Best Friends Willow Grove

From Now on "Like" us on Facebook!

noreply@blogger.com (Best Friends) — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 20:29:00 +0000

From now on we will be continuing our blog posts on our New Facebook Page! "Like" us at http://facebook.com/bestfriendswillowgrove

Wag 'n Walk

noreply@blogger.com (Best Friends) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 19:40:00 +0000

Come and visit us at the Wag 'n Walk this Sunday, June 20th from 8:30AM - 11:00AM. The Wag 'n Walk is being held at the Horsham Dog Park at Koehler Park, 1013 Horsham Rd, Horsham PA 19044

To register for the Wag 'n Walk, visit their website! Or just stop by to visit Best Friends. We will have a table set up with our literature, give-aways and even a prize wheel!

All proceeds for the event will benefit MLAR - Main Line Animal Rescue

Introducing Play and Stay!

noreply@blogger.com (Best Friends) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 19:05:00 +0000

At Best Friends we are always striving to make your pet's stay with us fun and exciting. This is why we have added a new program for our more social clientele. We call this our Play and Stay option.

Now for a discounted price, pets staying with us overnight can participate in our Doggy Day Camp Program during the day! Your pet's day would consist of him/her going to camp from 7:00AM until 11:00AM, then heading back to their room to finish their breakfast, or be served lunch. At 1:00PM, they would head back into the camp room and stay until 5:00PM when they would go back for dinner and a relaxing evening in their suite.

Many of our boarding pets have begun to experience Play and Stay, and they are certainly having a great time! If you think your pet would be interested in this program, give us a call at 215-659-3441 for more information. All pets participating in the Play and Stay program should be up-to-date with Rabies, Distemper, and Bordetella vaccines, as well as have a clean fecal within the previous six months to boarding. Also, an interview is required before a stay to make sure that this is a good option for your best friend and that they will enjoy themselves. We look forward to making new friends this summer!

Doggie Day Camp Prom

noreply@blogger.com (Best Friends) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 13:39:00 +0000

We had our 2nd Annual Day Camp Prom on Wednesday. Twenty-four doggie couples attended dressed to the nines in tuxedos, gowns, bowties and tiaras. Even the Best Friends staff (or Prom Chaperones) were dressed up. Pink and purple streamers, balloons and lights decorated the lobby and party music played all day!

A Prom King and Queen for Wee Doggy Day Camp and Big Doggy Day Camp were crowned. We also awarded prizes to the Cutest Couple and Mr. and Miss Congeniality.

Max and Olivia were voted Big Camp King and Queen and Winston and Frosty were Wee Camp King and Queen.

Santo and Isabella were Mr. and Miss Congeniality

And Harry and Tlalli were won the Cutest Couple Award!

At the end of the day, all of the Camp Moms and Dads were given ceramic mugs with a picture of their pet and his or her date.

Best Friends Helping to Clean up the Gulf Coast Oil Spill

noreply@blogger.com (Best Friends) — Wed, 12 May 2010 13:35:00 +0000

Hair is hydrophobic which means it repels water, it is also great for absording oil. A group called Matter of Trust has volunteers making devices called hair mats and hair booms out of recycled hair and nylons - which are then placed in the water to soak up the oil. After this big spill, hair is in high demand - and Best Friends wants to help!

Check out this video posted by Matter of Trust below.

For the next few weeks we will be collecting hair from our grooming clients to send to the Matter of Trust volunteers, and you can help! If your pet is due or overdue for their summer haircut, give us a call and set up an appointment. Every bit of hair helps, even your short-haired shedders can help this great cause by coming in for a bath and brushout. Want to help even more, schedule a shedicure* to really get that undercoat out and off to help with the clean-up.

We are off to a great start, but could always use more help! Give us a call and schedule that grooming appointment today!

*Shedicure reduces shedding up to 80%. After a luxurious bubble bath, our groomers will use a brush called a FURminator to remove more hair and undercoat than just a regular brushing from your pet. This process should give you some relief from shedding for 3-6 weeks!

Make Some Best Friends at Best Friends!

noreply@blogger.com (Best Friends) — Wed, 05 May 2010 15:55:00 +0000

Here at Best Friends Pet Care, we strive to make your pet's stay with us fun and entertaining! We offer a variety of activities that can be grouped together to make your pet's stay more personalized. One of these activities is called playgroup.

Playgroup is our only group activitiy and it is great for the more social and energetic dog. Labs we're talking to you! This is a 45 minute session of play with fellow boarding dogs. Each session is monitored by one of our trained and certified associtates. Many of our frequent boarders LOVE to meet up with friends that they have seen before, and making a new friend is always on the agenda.

The next time your bring your best friend in, think about adding a playgroup to their stay for more fun!

Check Out Our Furry Friends Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Best Friends) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 19:26:00 +0000

On Sunday May 16th, Best Friends Pet Care will be holding our annual Furry Friends Festival. All pet lovers should stop by and check out all of the great things to do with your pet! We will be holding all kinds of doggy games & contests, demonstrations, and a ton of retail items for sale. Don't have a furry friend of your own, or looking for another addition to your family? Come by and meet with local animal rescues who can help you meet your perfect match!

The Festival will take place from 11 AM - 3 PM at Best Friends Pet Care in Willow Grove, located at 1150 Easton Road. All leashed pets are welcome, so come on over for some family fun!

New Obedience Training Classes starting soon!

noreply@blogger.com (Best Friends) — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 20:40:00 +0000

Our next session of obedience training classes is starting next week, April 28th.

We offer Puppy Kindergarten, Basic Manners 1, Basic Manners 2, Advanced and Rally.

We have two obedience trainers, Camille Robinson and Barbara Adams.

Obedience Training is a great way to socialize your puppy with other dogs as well as new surroundings, teach your dog basic commands such as sit, down, come, stay and walking on a leash. Training is also an opportunity to bond with your pet!

For more information on our training classes, call us at 215-659-3441 or visit the website!

Spring Pet Photos this Saturday!

noreply@blogger.com (Best Friends) — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 18:58:00 +0000

This Saturday, we are having a professional photographer, Aaron Mitchell Photography, offering free sittings for Spring-themed and regular backdrop pet photos. The photographers will be here from 11AM - 4PM on Saturday, April 24th. Last time they were here we offered Pet Photos with Santa and it was great. The photos were terrific.

The photo sessions are by appointment only, so please call the center at 215-659-3441 to set up your appointment time. Prices range from $7.99 for a 4x6 print to $17.99 for an 8x10. Package prices are also available.

We hope to see you on Saturday!

Spring Fling was lots of fun!

noreply@blogger.com (Best Friends) — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 19:16:00 +0000

Yesterday, we had our Spring Fling for the Doggy Daycampers. We played Hunting for Hot dogs in the Garden. We cooked hotdogs and hid them in little cups aroud the camp room. The dogs had to run around and see who could find the most hot dogs the fastest! It was lots of fun to watch. Some of the campers knew just where to look and some of them couldn't find a hot dog if it was right in front of them!!

We hold parties for the daycamp dogs during just about every holiday. We've had Halloween parties, Easter egg hunts, Secret Santa parties and we are getting ready for our 2nd Daycamp Prom in June.

At the end of the day, all of the camper moms and dads got presents too. They each got a flower scented candle to take home with them.

Check out these pictures from the Spring Fling!

Golden Retriever Eats $20,000 Diamond

noreply@blogger.com (Best Friends) — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 17:28:00 +0000

On March 11, 2010, MyFox posted an article about a Maryland jewler's Golden Retriever with very expensive taste!

George Kaufmann brings his dog Sollie to his store, Robert Bernard Jewelers in Rockville, every day. On the evening of January 26, Kaufmann and his business partner, Robert Rosin, were meeting with a diamond dealer and were taking a look at a 3-carat stone when it fell on the floor right next to Sollie. The men watched in horror as Sollie ate it.

The men quickly called a veterinarian to find out what they should do to retrieve the diamond. The doctor said nature would have to take its course, so for three days Kaufmann walked Sollie hoping to find the gem in Sollie's stool.

"When we took a walk in the morning and evening I collected and went through everything. It wasn't glamorous, but you gotta do what you gotta do," Kaufmann told Fox 5. The morning of the third day Kaufmann found the diamond, which he had cleaned and returned to the dealer.

Article from myfoxdc.com written by Will Thomas.

St. Patrick's Day Camp Party

noreply@blogger.com (Best Friends) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:33:00 +0000

Yesterday we had a St. Paddy's Day Party for the Daycampers. It was hilarious! We played a game with the campers. We set up five green hats in the camp room, only one hat had a treat under it. Whichever camper was able to figure out which was the "Lucky Treat" hat was the winner.

Alysse, our Manager Intern, baked all day on Tuesday and brought in special St. Patrick's Day cupcakes for all of the campers to take home with them. The treats were a HUGE hit with everyone!

Check out these pictures from the party!!

Best Friends Caption Contest Winners!

noreply@blogger.com (Best Friends) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:44:00 +0000

A big thank you goes out to all that stopped by our table & entered our caption contest at the Super Pet Expo a few weeks ago! Below are the finalists from our contest.

Written by Matt Seydel

Written by Michael Belmonte

Best Friends Interview with The Cute Pet Gazette!

noreply@blogger.com (Best Friends) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:00:00 +0000

During the Edison Super Pet Expo Danielle the manager from our Windsor, NJ location was interviewed for the "How Cute is Your Pet" segment of The Cute Pet Gazette. This is a great interview loaded with awesome information on Best Friends Pet Care.

Canine Massage Evening at Y2K9s

noreply@blogger.com (Best Friends) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:30:00 +0000

Would you enjoy having a professional massage? Well, your canine friend does too!

What can massage do for your pet?

 Calms, relaxes or even energizes

 Reduces stress and increases focus

 Increases flexibility and range of motion

 Increases proprioceptive skills

 Restores natural gait and balance

 Relieves muscle tension and adhesions

 Soothes sore muscles and joints

 Improves skin and coat condition

 Stimulates healing properties of the body

 Acclimates your pet to overall touch

Y2K9s Dog Sports Club is hosting a Canine Massage Evening on Thursday, March 18th from 5:30PM-8:30PM. The massage lasts for 20-30 minutes.

Massages will be provided by Carol McCoy from Peaceful Paws Canine Massage. To schedule an appointment, contact Carol McCoy at peacefulpaws@verizon.net or 215-453-9096.

For more information on the benefits of Canine Massage, visit the Peaceful Paws Canine Massage website.

Meet our Staff Members!!

noreply@blogger.com (Best Friends) — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 13:07:00 +0000

Over the next few months, we will be introducing you to our amazing staff at Best Friends Willow Grove. These are the caring people who take care of your pets like they were our own. We form bonds with each and every pet that enters our facility and enjoy finding out their different personalities, favorite toys to play with, favorite treats, and much more!

We thought we would first introduce you to our Center Manager, Kelly Pike.

Kelly just celebrated her fifth year with Best Friends this month. She first started at the Berlin, NJ facilty as Manager Intern. When our Willow Grove center opened in July of 2005, she was promoted to Assistant Manager and transferred to this location. In December of 2008, she became Center Manger.

Kelly has worked in animal care facilities since she was twelve years old and says she has loved every day of it. Kelly's favorite part of her job is "the regulars". We have many, many pets that board at our facility several times a month and daycampers that we see three or four times each week. Kelly says she becomes as attached to these pets as she is to her own dog and cats.

Kelly has one dog, Cassie, who she adopted from Perkiomenville SPCA. Cassie is a Great Dane/Rhodesian Ridgeback mix. Kelly also has three black cats at home - Bob, Joey and Johnny. They were all rescued animals as well.

New Camper of the Week

noreply@blogger.com (Best Friends) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:36:00 +0000

We would like the Best Friends community to meet our newest wee camper, Meka! Meka is a two year-old Japanese Chin, the only one currently in our Doggy Day Camp program. She has already made a ton of new friends and loves to run and play with them all. When she gets tired, Meka curls into a ball on the bench, or on our laps. She definitely prefers our laps! Here is a photo of her with our Bob.

Our campers will soon be celebrating in green. On Wednesday March 17th, Best Friends Pet Care in Willow Grove will be holding a St. Paddy's Day Party! Meka and all of her friends can celebrate the holiday in style all day. Check back soon for photos of all the fun!

Indoor Pooch Park very busy!!

noreply@blogger.com (Best Friends) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 22:13:00 +0000

This past Saturday was a great day for our Indoor Pooch Park. With the cold weather, snow and ice outside, everyone wants to visit our indoor gymnasium. We had a bunch of newcomers this week, big and small, and everyone had a blast.

Our Indoor Pooch Park is open every Saturday from 10am until 3PM. Small dogs are welcome to play from 10-12pm, all dogs from 12-1pm and large dogs only from 1-3pm.

You must provide current vaccination records for Rabies and Distemper vaccines.

For more information call or visit the center or join our Meetup Group, Willow Grove Pooch Park!

Puppy Love is in the Air

noreply@blogger.com (Best Friends) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 20:31:00 +0000

On Friday February 12th, Best Friends Pet Care's Doggy Day Camp hosted a Valentine's Day Party!

All of our campers were invited to join in the festivities. Some even brought their friends Valentine's Day Cards and goodies to exchange.

At the end of the day all campers went home tired out with a goody bag designed just for them, filled with all of their Valentine's. We didn't forget Mom & Dad, because who loves our campers more than their parents? Each pup took home a special pack of conversation hearts to tell the ones they love how they feel this Valentine's Day!

Take a look at the goody bags!

Your Dog May Be More Human Than You Think

noreply@blogger.com (Best Friends) — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 19:50:00 +0000

Have you ever watched your dog chase his/her tail for hours on end? How about seen them lick or chew on their paws for no apparent reason? Now have you ever thought that these could possibly be signs of a mental disorder? A recent study published in the January issue of Molecular Psychiarty reports that scientists have located a gene for obsessive-compulsive disorder among certain canine breeds.

In an article posted on AOLNews, titled "Obsessive-Compulsive Gene Located in Dogs", Katie Drummond reports that the canine research suggests that some breeds, especially Dobermans and Bull Terriers, are at an exceptionally high risk. Up to 70 percent of some litters seem to have obsessive tendencies.

For more than 10 years, behaviorists at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University collected blood samples from Dobermans that exhibited compulsive behavior. The team found that dogs exhibiting more compulsive behaviors, were more likely to express a CDH2 gene. That gene, located on chromosome 7, mediates communication between neurons in the brain. The CDH2 gene is located in the same area in humans and dogs.

What we now know about dogs might help explain certain human disorders. Experts are cautiously optimistic. "It's certainly true we have basically the same gene in us, so it's an intriguing lead, but there's a lot more work that has to be done to see if this particular finding is relevant to human health and obsessive- compulsive disorder," Dr. Michael Slifer, an assistant professor of human genetics and genomics at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine stated.

So the next time you see some peculiar behavior from your pet, stop and ask yourself if it could be something more than boredom or quirkiness!

Ice Melter can be harmful to your pet's paws!

noreply@blogger.com (Best Friends) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 14:42:00 +0000

Most ice melters used on sidewalks and driveways contain salt which can injure your pet's paws. The salt can irritate and burn the pads on your pet's feet. Pets can also ingest the salt by licking their feet or may eat it right off of the ground. If large amounts are ingested, the pet may show excessive thirst, weakness or fainting.

It's best to use a salt-free deicer. At Best Friends, we use Gaia Enterprises Safe Paw™ Ice Melter on all of our outdoor areas to protect our doggy guests. SafePaw is 100% salt free, non-toxic and environmentally safe.

Safe Paw is also available to purchase in our lobby.

New Camper of the Week

noreply@blogger.com (Best Friends) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 14:06:00 +0000

Meet the absolutely adorable "Harry"!!

Harry just recently became one of our big campers in the Doggy Daycamp Program at Best Friends. He is a 1 year old brindle and white Terrier mix. Harry has been a wonderful addition to our camp program. He loves to play with everyone and is a great dog! Harry pulls his mom through the front door each time he visits us and is always so excited to see the staff members and his playmates.

Harry will be attending his first Daycamp Party this Friday for Valentines Day. Several of the campers are bringing in cards to exchange with their friends and during the day, the Daycamp Counselors will be working with the Campers to make presents for their Moms and Dads.

Parties in Doggy Daycamp are as much fun for the staff at Best Friends as they are for the Campers. At the Best Friends Willow Grove center, we have had Easter Egg Hunts, Halloween Costume Parties, Holiday Pollyannas and in 2009, we had our first ever (probably the first ever ANYWHERE) Doggy Prom complete with a disco ball, decorations, music and dogs dressed up in prom gowns and tuxedos!

Love is in the air....even at Best Friends Pet Care!!

noreply@blogger.com (Best Friends) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:14:00 +0000

Everyone loves Valentines Day, even the campers in our Doggy Daycamp Program. This Friday, we will be having a Valentines Day Party for the campers. All of the campers have received invitations and are very excited. Several of them are even bringing Valentine's cards to exchange with their buddies! We have several events planned for them during the day including a Kissing Booth, card exchange and a special project that each of the campers will help make for their Moms and Dads.

Check out these photos from last year's party.....

New Obedience Training Classes starting in February

noreply@blogger.com (Best Friends) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 22:39:00 +0000

Our new obedience training classes are booking up quickly. Camille Robinson, our obedience trainer, has been working with Best Friends for about 6 months and her students absolutely love her.

Camille Robinson has been teaching dog obedience for over 25 years. She taught for the Suburban Dog Training Club, the Dog Training Club of Chester County, Abington Township Adult School and Upper Dublin Adult School. She has served as the corresponding secretary for the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors. Camille's dogs and some of her students' dogs have earned obedience titles in AKC and UKC registries and in Canada.

Our next set of training classes will be starting on February 23rd, 24th and March 7th. The classes offered are Puppy Kindergarten, Basic Manners 1, Basic Manners 2, Advanced and a brand new class, Rally!!

For more information on class dates and times, call the Willow Grove center directly at 215-659-3441.

‘Puppy cam’ is latest Internet sensation

noreply@blogger.com (Best Friends) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 19:30:00 +0000

Recently, the TODAY show aired a segment about the newest Internet hit, the 'Puppy cam'. Imagine being able to take a peak into the lives of these puppies anytime you want to!

Story and Photo are Courtesy of TODAY.msnbc.msn.com

By Michael Inbar

TODAYshow.com contributor

updated 10:48 a.m. ET, Sat., Nov . 15, 2008

It takes a village of some 4 million to raise six cuddly pups, or at least to ogle them for hours on end.

What began as a way for a San Francisco couple to keep tabs on their pet Shiba Inu dog Kika’s litter while they were at work has become an unlikely Web sensation. Viewers flock to the Internet site Ustream.com to monitor the 5-week-old brood’s growth, watching the energetic pups paw and play with one another and have at it with their chew toys .

TODAY peppered its Saturday program with peeks into the puppy’s lair, giving the brood of six their first network exposure outside their spreading fame on the Internet. Speaking via satellite with TODAY’s Lester Holt and Amy Robach, Ustream co-founder Brad Hunstable explained how a private dogsitting webcam became a worldwide phenomenon.

Click here to view full article, visit the TODAY show website.