50% off Retail Sale!

Best Friends Pet Care is having a 50% off selected retail sale!

You can purchase a toy for your own dog, a gift for someone's pet or for one of the many dogs in the shelter. We are collecting donations for the local rescues and this would be a good time to buy the angels on the tree a toy for Christmas!!!

Thanksgiving Holiday Feast!

Best Friends Pet Care offers a lovely holiday dinner for our boarding guests!  We offer boarding for dogs and cats with room for the occasional rabbit, ferret, turtle or guinea pig.

We prepare this holiday meal on-site with the yummy smells inticing all that come through our front doors. So while you are having YOUR turkery and trimmings on Thanksgiving night, your dog will be enjoy theirs as well! Yummmmmy!

DayCamp Howl-o-ween party!

Penny and Scruffy having fun!

Best Friends Pet Care is hosting a Daycamp howl-o-ween party for the daycampers on Wednesday, October 27th from 8am-4pm.

Bring your dog in to play (must be spayed/neutered and dog friendly) in costume. Best Costume will win a prize!!!!

Games, goodie bags and lots of fun to be had!

Stella the devil

Call Best Friends for details how to sign your pet up for the day! 586-792-3000
Best Friends is located at 33711 Harper Ave, Clinton Twp, MI 48035

Best Friends Pet Care raising money with Guardian for Animals!

Best Friends Pet Care is joining Guardian for Animals for their 5th Annual Pet Expo & Adoption Event on Sat, Sept 18 10-6 and Sun, Sept 19 10-3. The event is being held at 876 Horace Brown Dr, Madison Heights, MI 48071. There is no entry or parking fee!

Many precious, homeless animals will be waiting to meet you and available for adoption.


Bring your current pet and enter the

* Silliest Pet Trick Contest
* Best Dressed Contest (held Saturday early afternoon with prizes)
* Enjoy demonstrations by Madison Heights Police K-9s
* Get free advise from our "Ask the Vet" segment
* Visit the many vendors (including Best Friends Pet Care)
* Silent auctions
* Raffles
* Play games and enjoy some good eats for animals and humans!

Proceeds benefit GFA's emergency medical fund which helps Madison Heights Animal Shelter and other GFA Affiliates.

Please come, have a good time knowing that every dollar you donate helps to feed a hungry homeless animal for up to three days.

We hope to see you there!

Back to school is the perfect time for dog obedience!

When school starts and the kids are back on a schedule and working hard at their studies, it is the perfect time to get your dog on a schedule and work on their studies (obedience) too!

Obedience training will offer your dog mental stimulation while providing some one-on-one bonding time for you and your dog. This can go a long way in getting a dog adjusted to a new routine.

Best Friends offers several options in dog training: Puppy Manners and Basic Obedience are taught in a class setting. You and your dog will be instructed throughtout the 6-week program on sit, stay, heel, down, come, leave it and more. Your dog will also have the opportunity for becoming social (which is especially important if this is the issue that brings you to class). We also offer private classes and our board and train program.

Our training classes are starting at the end of September so give us a call to reserve your spot now. 586-792-3000

Day Camp now open to our boarding dogs!

Best Friends Pet Care is so pleased to introduce our new all inclusive boarding package...the Play and Stay .

This package is the best of both worlds for both owner and dog...the owners get the reassurance of leaving their best friend with the best in the boarding world AND their dog receives love, care and attention all while making new friends in our daycamp.

On day of arrival we will evaluate your dog and introduce him/her to the daycamper. While staying with us he/she will have a blast playing outside in our fenced in grass play area or in our indoor gym with his/her new friends. Your dog's days are spent burning off energy and having fun among friends.On day of departure you will pick up a happy, relaxed and contented pet.

That's peace of mind, and why we always say: "It's best to stay with Friends!"

Is Your Dog Afraid of Thunderstorms?

Summer can bring severe weather, and with all the thunderstorms we have had lately, we thought we would offer some helpful hints for those of you who have dogs that run for cover when it storms... (from http://www.aspca.org/ )

Any dog can develop a fear of thunderstorms, but herding breeds seem to be more susceptible to developing noise phobias. Age is another risk factor: dogs who are afraid of thunderstorms can become more distressed with each successive season, so it's smart to start working with your dog as soon as you notice his fearful behavior. If your adult dog suddenly seems afraid of storms, you should start with a visit to your vet to make sure the fear is not medically based.

For dogs with mild thunderstorm phobia, these tricks may get rid of the problem entirely:

Let your dog take refuge inside. Storms aren't as loud and scary inside and this ensures he won't try to escape from the yard.

Having some human company often calms panicked dogs. If he comes to you for security, it's perfectly fine to pet and reassure him.

Try turning on some calming music, a TV, a radio or a fan to muffle storm noises. Shutting the drapes may also help if lightning frightens your dog.

More active distractions, such as a stuffed Kong, scattered treats throughout the house or playing tug/fetch may help as well.

If your dog's quality of life is seriously affected by his fear of thunderstorms, consider speaking with a vet about anti-anxiety medications. Additionally, there are a number of products on the market that may help your dog remain calm during storms, including close-fitting body wraps, noise-reducing headphones and herbal remedies.

For more information, please visit http://www.aspca.org/.

Doggy Daycamp/Play and Stay are Here!

Best Friends Pet Care has been successfully offering Doggy Daycamp for the past year! Drop your pooch off in the morning and they will enjoy playing all day long with other dogs in our spacious camp room! Dogs must be at least 5 months of age, current on all required vaccinations with a clear fecal exam, well-socialized and not food/toy aggressive to qualify. All dogs are supervised by certified Doggy Daycamp counselors, and they are sure to be tuckered out at the end of a busy day at camp! Choose from a 1/2 day for $13 or a full day for $23.

For those doggies boarding with us overnight, we now offer a Play and Stay option, which guarantees your best friend a minimum of 4 hours of playtime in camp per day, while resting in one of our spacious, climate-controlled suites at night. For one, all-inclusive price of just $37 per day, Play and Stay is the best option for your pooch to socialize with other dogs; dogs that are busy and active eat and sleep better, and have reduced anxiety.

For more information, visit http://www.bestfriendspetcare.com/ or call us at (586) 792-3000. And don't forget, all new pets that board with us automatically get their first night free!

Dogs and Cocoa Mulch...be careful!

It's that time of year, Spring has sprung and we are out in our gardens doing our best to make them look lovely and inviting. We use different plants, shrubs, containers and mulch to make all our hard work a success. However the type of mulch you use in your garden very well may look great but without knowing it, you could be putting your pets' health at risk.

Cocoa mulch is a wonderful looking and smelling mulch BUT it contains an ingredient called "theobromine" which is lethal to dogs and cats. It smells like chocolate. It really attracts dogs, and they can ingest this mulch and die.


Theobromine is in all chocolate, especially dark or baker's chocolate which is toxic to dogs. Cocoa bean shells contain potentially toxic quantities of theobromine, a xanthine compound similar in effects to caffeine and theophylline. A dog that ingests a lethal quantity of garden mulch made from cacao bean shells can develop severe convulsions and died later.

Cocoa mulch is sold in most garden supply stores such as Home Depot therefore you are not limited to this type of mulch. Home Depot and other garden supply stores have so many choices of mulch that finding a pet friendly one should be very easy...and just as simple to make your garden beautiful!

Pet of the Week

Meet "Lucky" one of the many daycampers here at Best Friends Pet Care.

Lucky is a 1 1/2 yr old Black Labrador. He has been coming to daycamp since March 2009. Lucky and his owners consider Best Friends his home away from home. This is where Lucky comes to use up his puppy energy so mom and dad can have a break.

Here are a few things to know about Lucky:

Favorite foods: turkey, chicken, jumbones and biscuits. 

Favorite toys: kong ball, frisbes (before chewing them up), the garden hose and all yard decorations

Favorite hobbies: barking at and chasing birds; digging holes, stealing socks, gloves and anything else (and Lucky is very good at this after all the practise he's had)

Fun Story...as told by Lucky "Last summer I got into trouble when I jumped onto the glass patio table top. When I was done being scolded I chewed the air conditioning unit wires and jumped on top of it. Luckily it wasn't turned on. After all...my name is Lucky"

Lucky says the staff at Best Friends spoil him - "I love daycamp, I come 2-3 times a week. I get to run around and chase all my friends. And I get to meet new friends too." "Once, I stayed during Thanksgiving and the staff were so cool, they fed me and all the other guests turkey dinner with carrots, but I didn't eat my carrots. I did chew them up but left them on the floor...ya know, I like to share and I felt bad that the staff weren't eating when we were eating. I wanted to be nice. They all work so hard and play with me....I have even chewed a toy and they didn't scold me....so cool" 

Best Friends Pet Care helps clean up the oil spill!

I’m sure you have all heard of the massive oil spill in the gulf. Clean up efforts are underway, and we actually have an amazing opportunity to help! A non profit organization called Matter of Trust is collecting donations of clean hair and fur of all kinds to clean up the oil in the ocean. Hair is hydrophobic which means it repels water, it is also great for absorbing oil (greasy hair means that hair collects oil). So 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 we can help!

So we here at Best Friends Pet Care are recycling our dogs hair to help in the gulf. If you'd like to help the crisis in the gulf schedule a haircut or shedicure grooming appointment today.

Indie doesn't look happy to be bathed but inside he's screaming for joy!

The Favorite Orange Toy

Best Friends Pet Care Doggie DayCampers have made it very apparant that their favorite toy is the coveted orange octopus.

Each day the group of campers look through the toy box for this octopus while all the other toys sit quietly waiting for their turn to play.

 

This orange octopus looks a little like an alien, but these dogs aren't afraid of this creature from the deep. They toss it; throw it; chew it and make it squeak until it is dripping in doggy drool.

The Ruffians Octopus is made by JW Pet and is made of natural rubber and has a bouncy, squeaky quality that every dog loves. The staff at Best Friends saves this little octopus every night giving it a bath and putting it back in the toy bin to await the DayCampers!

Bully For You is visiting Best Friends

Best Friends welcomes Bully For You Bulldog Rescue this Sunday, April 25th for their Spring Fling.

Bully for You is a not for profit rescue organization based out of Southeastern Michigan who is dedicated to the safety and protection of the English bulldog breed.

We hope to have great fun and meet lots of new friends.

Urgent Notice: Potential Danger of Dog Hair...

In a press release today, the National Institute of Health has announced the discovery of a potentally dangerous substance in the hair of dogs.  The substance, called Amobacter Caninii has been linked with the following symptoms in females.  Reluctance to cook, clean or do housework, wear make-up, good clothes or high heels.  Other symptoms include reluctance to spend money on home and car repairs until after "Baby" has new collars, leashes, beds, treats, food, blankets or toys.

Ambobacter Caninii usually results in long hours away from home and exhaustion which may lead to a loss of physical contact with other humans (especially husbands and boyfriends).  Ambobacter Caninii is thought to be addictive, driving the need for additional sources- this may lead to a "pack mentality" or like the potato chip commercial, "you can't have just one."  Beware! If you come in contact with a female human infected by this substance, be prepared to talk about dogs for hours.  The final symptom is a lack of motivation to seek a cure.  Full recovery is rare and if cured, serious side effects may result.

This person infected with "Amobacter Caninii" gives up her treat to pets.

Happy April Fool's Day!

DDC St Patrick's Day Party!

Call Best Friends to sign up for Doggie Day Camp today 586-792-3000!