There is nothing more heartbreaking than to see your puppy begin to cry when she sees you headed towards the front door.  This was always my puppy Tini’s reaction whenever I would leave to go to work or to the gym. I really never gave it much thought other than she probably wanted to come with me but I figured she would soon lie down and sleep like most dogs do.  She is housebroken and never chewed on furniture or clothes so when I would come home, everything was always in order.

Tini at Camp Bow Wow

On a whim, I decided to put a camera on her one day. I was at the gym for about two hours and came back to review the footage. I was very alarmed to see my very quiet and obedient puppy actually howling the moment I closed the front door. It made me really sad.  I was very disappointed in myself for not seeing the signs that she was under distress when I would start to put on my shoes or grab my keys to leave.  That was four years ago.  Since then, I have learned to look at her eyes, ears and tail to really understand what she may be feeling. As you can probably tell, Tini is my baby. I love her to pieces.

She no longer spends all day alone while I am at work. I am lucky; my parents are retired and live in Las Vegas. Tini spends the week with them and never really has to spend many hours alone anymore.  When my parents went on vacation a few years ago, I was on a mission to find the best doggy daycare for her that I could find.  Tini loves people.  She thinks other dogs are okay at best.  She doesn’t fight with them; she just thinks they are dogs while I believe she thinks she is a little, furry human being with four legs.  I kept this in mind when I went on my daycare search.

While you may believe all doggy daycare centers are created equal, they really are not. Their services may look the same, but what I was looking for was reassurance that Tini would be taken care of while I was not with her.  This was really a ‘vibe’ I knew I would feel just by talking to the staff, walking around the facility and observing the behavior of the dogs that were at the daycare. I looked at four daycare facilities before I found Camp Bow Wow Las Vegas on Valley View.

Here are the top 3 reasons why I chose Camp Bow Wow:

Live Webcams

Not all facilities had live webcams when I first started bringing Tini to daycare.   I was so happy to be able to watch Tini on my lunch break at work. It eased my anxiety about how she was interacting with other dogs or if she was anxiously pacing or howling.  I also considered it a “sign” that their daycare rooms were named after some of the casinos I worked for like “Mandalay Bark.” The webcam would load and show the names of the rooms which would always make me smile.  Camp Bow Wow now has an app, available for iPhone and Android users, where you can monitor your doggy from your phone!

Tini’s Certificate

Interview Process

Before Tini could be accepted at Camp Bow Wow, there was an interview process which was to ensure she would get along with other dogs.  She was placed with dogs of the same size for a few hours. Once she passed, she received a certificate with her photo and a bag filled with treats.  I liked knowing that Tini would not be with any kind of aggressive dog.

Personal Touch

The staff always spoke to Tini directly. “Hi, Ms. Tini.” “Hello, Lil Mama.” “Tini, you’re such a fashionista.”  That last greeting was said because my mom loves sewing Tini outfits and personalizing them with a big letter “T” for Tini. I dropped her off in the morning before work wearing a new outfit every day. (I took it off before I left so she wouldn’t get bullied by the other dogs though because I noticed no one else was wearing clothes.)  I liked how the Camp Bow Wow team took the time to talk to Tini in the same manner that I often do.

Check out their website here for the services they offer or to schedule an interview for your puppy. Mention inandoutofvegas to receive 10% off of your first visit including services!

Here are a few words from some happy campers at Camp Bow Wow:

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