their adoptable felines in their storefront on Cherokee Street. In opening their storefront, Tenth Life works towards their goal of creating a cat haven instead of the standard shelter space. They even encourage cat-lovers in their area to visit on their lunch break just to play with and snuggle their adoptable cats.
Tenth Life Cat Rescue believes that special needs cats are just as deserving of loving homes as any other, so they make it their mission to seek out and provide care for special needs strays in the St. Louis Area. Visit their website to meet their adoptable cats.
Ever wonder what’s happening behind the scenes at Petropolis Pet Resort? With all our extra holiday clients and the new year coming up, we’ve had a lot on our plates. Here’s a little update on what we’ve been up to this December.
Cat Jungle Renovations
For the past several months, we’ve been working on a major overhaul of our Cat Jungle. We’ve torn down several old rooms and built four brand new luxury suites complete with water fountains for drinking and television screens playing “cat tv.” Plus, we got several much-needed updates like a new kitchen area and new floors. So far, the cats are loving it, and we can’t wait to show you the finished product. As soon as the renovations are finished, we’ll be posting a video tour of the luxury rooms.
Employees of the Month
Our October and November Employees of the Month are Bailey Reynolds and Beth Appel!
Bailey is a lead hotel supervisor, and he makes sure all of our hotel clients are happy and comfortable from the moment they walk in the door to the moment they go back home. She is incredibly observant and always quick to step in when a pet needs her. Thanks, Bailey!
Beth is a trainer, and she’s been with us since the beginning of October. If your pup has attended training in the past couple of months, they’ve most likely been trained by Beth. She does an amazing job with all her students. Thanks, Beth!
Although Gateway Pet Guardians opened in 2004, the concept came to life years before. In 1995, founder P.J. Hightower started feeding the stray dogs in East St. Louis with money from her own pockets. She did this almost every day for nine years. In 2001, four other women joined her, and the five pet-lovers formed an organization to raise money for these strays. Three years later, they officially founded Gateway Pet Guardians.
Now, the organization is far larger than its humble origin. Gateway Pet Guardians is currently preparing for the grand opening of their new location in East St. Louis. Upon opening, they will be the city’s first and only animal shelter. They have pets in foster programs, their TNR Program (Trap Neuter Release) for feral cats, and several community outreach programs that help owners with affordable spays and neuters, emergency vet expenses, microchipping, and vaccinations. Plus, they are still feeding the stray population – and going through 1,000 pounds of dog food a month to do so.
We are so excited to have partnered with Gateway Pet Guardians and even more excited to help find homes for their adoptable pets. To adopt, visit Gateway Pet Guardians.
At Petropolis, we’ve started the new year on a strong note! Here are just a few of the exciting things we’ve been up to for the past month.
Training Department Updates
This month, our training department got a total revamp and is now under the leadership of our career school, The Academy of Pet Careers. The new head trainer, Jody Epstein, is the training instructor of the academy. Not only will our training pups work with her, but they’ll also get to work with her students! This means your pup will get even more individualized attention and be able to learn in different environments.
Jody has a master’s in animal behavior and over 12 years of training experience. We can’t wait to see our department grow under her leadership!
Cat Jungle Renovations
Our Cat Jungle just keeps getting better! This month, we added four new Presidential Aquarium Suites and completely renovated our Window Suites. Plus, our Accessible Suites (which are horizontal and perfect for older cats) got fixed up as well. We still have a ways to go, but we’re very happy with the progress and can’t wait to give you all a grand tour.
Our Presidential Aquarium Suites include televisions playing 24/7 footage of an aquarium for your cat to enjoy. Mochi (left) is loving hers!
