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Summer Tips to Keep Your Pets Happy, Healthy, and Safe

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The happiness, health, and safety of your pets is a priority at The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa.

Anyone who has been to our facility for grooming, doggie daycare, or pet boarding understands how much we love your pets as well as our own.

As the summer approaches, we thought it would be a doggone good idea to provide you with Summer Tips to Keep Your Pets Happy, Healthy, and Safe.

Never Leave Your Pet Unattended in a Car

No matter how quick you think your errand is going to be and how much you and your pet love going for drives in the car, never leave your pet unattended in a car.

The temperature outside is no indication of the temperature that quickly rises in a car. The temperature inside of a car can quickly rise to 120 degrees even if windows are cracked.

While we know how much fun it is for both our pets and us to spend time together, when it’s hot outside, please leave your pets at home!

Time Your Walks for Cooler Weather

Take walks in the early am or evening when it is cooler. Dog paw pads are sensitive to hot asphalt and can burn.

Also, dogs who exercise in the hot sun can suffer from heat stroke, which can be debilitating and deadly.

Older dogs, those that are overweight, and breeds with flat noses are particularly susceptible to heat stroke. Dogs with heart and lung issues should be monitored carefully.

Possible signs of heat stroke in dogs include:

  • Excessive panting
  • Drooling
  • Abnormal breathing
  • Vomiting
  • Collapsing or weakness on feet
  • Bloody diarrhea
  • Seizure
  • Bright red gums

If your dog is acting abnormally, especially in the heat, please contact your veterinarian or closest emergency hospital immediately.

Keeping Your Pet Safe in Hot Weather

With temperatures outside rising during the summer, it’s imperative that your pet has adequate conditions to keep them cool.

Basic necessities such as shade, cool water, escape from the elements, and air conditioning will keep your pets safe, happy, comfortable, and thriving.

If you need to leave your dog outside for any length of time in hot weather, give it fresh, cold water, and a way to escape from the sun.

Add fans or turn on the air conditioner when inside the home.

Long-haired animals are especially susceptible to heat even in the 70’s, so it’s very important to take precautions to keep their temperature down.

Dogs pant to cool themselves, as they are unable to perspire as humans do.

So, consider what your needs are to make yourself comfortable and offer the same to your pet, especially as the Tri-Valley is set to experience a heat wave.

Be Careful Around Swimming Pools       

If you have a water dog, you will probably not be able to keep him out of the water. But some dogs can’t swim or tire easily and can actually drown.

Make sure your pet is supervised during any water activity.

Have a Safe and Happy Summer

The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa wants to wish you and your family a safe, happy, and healthy summer.

We hope our summer tips will provide you the best protection to keep your pets around for a long time.

Doggone Fun for Dad in Livermore on Father’s Day

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Hey, Guys! Father’s Day is coming up, and we know just what Dad wants for his special day! We’ve compiled some doggone Fun for Dad in Livermore on Father’s Day!

What your Dog Dad Really wants on Father’s Day

It’s awfully tempting to wake Dad up on Father’s Day with our usual routine: licking his face until he gets out of bed; doing zoomies or running circles until he gets our leash to go for a walk; pawing his face or jumping on him until he puts down the paper and cup of coffee to feed us; placing our soggy ball or favorite toy on his lap until he gets up to play fetch; staring at him with our adorable eyes and wagging our tail until he pets our bellies; or making Chewbacca-like noises until he opens up the treat cabinet.

But this Father’s Day, let’s give Dad what he really wants! After all, this day is about celebrating what a great Dad he is! So chill out on getting dad up early; let him sleep in; get the kids to take care of us for the day; and spend the day curled up next to him dreaming of how great of a Dad he is!

Livermore Events for Father’s Day

We live in such a beautiful area, why not treat Dad to some Livermore events for Father’s Day? Here are a few doggone great suggestions:

Father’s Day Picnic and Live Music with Luna Fish at Retzlaff Vineyards

“The annual Fathers Day Picnic at Retzlaff returns Sunday, June 19th! Enjoy an afternoon with Dad, family, and friends (and wine) listening and dancing to the super fun Luna Fish band!

Admission is ONLY with a pre-reserved picnic table for seating up to six adults and kids.
Grounds open at 11:30 am and close at 4:00 pm.”

Purchase your tickets here.

Father’s Day at McGrail Vineyards and Winery

“Join us on Father’s Day for an afternoon full of time with loved ones, award winning McGrail wines, food from Dat Q BBQ, gelato from Aldo’s Gelato, and live music from Plan B! We will have a photo booth for guests to enjoy! Reservations are recommended, but walk-ups are welcome. Please bring lawn chairs and blankets to make yourselves comfortable.”

The event takes place on June 19 from 12:30-4:00 pm.

Heavy 4/70’s at R Place Music Club, Livermore

“HEAVY 4/70’s band members are veteran musicians with many years of recording and touring. The band has its own unique take on some of the most influential Hard Rock bands of all time.

A 4 band salute tribute to Aerosmith, UFO, Montrose and Thin Lizzy is the engine that fuels the bands energy which completely dominate their explosive live shows.

Hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area, the band consist of Derek Davis/Vocals – Danny De La Rosa/Guitar members of “Babylon A.D.” – Mike Holsworth/Bass “Jack Wagon – Marty Schuchardt/Drums “Greg Kihn.”

Saturday, June 18 starting at 9 am to Sunday morning at 1:00 am. This is a FREE event!

Happy Father’s Day from The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa

All of us at The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa would like to wish a Happy Father’s Day to dads everywhere!

Word has it among the pups that we have some pretty pawsome Ranch Resort Dads who will hopefully take the day to be spoiled by their hooman pups.

Fun Dog Events for Dog Loving People this Summer 😎

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Summer is here! We can feel it in the air and in the cold crisp water we get to play in at The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa! The summer weather makes us want to run, jump, splash, shake, and roll around with our friends!

In cruising the dog park, word has it there are a number of Fun Dog Events for Dog Loving People this Summer.

Support East Bay Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation

Look guys, we are very luck to have loving families and a great life full of adventure and fun at The Ranch. But some of our canine pals and feline friends aren’t yet into loving homes.

Here is a chance to give back to support those in need of homes or rehabilitation. Starry Nite Studios, Brentwood’s only family-friendly paint party studio, is offering a fun event that supports East Bay Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation.

The event takes place on May 28 from 12-3:30 pm. Professional artists will sketch a picture of you and your hooman will paint you while having fun with drinks at the bar! The event is a worthy one and costs $100.

Have your hooman sign up here!

Live Music with Tom Jackman at Big Dog Vineyards

What better way than to shoot the summer breeze than with Live Music by Tom Jackman at Big Dog Vineyards in Sunol. Enjoy R&B, pop, rock and country tunes while sipping small-batch, handmade wines. The event takes place on Sunday, May 29 from 1-4 pm.

Don’t worry if your hoomans can’t make it on the 29, Big Dog Vineyards hosts live music every weekend! Check out their story and more including their list of performers on their website.

Quiet on the Set, Please! Animal Actors Take One!

Have you ever wanted to act like the dogs and cats we see on TV? Now is your chance to learn how to act!

On Saturday, June 18 at 9:00 am, Star K9s Agility Stars will take center stage in Walnut Creek to teach you how to act. The best part is NO EXPERIENCE IS REQUIRED!

This one day event is tailored to beginners but also perfect for those with some on screen experience. Here is what to expect:

• Learn the skills required to have your certified as “set-prepped” or “set trained”
• Learn to create a resume, log of cued behaviors, and book a job
• Learn to work an animal on set
• Basics of following a “look-stick” and going to a “mark”
• Getting your animal to emote
• Practice real-world scenarios that your animal may encounter on set, such as posing with a product, interacting with a human actor, wearing a costume, or walking across set.
• Jam-packed Gift Bag included!

Autographs will be taken after! Please check out this very fun animal acting event starring you!

Here’s the Scoop on Project Pet Portrait Starring You!

Project Pet is a fun event that stars you! Just have your hooman check out the event here. Your hooman will paint a picture of you at Livermore’s Pinot Palette on Sunday, June 26 from 11-2. Talented painters will walk your artist through the steps to make you look your very best.

With a selection of wine, beer, mixed drinks and food, your hooman friend will have a special afternoon painting with friends and come home with a 16×20 canvas portrait of you!

Support Livermore’s Pinot Palette with a puppy portrait and a ton of fun!

Summer Fun at The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa

If your parents need time away, have them call The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa! Our boarding and daycare is so much fun! We are a close staycation filled with fun, frolicking, climbing, loving day care staff, and friends! Reserve your stay today!

The Benefits of Sleeping with Your Human From Your Dog or Cat’s Point of View

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Studies suggest that sleeping with your pet has health benefits for you, but have you ever considered the benefits dogs and cats receive while sleeping with their humans?

As soft, comfy, fluffy, and adorable that pet bed is that you bought for your dog or cat, chances are, your pet would prefer to sleep with you!

Studies Show Dogs and Cats Benefit from Sleeping with Their Owners

Good pet owners are in tune with their pets’ needs of human comfort, interaction, love, and affection.

When it comes to bedtime, many pets would prefer to sleep with their humans and the reasons make sense to the pet lovers at The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa.

According to Dr. Dana Varble, the chief veterinary officer for the North American Veterinary Community, “In general, it is a very good thing for animals to sleep with their people. Pets who share their human’s bed tend to have a higher trust level and a tighter bond with the humans that are in their lives. It’s a big display of trust on their part.” (source: CNN.com)

Medical Benefits for Dogs and Cats who Sleep with their Humans

Another reason for pets to sleep with their owners is medical. Oxytocin and dopamine, hormones that produce feel-good feelings in animals as well as people, are increased in pets who are closely bonded with their humans.

If your dog has anxiety or suffers from stress, a medical condition, or old age, it may be helpful for them to fall asleep next to someone they trust and love. The close physical contact relaxes the anxiety they feel and eases the stress they feel.

To Sleep or Not to Sleep with Your Dog or Cat?

The choice whether to sleep with your dog or cat is ultimately up to you…or is it? As many times as dog or cat owners try to sleep with their dog or cat next to them in beds or cat trees, boxes, crates, comfy pillows, blankets with fish on them…well, you get the idea…it’s sometimes a failed effort.

Many dogs and cats naturally crawl on the bed or, in some cases, under the covers, to sleep with their owners.

The temptation to sneak onto the bed while humans sleep is more than many of our dogs and cats can resist. After all, the crook of a knee, the soft neck of our best human, or even the face of our best cat-loving person is just too much for our pups and kittens to pass up.

If Your Dog or Cat Sleeps with You, Consider Yourself Loved

As many of our dog or cat loving clients realize, their best furry friends do not want to be without their loved ones, especially at night.

So, if you wake up to soft puppy breath, the snoring of an aging four-legged canine, or the soft paw or even claw of a finicky feline, consider yourself blessed.

You have been among the numerous pets who have chosen their person to drift off to slumber with. May sweet dreams of fish swimming up stream, balls in the open field, and the sound of crashing beach waves fill your mind, heart, and soul during the night.

Choose The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa to Ease Your Pet While You Travel

The staff at The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa has a special place in our heart for your dog or cat when you travel.

We take extra measures to make sure your pets fall asleep feeling loved and cared for when you are not there to tuck them into bed.

Our popular story time is a hit among the guests who board with us. Dogs who are read to drift asleep in the lap of our staff and wake up feeling refreshed and ready to begin the day. We even talk in different voices, show pictures, and read the story over and over!

If you are interested in having The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa bring story time to your pet during their stay with us, please let us know! It is our wish to make sure your pet is loved during its stay with us!

Sweet dreams to all!

Make your reservations here!

April Bowser Report Tip: Put Sunscreen on Your Dog 🐾

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April showers are bringing a lot of activity to The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa. With the weather we are having, we don’t know whether to put sunscreen on or our doggie raincoats and boots!

You may have heard that dogs can actually get sunburned, especially ones with light skin or white fur, so it’s important to keep us safe from damaging our skin.

How to Safely Apply Sunscreen to Your Dog

For all of you sunscreen wearing dogs, remember to have your hoomans apply sunscreen to the most important parts of our bodies: nose, around our lips, tips of the ears, bellies, and groins.

As tempting as it may be, avoid licking the sunscreen off! Have your mom or dad test a small area of your body to make sure you are not allergic to the sunscreen.

Apply a small amount of sunscreen and allow the lotion to soak in. If you don’t have any reaction, it’s time to put the rest of the lotion on your body and then you are good to go in the sun!

If you do have a reaction, have your mom or dad wash off the sunscreen immediately. If you start acting oddly or developing hives, call your vet right away!

Summer Wear for Dogs Who Care!

If the thought of greasy lotion doesn’t sit well with you divas and divos, consider setting a trend with the latest in doggie summer wear.

Doggies bodysuits, shirts, hats, or eyewear are sometimes necessary to protect our bodies and our eyes from the harmful effects of the sun’s rays. Booties can also be used to protect paws and pads from the hot cement. Dogs can burn their pads and paws, and careful attention should be paid to not walk on asphalt during the hottest parts of the day.

Summer Swimming Safety

Summer is a great time for us dogs to swim or play in water! Some lucky dogs get to go in pools or on boats! If you are one of these lucky dogs, it’s smart to have your person purchase a life vest for you. Have them size you and tighten the vest so it’s not too tight but not too loose that it may fall off.

Some dogs, especially water dogs like labs and retrievers, will swim until they are exhausted. Let’s protect them from drowning by putting on a doggie life vest!

Boating dogs should wear one as well just like their humans do in the event they fall overboard by accident! Or, in the case of a lab we know, JUMP in.

If you are a swimming breed, or a breed who loves to swim, be sure and have your hooman re-apply sunscreen as it washes off.

Summer Reservations at The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa

It’s not too early to sign up for doggie daycare or doggie boarding at The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa. We have so much fun playing in the water park, the ONLY water park in the area. Our staffers offer us love, attention, praise, publicity (check us out on Facebook and Instagram!), and lots of summertime activities.

Contact The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa today for your summer reservation!

It’s Kitten Season, a Pawsitively Purrfect Time to Add a Family Member or Two to Your Household

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Two little striped kittens with blue eyes on green grass

Spring has sprung and along with the birds and the bees, the flowers and pollen in the trees, comes kitten season. Kitten season happens as the weather warms up and continues until October or for warmer seasons, until the end of the year.

For many households, kitten season marks the perfect time to bring home a new kitten or two or maybe even a momma and her baby.

Believe or not, adopting two cats at the same time is easier than one. Not only will the two entertain each other, but they will find comfort in each other, and what’s not to love about two new cats or kittens!

Choosing the Right Kitten for Your Household

Kittens are cute and playful and fun, but choosing the right kitten for your household is a serious decision. When you consider the lifespan of a cat can reach up to 20+ years, you need to make sure you are committed to caring for that kitten that will turn into an aging cat.

Once you have committed to providing a safe, comfortable, secure, loving environment for your new kitten, it’s time to choose the one or pair that is right for you!

Look for a kitten that has bright eyes, well-kept fur, and no signs of disease or illness such as diarrhea or wounds.

Ask to hold your kitten to see if its temperament is one that matches yours. Often, kittens will want to cuddle up and take a cat nap depending on what time of day it is. But don’t pass up a sleepy kitten and confuse it for not being playful. Like babies, kittens will sleep a majority of the day.

Often, your kitten will choose you! Be open to accepting a kitten or pair that isn’t the one you have chosen based upon a picture or description.

What to Consider with Bonded Kittens

Bonded kittens require the partnership of each other. The special bond between two cats who groom each other, sleep with each other, and play with each other should not be broken; separating bonded cats causes trauma, stress and depression. The pair has a special relationship that requires the other kitten to be a part of its life. Consider bonded kittens BFFs for life!

Adopt a Pair of Kittens Through a Local Rescue Shelter

Local rescue shelters depend on the kindness of kitten lovers to adopt the millions of kittens that are brought into shelters during kitten season. Often rescuers at these shelters house the kittens and can give you more information about their personality, assuring a great match!

Rescue shelters ask a nominal fee for the adoption of a kitten and often give a reduced price for a pair of kittens. The rescue shelter will perform a health check on the kittens, often spay and neuter them, microchip them, and give them shots appropriate to their ages.

When you adopt from a rescue shelter, you make room for other kittens and cats to be put into foster care, saving even more lives.

The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa Offers Cat Boarding

When you need to take time away from your kittens, you can count on The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa to board your feline friends. We give all the time, attention, love and care that you would normally do for your kittens.

Cats and kittens are housed separately from their barking neighbors, since we know felines require a bit more of a quiet environment.

Think of our cat boarding facility as a home away from home. The purrfect place to stretch, nap, play, and find the comfort and love they deserve.

Contact us to reserve your cat’s vacation!