Doggy Day Care
In preparation for occasions when we might need to board Cabana, today we went to a dog boarding/day care ranch for a day-long evaluation. A lot of our dog park friends take their dogs there and love it. At this ranch, dogs are grouped into similar ages and temperaments. There is no kennel time; instead, they are loose all day in play yards, with a human handler present the whole time to provide supervision and affection. An open gate leads to an indoor area with dog beds, so dogs can go inside to nap or stay outside to play, whatever strikes their fancy. The mandatory day of evaluation ensures that only friendly dogs are accepted.
I dropped Cabana off, feeling a bit like I was sending my child off to preschool or kindergarten! I worried that Cabana might be weirded out by the new place and wonder when or if I would be back to get her. Of course, Cabana loves to play with other dogs, so I wasn't concerned about her behaving badly--but I did have concerns about whether she'd feel comfortable without me being present. We have such a regular routine, and Cabana is with me almost all the time, so I knew that doggy day care might be a "growing experience" for her.
At 4:00 pm, I picked Cabana up from the dog ranch. The woman at the front desk gave me this cute "report card" and photos of Cabana taken during the day.
They said that Cabana was nice and sweet, but she didn't play very much with the other dogs. She was very "reserved" and "tentative". Even in the photos, it's easy to see that Cabana wasn't comfortable from the way her ears are pulled back. 
Cabana was SO happy to see me when I picked her up, jumping all over the place. (At home, she never greets us in anything close to an exuberant manner, rarely even getting up when we come in the door.) It was sweet that she missed me and was so happy to get in the car and go home. Even if she doesn't seem to love it right now, I do think it's still good for her to go to doggy day care every so often. Maybe next time, I can arrange to bring her on the same day that Maggie goes, so she'll have a familiar friend there. I don't want Cabana to get separation anxiety, and I know it's good to shake up her routine every now and then. This way, if we do have to leave her there overnight, it won't be as traumatic for her--or me!
