As much as this could be an invitation to one of many San Francisco block parties (this past weekend was the Folsom Street Fair) or maybe for coffee at the corner at 17th & Castro, it’s also what we say to a camper when they arrive at Pet Camp.

It’s Not What You Think

When a dog checks in for either doggie day care or overnight care at Pet Camp one of the very first things we do is remove their collars.  Pet parents on their first visit to Pet Camp often ask “don’t you need that?” We respond with a two-part answer.

The first part reminds new campers’ parents that their dog will only be playing on our property.  Unlike other pet care facilities in San Francisco that only have indoor play areas and need to walk their dogs around the City to get any fresh air and sunshine, we have 20,000 square feet of outdoor play space so there’s no need to leave Pet Camp to get exercise. Surrounding all of that space are fences between 12 and 20 feet high.

Keeping Things Organized

Second, we let them know that we’ll be placing a breakaway collar on them with their name and campsite. These collars have a little bit of tensile strength, but they will pull right off if they get snagged on anything during play time or at night when everyone is in their own campsite (we do have a counselor who spends the night but we don’t want him doing “rounds” and waking up the dogs all night.)

Keeping Pet Camp Campers Safe

Sadly, we’ve heard too many stories about dogs breaking teeth when they get caught on a collar, and the possibility of a dog choking because another dog can’t release from its collar is simply too much to fathom (but sadly does happen.)

Do we go through an endless amount of these breakaway collars? Yes. Does it take time to re-write the collars (often multiple times a day?) Yes. But is it worth it to avoid a very expensive dental bill or worse? Also yes.