Name: Annie Scudder
Title: Dog Life Specialist
Credentials:
Trumbull Regional Agriscience and Biotechnology Center
High School Diploma, Major: Animal Science
University of Connecticut
Bachelor’s Degree
Majors: Animal Science and Agriculture & Natural Resources
Work History:
6 years as a Veterinary Assistant
7 years as a Veterinary Technician
1. What is Specialized Care, exactly?
Specialized Care encompasses medical (Therapeutic Care), senior (Golden Boarders), and puppy (Puppy Nursery) services. Basically any dog that needs extra care, attention, and monitoring beyond that which your average, healthy, adult dog requires is a candidate!
2. How do I know if my dog needs Specialized Care?
If you have a dog with a chronic medical condition such as diabetes or epilepsy, your dog is required to board in the Specialized Care wing, called Boca Bungalow. We also require young puppies (8-16 weeks) to stay in Boca Bungalow.
Beyond that, owners can choose to board any dog in Specialized Care. If your dog has a condition that requires daily medication administration, or you would like them to be a Golden Boarder, we can accommodate your pet. If you have a puppy that’s older than 16 weeks but you’d still like them to benefit from the extra love and potty breaks, of course they are welcome. And if you have any questions about whether or not your dog is a good fit for Specialized Care, you can always call or email me!
3. Where at Wag Central is Specialized Care conducted?
Specialized Care boarders have their own separate wing in our boarding area, called Boca Bungalow. They have spacious runs equipped to handle whatever needs they may have. We have padded runs for blind dogs and orthopedic bedding for Golden Boarders just to name a few!
In addition, if your Specialized Care dog is not a good match for the younger, rowdier dogs in our daycare program, we have a separate area for them to mingle on a quieter, calmer scale during the day. We also have a Puppy Nursery, where puppies are kept in their own room (See below!)
4. What is a Puppy Nursery?
The Puppy Nursery is a program specially designed for puppies 8-16 weeks old. Dog experts agree that this is the prime socialization period for a puppy. During this 8 week window, puppies need to experience everything that they will experience as adults, in a positive way, to become confident adult dogs. The Puppy Nursery is a daycare program specifically for puppies in this age range, where they will not only be kept busy all day while their puppy parents work, they will also experience all the things that will make them confident, well-socialized adults.
5. What makes yours different?
Most daycare programs won’t take puppies until they are at least 16 weeks old. This is because they are not fully vaccinated until 16 weeks. In addition, most daycare programs don’t have the space and dedicated staff to care for such young pups! Wag Central, however, not only has the space but also has the staff with the know-how to keep puppies safe, happy, and healthy as they grow up.
Regarding the fact that puppies are not yet fully vaccinated, ANY dog to walk through our doors MUST be vaccinated from all of the diseases that we worry most about puppies transmitting. While we can’t guarantee that none of our dogs will ever be sick, we can guarantee that they won’t be allowed through our doors without those vaccinations. This greatly lowers the risk of any puppy becoming infected by another dog in our facility. While it’s true that unvaccinated puppies should not be allowed to interact with unknown adult dogs, it is actually good for them to interact with adult dogs that we know are healthy. Most of the adult dogs will be separated from the puppies in their own daycare areas, but we will select a chosen few to help the puppies learn how to best interact with adult dogs. Another life skill!
Any boarding puppy ages 8-16 weeks will also be in the Puppy Nursery during the day, even if they are not regularly enrolled in daycare.
6. What is the age cut-off?
The puppy nursery is for puppies ages 8-16 weeks. Once they are 16 weeks old, they will graduate and move into the regular daycare program. If for any reason you or I feel that your puppy older than 16 weeks would benefit from staying in the Puppy Nursery, we can always discuss whether or not they would be a good fit for staying in the program awhile longer.
7. How can I contact the Dog Life Specialist?
You can call me or email me at anytime! My number is 203-377-1700 extension 4, and my email is annie@wagcentralct.com. I get that leaving your dog is stressful, especially when your dog requires extra care! Any questions you have, I am happy to answer for you, and whatever we can do to make sure both you and your dog are comfortable during your dog’s stay!