As we approach the spring break season, Vale Park Animal Hospital is offering boarding for your animals while you are on vacation through their new area, The Lodge. It offers wonderful treatment for your furry friends while you’re away, including administering medications and making sure your pet is entertained with play time. The Lodge, which opened to limited capacity in December 2020, provides the best service for your pet as possible.
“We board dogs only in runs, so their stay is more comfortable,” Dr. Brent Lakia said. “While we have four cabins, or luxury suites, we otherwise have two banks of runs that allow us to board a wide variety of dogs and different sizes. What’s nice about our design is that we do not have any runs facing directly across from another run, so the dogs never see each other, leading to a quieter experience. But what is the icing on the cake is that we incorporate our boarding dogs into our day care activities as well, so your dog will be out and playing with new friends, getting social stimulation, exercise, and a fun experience while they stay with us.”
The Lodge is one of the many new features of Vale Park Animal Hospital’s new facility at 3515 Lake Meade Circle in Valparaiso. The Lodge allows a stress-free environment for your pets. For those who worry about their pets being shy around other animals or not responding well to time away from their owner, Dr. Lakia and his team have you covered.
“While it’s as good an experience as we can provide, it will never recreate home,” Dr. Lakia said. “Our team knows how to gauge dog's behavior to help the shy ones gain confidence, pair dogs together in the daycare to create easy friendships, and use treats, toys, and other fun stuff to make your pet’s stay as best as can be achieved.”
The biggest thing that Dr. Lakia and his staff emphasize when pet owners think about boarding their animals at The Lodge is that you have to know your pet. Understanding your pet’s behavior and how they react around other animals need to be taken into consideration when boarding your pet.
“Know your pet: if your pet doesn’t socialize with other dogs well, gets scared in new situations, or is otherwise uncomfortable around new people, some of those pets are best staying at home and having a house/pet sitter take care of them,” Dr. Lakia said. “If boarding is the right option for your pet, take a tour of the facility, see what you feel the experience is like for you and your pet, and talk to the folks who’ll be taking care of your pet. If you feel comfortable, your pet will too.”
With spring break coming up, many people are looking to board their pets while they are away on vacation. Treat scheduling your pet for boarding like you would booking a flight early for a trip; when looking to board your pets, booking earlier is better.
“The reality is that those are peak times for owners to need boarding for their pets,” Dr. Lakia said. “Just like you have to get tickets for a hot concert before they sell out, holidays and spring break are hot times for boarding needs for our clients. Booking early ensures that your pet is taken care of while you go out of town.”
If you are interested in boarding your pet at The Lodge, please call 219-462-5785 or visit https://valeparkah.com/.