Special Summer Event

Kid's C.A.M.P. a HIT this Year!!!

Congratulations to all our Kid's CAMPers who attended our week-long class just for kids August 6 - 10, 2007:

Tristan & Tyler Pasterick with "Swiffer" a Puli
Devon Allen with "Rodeo" a Havanese
Tara Allen with "Banderas" a Havanese
Janet Hough with "Cloudy" a West Highland Terrier
Rebecca Hough with "Kimber" a Labrador Retriever
Eileen Hedger with "Windsor" a Welsh Corgi

 

Cujo Meets Pavlov - Help for your Leash Aggressive Dog
Featuring Kathy Sdao, MA, CAAB

Saturday, June 9, 2007  9:00 am - 5:00pm

A rare opportunity and must see for:
Trainers - Pet Sitters - Owners of Difficult Dogs - Students - Vet Techs

When out for a walk, do you wish your dog had better manners?  Does your dog bark or lunge at other dogs while on leash?  Does your dog go crazy at the sight of another person?  If so, this is your chance to learn how to prevent trouble and turn anxiety-ridden walks into peaceful strolls.  Kathy will help you understand your dog's behavior and teach you skills to manage aggressive and excitable behavior on leash.  The day features both lecture and demonstrations on how the science of classical conditioning will help you and your dog!

Seminar space is limited - Register early!  You can call us at 425-427-5958 to register.  Seminar fee includes continental breakfasts.  6.5 CEU's for CPDTs; Group Rates Available.  This is a people-only seminar - no dogs, please.  There will be aggressive dogs attending the seminar as case studies.

 

Adoption Event

Sunday ~ February 25, 2007

Fall in love with your new best friend at Riverdog on Sunday, February 25 from 12:00 - 3:00.  Rescue organizations participating:

Barks R Us - Yakima, WA
Three Rivers Rescue - Snoqualmie, WA
Yakima Valley Pet Rescue
Human Society of Central Washington
Homeward Pet Adoption Center

Professional trainers, adoption counselors and experienced volunteers will be available to help you select the best pet for your family.  For additional information, contact www.pawsitivealliance.org.

At our last event, 36 pets went to new, forever homes . . . like yours!

 

Attention Shoppers & Skiers!

Riverdog Now Open Saturdays!!

Worried about what to do with your dog or puppy while you are out all day Saturday?  It's too cold to leave them outside, and you'll be gone too long to leave them inside.  Why not let your dog enjoy a great day at Riverdog while you are out skiing or shopping for the holidays!  Our same great staff is now here for you on Saturdays.  Accepting both reservations and drop ins.  Come home to a good dog!

 

Inclement Weather Information

If Issaquah Schools Are Closed, Check Our Availability . . .

It's not often we are closed for business due to weather or other unforeseen conditions, but the snow and ice last month did present significant enough challenges for us that we were force to remain closed for two days. Many of our employees do not live in the immediate area, and we did not believe enough staff could arrive safely to work to properly care for all the dogs.  We sincerely apologize if you were caught off guard by our unexpected closure.

In the event of future inclement weather, in general, if Issaquah schools are closed, then it is possible - but not certain - we might also be closed. If you have a reservation for your pet that day, please check our voicemail to confirm the status of our operations. On any day that Issaquah schools are closed, we will have a decision posted on the voicemail, regarding whether or not we will be open by 6:00am.

 

Adoption Event at Riverdog is Successful!

21 out of 24 Dogs Found Forever Homes Last Month!

Riverdog teamed up with several shelters to help dozens of wonderful dogs find new homes for the holidays last month.  Our professional trainers, their adoption counselors, and experienced volunteers all helped match up great dogs with great families.  Thank you to all who participated and/or spread the word to friends!

 

Adoption Event

Saturday, November 11, 2006

Fall in love with your new best friend at Riverdog on Saturday, November 11, from 12:00 - 3:00.  Rescue organizations participating:

Barks R Us - Yakima, WA
Three Rivers Rescue - Snoqualmie, WA
Yakima Valley Pet Rescue

Professional trainers, adoption counselors and experienced volunteers will be available to help you select the best pet for your family.  For additional information, contact www.pawsitivealliance.org.

 

Attention Trainers ~ Dog Enthusiasts ~ Owners of Active Family Pets

Special Seminar Event!

Movie Dog Secrets

Featuring Anne Gordon - The Trainer of "Benji"

October 21 - 22, 2006 ~ 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Cost w/ Dog: $135
Audit Only: $50

World renowned movie dog trainer, Anne Gordon, trainer of both domestic and wild animals for films such as "Homeward Bound", "Air Bud: Spikes Back", "Open Range", and the "New Benji", is coming to Riverdog October 21 - 22 for a special, all positive introduction to movie dog training, including basic movie behaviors, tricks and inside advice on how to get film jobs.  Topics for this seminar:

Top 5 Basic Movie Behaviors
Most Important Movie Dog Tricks
How to Behave on Set
Practice Actual Set Run-Throughs
How to Get Your Pet a Film Job
How to Capture and Shape Desired Behaviors
Movie Training Techniques for the Family

A LOCAL FILM AGENT WILL ALSO BE ON HAND SCOUTING FOR NEW TALENT!

Anne Gordon, a studio trainer for over 20 years, is a national trainer for HollywoodPaws, and one of the original pioneers in the animal actor industry.  Ms. Gordon has worked as a studio trainer for over 24 television movies and 55 major motion pictures, with dogs, cats, wolves, deer, horses, and rabbits.  She has a B.A. in Biology and minor psychology/animal behavior from Western Washington University, and began her career as a zookeeper.  A native of the Pacific Northwest, she currently resides in Panama.

Seminar space is limited!  Call to register;  425.427.5958

Continental breakfast included; CEUs pending for C.P.D.T.'s

This is a working seminar - bring your dog; auditors welcome!

No aggressive dogs, please

 

Congratulations!

Here's To Some Special Clients and Their Awesome Accomplishments!

We have several clients who completed our Canine Good Citizen Course, took the Certification Test, and passed!  Client/dog teams who recently earned their CGC Certification are:

"Maddie" - Border Collie/Australian Shepard Mix - Debbie and Jim Conlan
"Roscoe" - Black Labrador Retriever - Michael and Rachel Enselman
"Brinkley" - Labradoodle - Karin Harder
"Lea" - Rottweiler/German Shepard Mix - Colleen Koeck
"Shadow" - Shetland Sheepdog - Dawn Angel

 

Summer Kid's C.A.M.P. is a Howling Success!

Special Weeklong Class for kids and dogs

This summer's first Kid's C.A.M.P. class has graduated!  Hat's off to:

Rose Vincent & "Snowy"
Heino Vincent & "Snowy"
Hannah Davidson & "Bandit"
Abby Shaw & "Aero"
Sean Ballsmith & "Hogan"
Erin Ballsmith & "Hogan"
Andrew Stringfellow & "River"
Jake Stringfellow & "Kimber"

 

Fourth of July

Kids & Pets Parade & Slumber Party!

Thank you to all of you who participated in the annual 4th of July Kids & Pets Parade in downtown Issaquah.  We had a great turn-out this year, and had a lot of fun!  We are looking forward to our next parade, which is during Salmons Days, October 7.  Look here for more details as we get closer to that date.

Our Annual 4th of July Slumber Party was also loads of fun!  Two dozen dogs hung out with our own C.A.M.P. Counselors, Tim & Phil, on Tuesday night while their owners enjoyed the Independence Day festivities.  We loved being a part of their safe and sound 4th!

 

Exciting Developments!

It's Time to Reserve Your C.A.M.P. Days!

As you may be aware, there are several changes to our facilities that we have been working on lately.  We are consolidating our buildings and updating our services in order to provide the best C.A.M.P. training and care for all our beloved Riverdogs! 

Some of the things we are working on, and important dates:

• June 1^st – we implemented a new Reservation System, to ensure that we always have just the right amount of dogs at our facility each day, and that we are never overbooked.

• June 12^th - we will begin asking for 24 Hour Cancel Notice.  We understand that almost everyone needs to reschedule their C.A.M.P. day from time to time, yet we need to keep our C.A.M.P. full and busy!  With 24 Hours Notice, we can give your dog’s reservation (and day’s invoice!) to another wonderful dog on our waiting list, who is eager and ready to play!

• June 17^th – our Shampooch facility will be closed for remodeling for three consecutive Saturdays – 6/17, 6/24, 7/01.  Of course, our popular mid-week Day Spas and self-serve bathing stations will still be available!  The Shampooch will reopen on Saturdays again, beginning July 8^th.

• June 19^th – Day C.A.M.P. moves two doors west, back to our flagship Issapaw building.  This building will have just undergone an extensive remodel to include new flooring, expanded outdoor space, and a Companion Dog Room for mellow dogs.  Training C.A.M.P. also moves – one door north, to our B’Arkansas Building next door.  This building has also undergone remodeling, sound improvements, and the addition of a new outdoor fenced area!

• July 5^th – 24-Hour Cancel Notice will become a requirement for all Day C.A.M.P. reservation cancellations, to avoid a full day’s charge for C.A.M.P. 

We are excited about these changes, and how they will help us continue to be the best facility of our kind.  I hope you find this information helpful, and as always, we welcome any questions you might have.  Thank you for being with us.

 

Message from Denise Heston Stringfellow, Owner

Like any business person, I am excited by growth, and the opportunities it gives us to help so many families share a better life with their dogs.  All of us here at Riverdog deeply appreciate the opportunities you’ve given us to care for your pet, as well as others you have referred to us.

Over the past three and a half years, the dogs we care for have taught us a great deal – how much they can learn through training, how much they enjoy exercise, and how great it is to be loved, by both our staff and your family. 

They’ve also taught us some other important things – what the right mix of dogs is for our facility, which dogs will flourish in a conventional daycare setting, and how much more we can learn from the dogs that are entrusted to us each day.

In response to this, it’s an exciting time for us to grow inward, rather than outward.  Over the next few months, we will be consolidating and remodeling our facilities to create even more tailored areas for size and style-specific play groups.  We will also be introducing several new, non-conventional day care spaces, designed specifically for mellow and older dogs.  And we will implement a new reservation system, so that we always have just the right amount of dogs here to ensure a healthy, happy environment for them, as well as a fast, efficient dropoff and pickup routine for you.

At Riverdog, our desire isn’t to be the biggest company, or to have the largest empire.  It is to continue to be the most positive, state of the art training and daycare provider in this community.  We will continue, as we always have, to focus on providing the safest facility, the best trained staff, and the most loving day-away-from-home environment for your dog.

We welcome your support, your interest, and any questions you might have in the coming months about these changes.  Thank you for being a part of our family.  We truly enjoy being a part of yours.

Best regards,

Denise Heston Stringfellow, C.P.D.T.
Owner, Head of Coaching and Training
Riverdog Canine Coaching