Spring 2018 THE NEW BARKER 59 www.TheNewBarker.com PASADENA PET MOTEL, OWNED BY KRISTEN AND CLARKE TRIPLETT, ESTABLISHED IN 1981. Kristen and Clarke are well-known for their support in rescue, even fostering dogs for Bay Area shelters who are out of room and rescue groups who are short on foster homes.Through their business affil- iate, STK9 DogTraining, owned and operated by the Triplett’s daughter Samantha, some of the foster dogs with behavioral issues are given extra attention with assessments and training before being made available for adoption. One of the owners is always on-site, which has recently been completely renovated. Kristen, a vet tech who has also done a lot of work in rescue and rehab told us,“My whole staff is required to have a minimum of five years of solid experience in the field of dogs, whether it’s in boarding, daycare, grooming or training, before they can come to work for us.” She runs an extensive background check on everyone before hiring them. “We cover everything. But more than that, we set down some super solid rules,” she added.“For the record, I would love to see daycare and boarding get some kind of regulation.” Dog to Dog Communication by Jamie Shaw is required reading for everyone who works at Pasadena Pet Motel.“The book is a primer on the right way to socialize dogs and it goes into detail about what to look for in a dog’s behavior. There are so many nuances, like the recommendation, after observance and study, to not put Boxers in with Labradors.” New dogs to Pasadena Pet Motel go into transition and are watched closely to see how they behave and respond/react to the other dogs.“We keep our playgroups to five dogs or less. It’s a lot easier to keep a smaller group under control, happy and safe than a group of 20 or more dogs,” said Kristen.“We separate the dogs by personality, size, energy level and social structure (i.e. play style). We always want to make it a good experience for the dogs and we’re constantly rotating them throughout their stay.” The staff is also rotated throughout the day to keep them fresh, alert and motivated. Speaking of staff, the pay scale for employees at Pasadena Pet Motel is one of the best in the state.“My staff is the best of the best,” Kristen said. Staff members are also given perks and opportunities to learn more about their profession.The business pays for continuing education workshops and seminars, conducted by the likes of Aimee Sadler of Dogs Playing for Life. “We also recently sent a group of five team mem- bers to the Aggression in Dogs seminar at the Dog Training Club of St. Petersburg,” said Kristen.The two-day seminar was conducted by Michael Shikashio and Trish Loehr along with forensic dog bite expert Jim Crosby. Some advice from Kristen:After you’ve carefully selected your boarding facility provider, you may want to consider a short overnight stay or even daycare for a couple of hours prior to your pet’s extended stay.This is an especially good idea if your pet suffers from any kind of separation anxiety or for older dogs who have never boarded before. LOVE MY DOG, ST. PETERSBURG OWNED BY NATALIE CONNOR, ESTABLISHED 2008. “I don’t do anything by the book,” said owner Natalie Connor. She created Love My Dog Resort based on what she felt her own dogs would need and enjoy. “What would make them happy if I needed to go out of town, or if they needed a haircut?” she added. The first Love My Dog Resort boasts the only waterpark for dogs in Florida. She said she has received phone calls about her resort from as far away as Chicago. There are private suites and play areas in both St. Petersburg facilities to accom- modate every type of dog and wallet.“We let the owner designate to us what they want,” said Natalie. That being said, this is not a free-for- all by any means. She and her experi- enced staff assess each dog’s temperament and personality, also taking into account their age and size. Already a successful business person, before venturing into her second career in the dog business, Natalie has strict policies and procedures in place to ensure safety for the dogs and her team. She is also involved in her community within and outside of the dog world. She is very observant and analytical when presented with a problem and figuring out how to fill a need to solve it. After noticing the number of senior dogs at local area shelters, Natalie created the Diamond Dogs Club, in 2015.“These dogs are often overlooked simply because of their age and their white muzzles.To me, a senior dog just means he has that many more years of experience at friend- ship,” she said. Anyone who adopts a dog that is in the Diamond Dog Club will receive a month of free daycare for their dog plus three waterpark visits and a complimentary grooming.“In our first year, we were able to adopt out more than 100 senior dogs in the program,” said Natalie. Currently, the Diamond Dog Club partnership includes SPCATampa Bay, Humane Society of Pinellas and Friends of Strays. Another program Natalie created was as a result of an impromptu conversation she had with a mother at a local coffee shop.The mother was with her older child who had Down syndrome. Pasadena Pet Motel 6735 Gulfport Boulevard S., South Pasadena, Florida 33707 - 727.345.2852 PasadenaPetMotel.com Services offered: Daycare, Boarding, Grooming, Training. Programs and organizations near and dear to Kristen’s heart: Florida Great Pyrenees Rescue Pet Pal Animal Shelter Get Rescued in Gulfport Tampa Bay German Shepherd Rescue Personal adoptions through us (like Pearl, shown on the opposite page) Court dog program through Therapy Dog International, working with children who have suffered sexual trauma. Continuedg