In the s-PAW-tlight: Soldiers Super Bowl Party.

Paradise Pet Lodge is proud to be part of a special event being held at Fort Lewis on Super Bowl Sunday, February 7th: the Soldiers Super Bowl Party. Brian Baarstad is partnering with the Byron and Alice Lockwood Foundation to help host a benefit honoring our wounded military service men and women and their families. Brian will be preparing delicious home-made BBQ and smoked chicken using 2 trailer-mounted BBQ smokers. Special gifts will be given out to soldiers and their families to express our appreciation and support for their service.

Donations for this extraordinary event are currently being accepted at any US Bank branch under the account, “Soldiers Super Bowl Party” (Non-Profit Federal tax ID# 91-0833426). The office staff at Paradise will also be accepting donations by cash or check until February 15th. For our Paradise Pet Lodge customers who make a donation of $10 or more, we will give you $10 off your pets’ next stay with us! Just bring in the deposit receipt when you check in or donate to us in person, and we will take care of the rest.

If you have any questions, please contact the office at Paradise or email Brian at brian@touropenhouses.com.

Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to help support our troops!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

ANOTHER DAY AT PARADISE

Pets of Paradise Photo Shoot

Julie Austin of Julie Austin Photography has been coming to Paradise once a month to participate in the Pets of Paradise Photo Shoot. Come into our lobby and check out the photo frame that showcases some of Julie’s previous work. The “Poodle” picture is sure to make you smile!

Sunday, February 21st Julie Austin will pack up her camera and lenses and come back to Paradise. Your pet will get their own one-on-one photo session with Julie, and you will get a priceless picture of your pet enjoying their time with us! Pick your setting, pick your pose, and pick your picture! The session includes (1) 5x7 and (1) 8x10 picture of your choice and access to the Lily-Rose website and online gallery of your pet. Sign up quickly, you don't want to miss out on the fabulous opportunity to capture your pet on vacation! Please call us to reserve your photo shoot time, and get more information about package pricing.

Check out Julie's website www.lily-rosephotography.com or www.julieaustinphotography.biz to see some of her amazing work! You can also look at the pictures on our website, many captured by Julie!

Thank You!

The staff at Paradise want to say a big “Thank You” to all of our customers who helped out in supporting Gingers Pet Rescue with donations this past holiday season. We were able to raise several hundred dollars and collect much needed food, bedding, travel crates and other necessities. Donations for rescue organizations are needed year-round. If you would like more information on Gingers Pet Rescue or would like to donate, please visit their website at www.gingerspetrescue.org.

Complimentary Winter Paw Care Treatment!

Now is the time to freshen up those paws with our winter paw care treatment in the grooming salon. This ultra soothing paw care helps to heal dry and cracked paw pads with a lavish moisturizer. Healthy paw pads can help to resist the harsh effects of chilly and wet winter weather elements.

Winter paw care treatments are complimentary with any salon appointment booked through the end of February. Give the salon a call today to schedule your pets’ next visit, including a winter paw treatment.

Come find us

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Business Hours
Mon-Fri 8am to 6:30pm
Saturday 8am to 1pm
Sunday 12pm to 6pm

Touring Hours
11am to 1pm
Monday through Saturday

425/483-DOGS (3647)

www.paradisepetlodge.com

10324 Paradise Lake Road
Woodinville, WA 98077

Emergency Preparation

After seeing the news stories, magazine pictures, and internet video covering the widespread disaster in Haiti, we thought now would be a good time to touch base on emergency preparedness information for you and your pet.

Disaster can strike so unexpectedly that it often leads to panic, confusion and chaos. Being prepared plays a key role in any emergency situation. Living in the Northwest, our weather forecasters can predict flooding and storms, but earthquakes go undetected until they happen. Seismologists have been studying the Seattle-area fault lines for decades trying to predict patterns and frequencies of earthquakes, but no reliable prediction methods have been discovered. The bottom line is that an earthquake can occur at any time, can be any magnitude, and can cause massive destruction. Are you and your pets prepared?

*Make sure you have an emergency plan that it is discussed amongst your family frequently so that everyone understands their assigned duties and priorities. An emergency plan will not be effective if it isn’t reinforced and rehearsed. Set up a designated rendezvous location in case communication systems are down and your family gets separated. Notify a neighbor or family friend of your emergency plan and ask if they would be willing to help evacuate your pet(s) if disaster strikes while you are away. Be sure to leave them with detailed feeding instructions, medication schedules, location of emergency supplies, and a list of contact phone numbers.

*Put together a “smart kit” of important papers and documents. Your kit should include all current information on your pet: up-to-date vaccination records and veterinary information, county pet license and any registration papers. Don’t forget to update this information when it is renewed or has expired. Microchip your pet; it makes identification easier in case your pet becomes lost after an earthquake.

*Place your pets’ carriers, collars and leashes in an easy-to-access spot. It is never a good idea to store these items in a garage or a shed. Both of these structures contain fewer support beams than the rest of the house and are more likely to collapse during an earthquake, making these essential items harder to get to.

*If you have prepared an earthquake kit, which is always highly recommended, don’t forget to include some of your pet’s supplies too. Put in items like food and bowls, medications along with dosing information, and maybe a toy or a blanket for comfort. In doing some online research, there are companies that sell specially-made earthquake kits for large or small dogs, and cats (www.ASPCA.org or www.stacksandstacks.org. They can be a little pricey, so you may want to consider putting together a specialty kit of your own.

*A pet first-aid kit is always a good item to have on hand, but can be especially useful in emergency cases. Kits should contain: latex gloves, gauze pads or rolls, self-adhesive wrap, iodine and antibiotic ointment, an instant cold compress, collapsible water/food bowls and pet waste bags. Some over-the-counter medications like Benedryl, Pepto Bismol or baby aspirin, would be suggested items to include as well. A current pet first-aid book can also help provide useful information in case of pet injury or trauma and can be purchased at your local book store.

*Perhaps one of the best ideas, for any emergency, is to post stickers on your doors and windows that let emergency personnel know there are animals inside your home that need to be rescued. Most emergency responders will have no idea a pet is trapped inside unless there is someone to let them know. If you aren’t able to tell them, the stickers in your windows will help lead to the safe rescue of your pet. Pet Rescue stickers can be found on the ASPCA website, and can be purchased at pet specialty stores nationwide.

*If you wish to donate to any of the on-going human and animal rescue efforts in Haiti please visit www.redcross.org/donations.

Paradise Pet Lodge emergency plan

Now that we have covered the basics of emergency preparedness at home, many of you might have questions about how we are prepared at Paradise to handle any emergency, fire, earthquake or flood during your pets’ stay.

Paradise Pet Lodge staff is equipped and educated when it comes to handling an emergency on our property. Our evacuation strategy is discussed among our staff and new employees on a regular basis. In any emergency, our designated staff meeting spot is in front of our office at the flag pole. There, employees can re-group and strategize on the next best plan of action according to our procedures.

The Snohomish County Fire Department is located less than one mile from our facility. The Fire Marshal and emergency responders visit us frequently to make sure they are up-to-date with our emergency procedures. They are all familiar with our facility and know how to best assist us in an emergency. They are equipped with a notebook containing our facility map and emergency procedure list.

In case of a fire, we will determine which building is involved and evacuate that building using empty kennel runs, or holding runs, in other buildings on the property. We have several emergency supply boxes in place around each building containing multiple leashes, flashlights, and identification supplies to assist us. Our buildings are made mostly of cinderblock, leaving only the roof susceptible to fire. Each kennel building, office and spa has smoke detectors installed and fire extinguishers as well. Both are checked often to ensure they are working and up to compliance code with the Snohomish County Fire Department.

During an earthquake, we follow a similar procedure as we do with a fire. All staff members meet at the flag pole to assess the damage and determine the next best course of action. In an earthquake, evacuation of pets to another building may not be possible if the safety and stability of a building cannot be guaranteed. In that case, it may be safer for your pet to be let out into a central play yard or another part of our property that is completely fenced in. Each kennel building and spa is equipped with pet first-aid kits to allow us to administer first aid on the spot to any pet that needs immediate attention until further help can arrive. Pets can also be placed in travel carriers and transported off of the property. If needed The Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Snohomish County would offer temporary housing on their 185 acres for pets only. They are willing to house and partially care for livestock and domesticated pets. They do not allow owners to stay with their animals.

If a facility-wide flood were to occur, the manager on duty would assign staff members to procedure tasks to help speed up evacuation of the entire property. Pets would be transported safely off the property. Our facility and surrounding areas are not on a flood plain; therefore we are not in any danger of facing a facility- wide flood. With our crazy Seatlle weather schedule, we are in danger of leaking pipes or pipes that may burst. In this case, all pets would be relocated to a different kennel building and the water to the affected building turned off. Paradise has multiple water sources and we can switch from county water lines to local well-water. All staff members are aware of water shut-off locations.

Our kennel buildings are made of reinforced concrete walls and are very structurally sound. We have two industrial generators with two full tanks of extra fuel on standby if needed. We also have an extra weeks supply of food in our storage room at all times. In any emergency situation, the staff at Paradise feels comfortable and confident in our emergency procedures and would be able to safely and effectively assist other co-workers and your pets.

Staff Spotlight: Jennifer

Jennifer has been an employee at Paradise since 2005. She was born and raised in Texas and grew up always having dogs as siblings. In 2000 she and her parents made the trek to the great northwest. After graduating from high school in 2001 Jennifer began working in retail where she became a manager, and learned many skills in customer service. In 2003 Jennifer decided to make a career change. She wanted to do something she always loved: taking care of animals. She spent some time working for a veterinary hospital in Bellevue before becoming part of the Paradise family. These days, as a certified pet care technician by the Pet Care Services Association, Jennifer spends most of her time ensuring the dogs and cats are loved and well taken care of. She spends the rest of her time with her dogs Booker, a rescued Chesapeake Bay Retriever mix and Nova, a rescued Whippet mix.

Client Feature: Krispy Kreme Sammy

Sammy is a 9 year old rescued Briard mix who has been coming to Paradise for almost his entire life. We have fondly come to know him as Krispy Kreme Sammy. Sammy and his dad will drop by Paradise just to say hi. Every time they come in, Sammy brings in a few boxes of the extremely delicious, still warm, melt-in-your-mouth-with-one bite, doughnuts. Sammy comes in with his tail wagging, almost dragging his dad through the door, excited to see his favorite people. Sammy always gets signed up for the royal treatment when he stays with us: a themed suite with a run, daily walks and play time, and a daily massage. Bri calls him, “Sammy-Sam”, and loves being able to give him total relaxation. Bri says, “Sammy always looks forward to his daily pampering sessions. He absolutely loves massage! He always looks refreshed and rejuvenated after each session. Sammy is the perfect patient.” Sammy also has two rescue cats in his family, Jeffrey and Elizabeth. Jenny Herring, our number one cattery caretaker, describes this pair as,” the complete definition of happy cats. They always put me in the best mood!”

Written by: Corey. ©2009 Paradise Pet Lodge