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 your dog is in need of a trim and you'd like to help the crisis in the gulf, please schedule a haircut or shedicure grooming appointment today.

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!