Cascade Kennels Newsletter | August 2015

Come Visit Us at the Celebrate Woodinville Festival

Saturday 8/15

12 – 5pm

Spin the wheel for prizes, coupons and candy at our booth! Bring your family, friends and neighbors and enjoy the third annual Woodinville festival on August 15, featuring the Woodinville farmer’s market, arts and crafts fair, exhibitors, and children’s activities. Also check out the 37th annual community parade, Bassett Bash, and pancake breakfast preceding the festival!

Want to Supersize That Order, Big Dog?

An article from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Newsletter, the DOGWatch

Evidence continues to mount about the extent of obesity among dogs. The eight annual National Pet Obesity Prevalence Survey from the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP) found an estimated 53 percent of dogs in the U.S. are overweight.

Could this be one reason? A survey by Revelation Research found that nearly one-third of owners take their dogs to one or more popular QSRs – quick service restaurants – for a snack or meal. With an average of 2.9 chains visited annually, that totals more than one billion trips, the firm says. It attributes the outings to the growing trend of owners’ pampering their pets, but at what price? The APOP survey uncovered a significant “fat pet gap,” in which 95 percent of owners of overweight dogs incorrectly identified their pet as normal weight.

“Confronting obesity is difficult” says Ernie Ward, DVM, who founded the APOP. “No one wants to think their pet is overweight.”

Employee Spotlight

Happy 15th Anniversary to Kim!

16 years ago, on August 7th, 2000, Kim was hired as a kennel tech. Since then, she has worked in almost every department on her way to becoming the backbone of the kennel as our operations manager. To our guests, Kim is Cascade Kennels. She is the familiar face that our customers always look forward to seeing. Because she’s been here for so long, Kim has been a figure in many of our guest’s lives from puppyhood and well into their golden years. She is level-headed, kind, knowledgeable, and has a great sense of humor which she can bring into any situation. We are all lucky to have someone calling the shots who has as much experience and as big of a heart as Kim does.

Happy 7th Anniversary to Victoria!

7 years ago, on August 17th, 2008, Victoria came on-board as a dog walker, then moved on to being a kennel tech. She is a vital part of the team. Even after 7 years, her attention to detail every single day is impressive. Victoria is also known among our staff for her incredible memory when it comes to facts about almost every dog that comes in, and notable things about their    visit, even years later. Victoria knows our guests like the back of her hand. Her steadfast nature and the meticulously high standards, that she sets for herself and everyone around her, are greatly appreciated here.

Tips from the Kennel Techs

Got a dog who inhales their food like a Hoover? There are a few tricks our Kennel Techs have up their sleeves that you can try at home!

1. Slow Feeding Dog bowls. These are bowls specially designed with obstructions fixed inside the bowl that the dogs have to eat around.
2. Add water to their food. Add just enough that the kibble is swimming in the water. The sloshing makes eating take a little more effort.
3. Puzzle Toys. There are lots of different kinds, with ranging levels of difficulty if your dog is a smarty-pants.