Summertime Activities for You and Your Dog

Summertime means longer days and extra time to spend with our furry friends! We’ve made a list of activities that are perfect to keep your dog cool and active this summer. As always, remember that if it’s hot for you, it’s hot for them too, so stay hydrated!

1. Go for a swim or play fetch in the lake

2. Take a walk or jog early in the morning or later in the evening when it’s cooler outside

3. Make dog-friendly popsicles or ice cream treats like the ones listed here: http://www.dogingtonpost.com/keep-cool-with-pup-sicles-dog-friendly-popsicle-recipes/

4. Purchase a kiddie pool for your yard so that your dog can stay active and cool at the same time

5. Get your food-stuffable dog toy, stuff it with your dog's favorite snack and then pop it in the freezer for a frozen treat

6. Take them with you to your local dog-friendly restaurant

7. Go camping together - many state park campsites allow dogs, just double-check before loading up the car

As always, if you’re headed out of town or need someone to watch your pet(s), give us a call and we’d love to have them on our 6-acres!

Tips For A Successful July 4th

The July 4th holiday is one that is spent relaxing, grilling, and watching fireworks each year which can be fun until those loud noises spook your dogs! Here's a list of a few rules for handling your dogs during this time:

Rule #1:

Stay away from fireworks if your dog has not been properly introduced to them.

Rule #2:

Ignore your dog if it is the slightest bit quirky.  The worst thing you can do is reward an adverse reaction by fawning over it.  

Rule #3:

Do things that the dog enjoys if you cannot get away from the noise.

At Big Oaks, during the 4th we have procedures in place to ensure every dog is calm, happy, and having fun!

Our procedures are to turn on all the lights (so they can’t see the fireworks out the windows), turn on classical music (not Beethoven, as he is sometimes vexing to your nerves) and turn on all the box and ceiling fans. 

We walk up and down the aisles while the Buda fireworks display is going on.  Seeing our team helps calm the dogs.  Some owners bring us doggy valium, and we give that about 1 hour before the fireworks show begins.  The show lasts about 30 minutes.  Hardy and Elaine are down with the dogs the whole time of the show.

After the show is over, we leave the lights, fans and music on for the rest of the night.  We go down to check on the dogs several times until bedtime. 

Thanks for reading along and if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to our team!

Welcome to Our Blog

Its Hardy here! We wanted to use our first blog post about Big Oaks Kennel & Dog Park to tell you a story about ourselves. My wife, Elaine, snapped the below picture of me one evening on our lease in Charlotte, Texas. It has been raining quite a bit and the gauge at the gate showed that it had poured 2" of rain the previous day. I hopped out of the truck to see if the pond level had risen and boy, did it!

We chose this picture to start the blog because it symbolizes a seventy year old Texan looking to the future with hope for his family, business, community and nation.  

Dogs have run through my life since I was a child and dogs will run through this story. It is my hope that this story will enlighten some, entertain many, and motivate both the young and old who read it. We appreciate you being a part of our family, especially those that have been along for the ride for almost 20 years!