Mutt Mosey 2010

Join Best Friends Pet Care onSeptember 18th

Young At Heart Pet Rescue will have their annual Fundraiser Walk at Twin Lakes in Palatine, IL. This year is bigger and better than ever, with dog training and agility demonstrations, pet vendors, music, games for kids and dogs, kissing booth, prizes for the top three individual fundraisers, and of course, the 1-Mile Mosey around gorgeous Twin Lakes! Create your own fundraising page (coming soon) and help us raise funds for our homeless senior pets!

Chicago Museums

Bring your dog by for a funfilled day at Best Friends Doggie Camp, while you and the other kids enjoy the day down town visiting the museums and other fun Chicago fun spots.
See below for Free days at the Museums.....

Museum Of Science and Industry
     August 30

The Art Institute
     5-8pm on Thursdays

Chicago Children's Museum
     Children 15 and under get in FREE the first Sunday of each month
     All children get in FREE 5-8pm

The Field Museum
     Second Monday of each month
     July 12, August 9, and August 24

Summer Vacation Tips For Your Pets

Memorial Day weekend marks the start of summer vacation season. In the flurry of booking flights, hotels and car rentals for themselves, many vacationers forget to plan the family pet's vacation.


Step 1: Make a reservation
Book your pet's boarding stay as soon as possible. Summer is the busiest season for boarding, and many kennels fill up early.  If you've never boarded your pet before, be sure to visit the facility and ask questions. Just stop in during regular business hours and ask for a tour. (If you are told you must make an appointment, be wary: the staff may have something to hide.)

Step 2: Prepare your pet
Making reservations isn't all you need to do. To get your pet ready: 
•Update vaccinations. A top-quality kennel will require proof that they are up-to-date. Take your pet to the veterinarian one to two weeks in advance of your departure date.
•Purchase a supply of pet medication and special food (if any). Be sure to include an extra day or two, just in case you are delayed returning from your travels.
•Pack a familiar toy for your pet's stay, but don't bring his favorite in case of possible loss.
•Prepare a list of contacts. Include your veterinarian's phone number, your contact information at your vacation destination, and a local contact to serve as your "backup" in an emergency if you can't be reached.

Step 3: Enjoy your vacation
When you deliver your pet to the boarding kennel, give him an affectionate good-bye and leave. Don't cause a prolonged farewell scene, which will only create anxiety for your pet. Instead, use a happy tone of voice as you turn him over to the staff and he will feel reassured.  If this is your pet's first time boarding and you are anxious about how he will do, make arrangements with the kennel staff to call and check in. A quality kennel will understand that pets are part of the family and will be happy to take a call from a worried pet parent.

To make boarding a bit easier for first time clients, Best Friends has instituted a special "first night free" program. Check with your local Best Friends center for details.

How Your Pet Can Help Save The Oceans

Best Friends Pet Care is asking for your help!  We are working hard at collecting as much fur as we can to send to A Matter Of Trust, a non for profit organization that is trying to "Go Green" and save the oceans at the same time.  Hair and fur are hydrophobic which means they repel water, and are great at collecting oil.  We are saving all of the hair and fur we gather in our grooming salons to send to them.  Call today to make your pets grooming appointment.  You can help save the oceans and have a clean pet too! 
Best Friends offers $10 off to any new grooming clients.  (Keep in mind even a simple brush out on a beagle will give us some fur!  Every little bit will help)

Luke April Camper of the Month

This is Luke our Camper of the month for April! 

Pet Boarding and Grooming Discounts

By now you have all seen the many discounts we offer to our Best Friends that stay with us. Our furry friends are always well worth every dollar we spend on them, however saving money is always nice! As Toby would say (think) the more money I save, the more money I have to spend on him! Below is a brief description of our Loyalty Program we offer here at Best Friends. This program currently just allows the discount in pet boarding and grooming. These are the two areas we see our Best Friends use on a regular basis, so it is easier to get the rewards!

You earn one free night of boarding after 20 paid nights of boarding. This free night can be redeemed at a later boarding stay.

After 7 paid grooming appointments you receive 50 percent off your 8Th visit.

Please visit the Best Friends site directly for more specific details.

For all of our new friends your first night of boarding is FREE! You also receive $10 off your first grooming service with us. Stop in today for a tour and to see why we should be your new best friend!

It's A Winter Wonderland!

All that Chicago Snow sure does not stop the campers! Bring it on!

Holiday Pictures

Local Pet Food Pantry Needs Your Help

Help us help others in need. Best Friends Pet Care together with Young At Heart Pet Rescue is gathering food to supply Nina's Pet Food Pantry. Nina's is a area in the local food pantry that is dedicated to dogs and cats. This is a great way to help struggling families stay together with their pets. To see more about the beginnings of Nina's you can visit Young At Hearts web site, or read this latest article in The New York Times. You will be missed Nina, thank you to your parents for helping get this wonderful program started!

Weekends On A Wednesday

This weekend you can come visit us at the Great American Pet Expo at Navy Pier. It will be held both Saturday and Sunday.

Tails of Hope will be hosting their weekly Adoption Day at Best Friends in Prairie View Sunday the 15Th, from 3-5pm

Chihuahua's Rock Meet Up will have their November meet-up here in our camp room at 2pm on Sunday the 22NDhttp://www.meetup.com/Chihuahuas-Rock-Meetup-Group/.

Thanksgiving

We are booking up fast so call today to reserve your pets a room at Best Friends! We will even have a holiday turkey roast for all of our furry friends on Thanksgiving.

For all of our new best friends your first night with us is free! (first time boarding guests receive a complimentary first night of boarding)

Retired Greyhound

It is definitely not time for Molly to retire, but her new friend Arthur decided it was his time to retire and enjoy the finer things in life. A run in the dog park, relaxing on his new bed, cuddling with his mom! Arthur is a 4 year old retired Greyhound that Molly adopted from

Greyhounds Only Rescue. Arthur had been racing for almost 2 years, and according to him he did pretty well! Molly is one of our animal care technicians here at Best Friends so Arthur is lucky enough to get to come hang out at work every day. On lunch breaks he gets to play in Best Friends Dog Park and show off his excellent running skills! Welcome to the family Arthur!

Weekends on a Wednesday...

Toby and I did not see to much going on in the neighborhood this weekend. However it is suppose to be in the 60's Saturday and Sunday, a great time to play at Best Friend's Dog Park! You can purchase a daily pass if you like, or a yearly pass.

Perhaps you are looking for another furry best friend. Sunday from 3-6pm Tails of Hope pet rescue will have an adoption event in our main lobby.

November Guest of the Month

This is Rushbo and Anaaya our November boarding guests of the month. They have to be the cutest little kids I have seen in a long while. They are Victorian Bull Dogs, a newer breed here in the states. We get to love on them for two whole weeks, they are enrolled in our Board and Train Program while they are boarding.

November Camper of The Month

This is Kallie Barnett our November camper of the month. Kallie loves to play with anyone in camp. She is our social butterfly of the group. If she notices someone quietly resting she is the first to go over and encourage them to play chase with her on the jungle gym. We love you Kallie!

For more information on Best Friends Doggie Camp you can visit our website or call us at(847)634-9444

Chicago's Top Cat Contest

This is Winter, he is one of the cats that Young at Heart Pet Rescue has here at Best Friends, in the cat sanctuary. We think he is Chicago's coolest cat!

You have all heard the saying "cats are cool, and dogs drool". If you believe your cat is cool then this a contest for you. Sun Times Newspaper has a contest for Chicago's coolest cat. You can submit your cat's picture and a brief description and it will be posted on the website. At a later date they will vote to find out who the coolest cat really is.

Weekends on a Wednesday...

For more information contact http://www.yahpetrescue.com/about/

For those Chihuahua people out their The Chihuahua's Rock Meet Up group will have their meet up here on Sunday 10-25 http://www.meetup.com/Chihuahuas-Rock-Meetup-Group/calendar/11523544/

Dog Adoptions....Marmaduke style!

No need to adopt as many as Marmaduke did, but please don't forget October is Adopt a Shelter Dog month! For those dogs you do not have room for volunteering to walk them is a great idea too! If you do, don't forget October 24th is National Make A Difference Day, log in those hours and help America make a difference in people and animal's lives.

Best Friends loves to make new Best Friends. Every new friend that stays with us, their first night of boarding is FREE! They also get $10 off their first salon appointment.

Thanksgiving Special

Online Reservations

No more trying to remember to call and make a reservation in the morning for the dog! Best Friends now offers online reservations. After a long day at work, you are finally sitting down at the computer booking your vacation on Travelocity, now you can switch sites and book the furry family members their vacation too! As long as the location you are booking with has your email on file in the center you can book away! If you are a brand new client to our center, welcome, call us so we can enter all of your information in, and then you too can book online. For those of you who do have a pet that has never boarded with us before don't forget first time boarding guests get their first night FREE!