Puppy Visits – Care When You Can’t be there!

Bringing a puppy into the family is an extremely exciting time for everyone and something that millions of us do each year. However, with work commitments, children and day-to-day life being hectic, we can’t always be home 24/7 to keep our puppies company.

Whilst there are gadgets readily available, such as ‘puppy camera’s’ to help monitor your pup whilst you are out, nothing beats some good old fashioned company!

Puppies between 8 and 12 weeks will need additional care and attention, as they often need 3 meals a day, they are not toilet trained and they seek companionship now that they are away from their mothers.

Puppies this young need to be taken out to the toilet once an hour whilst you are home and should not be left for more than a maximum of 2 to 3 hours at a time. Accidents are still common at this age and therefore bedding and blankets need to be checked and changed frequently, to ensure your puppy has a dry surface to lie on.

Getting your puppy into a routine is vital at this age and therefore keeping 3 consistent meals a day at the same time, is important for their digestive system. Their brains are like sponges and therefore getting them into a daily routine early on is important for establishing good behaviour in the home.

Puppies can suffer from separation anxiety when they are really little and whilst it is good for them to be left for short bursts of time, so that they can get used to being left. You really don’t want to be leaving them for more than a couple of hours alone at this stage.

Finally, the sooner you commence socialisation for your puppy the better! As they may not have had completed their vaccinations at this stage, taking your puppy for walks or socialising them with other dogs may not be an option yet.

Our puppy visiting team are a group of animal care professionals, who are fully trained and DBS checked. They can come into your home whilst you are out and regularly check on your puppy.

Our friendly and reliable puppy visiting service means that your dog can be given meals, fresh water, taken out for toilet breaks, enjoy some fresh air in your garden, bedding can be changed where necessary and best of all we provide company and plenty of cuddles.

Our animal care team can come and visit you in your home and provide a personalised service to suit your puppy’s needs. We will tailor our visits to suit your individual requirements and we can come as frequently as you need us to.

To learn more about Scamps and Champs Puppy Visiting Service in your local area, to ask a question or make an enquiry, simply complete our quick and easy online form.

Then one of our dedicated team will get back to you shortly!

Animals in the Workplace – Increases Productivity and Reduces Stress

It is not uncommon for businesses to allow pets into their offices these days, with many companies actually including the perk within their job advertisements to attract potential new employees.

Large companies like Google openly accept pets in the work place, where they are even welcome at business meetings. It is also common for a large number of Dutch companies to allow animals into the work environment too. A decade ago it was virtually unheard of to allow pets into the workplace, so why has this change of heart occurred and what benefits does having animals in the office have for us?

A wide set of studies have proven that when a dog is in the office that human cortisol levels are reduced, demonstrating a reduced level of stress. In addition, tests show that when physically stroking a dog humans have an increased level of the hormone oxytocin, making us feel more relaxed and happy.    

Some people believe pets can be a positive addition in many other ways too! Pets are said to be good for team morale and can boost energy levels on a tough or busy work day. Furthermore, pets can provide a fantastic ‘ice-breaker’ if you are finding it difficult to talk to one of your fellow colleagues.

Animals are universally loved and can therefore provide a mutually beneficial topic of interest. When you have your pet present at work with you, you may find people you have never even spoken to before stop by and want to say hello to your furry-friend, providing you with the perfect opportunity to get to know new people too.

Having your canine companion with you at work can make you feel more at ease and confident, therefore combining that with the improvement in communications once you have your pet with you, clinching ‘that deal’ will be a lot easier!

OK, so dogs are the obvious choice for a puptastic office pal, but don’t be deceived! Lots of people are now taking their feline friends into work now too. After all, cats absolutely love company and lots of attention too! Having a furry cat sitting purring on your lap can be really soothing and relaxing for both of you. Meaning you are productive and focussed in the workplace with your kitty by your side. Puurrrrfect!

So are any other animals acceptable in the work place? Well a hamster might not quite have the same effect as a cat or dog in terms of ‘cuddle-ability’ but if you are looking for a low-maintenance office companion, then a hamster could be the answer for you! Fish have well-known relaxing qualities and could produce a colourful and quiet, soothing addition to the office!

So with so many companies desperate to take on animal lovers – what are you and your pawsome pals waiting for?

Check out Scamps and Champs full range of pet care services, also contact us with any questions or to make an enquiry.

Promoting Excellence in the Pet Industry

Pet, Industry, Federation, Member, 2019,

We have some exciting news here at Scamps and Champs, we have become members of a professional accredited body! We are now proud to announce that Scamps and Champs are members of the Pet Industry Federation! 

So who are the Pet Industry Federation?

The Pet Industry Federation is a professional organisation that are leaders within pet industry. Offering companies specialist support and training in the following areas; dog  grooming, pet retail, kennel and cattery management and assistance with pet trade events. 

The Pet Industry Federation are the top pet-industry specialists in the United Kingdom and therefore we are extremely proud to let you all know about our new membership.

Now that Scamps and Champs are members of the Pet Industry Federation, this means that as pet care providers we must abide by pet industry sector charters and demonstrate excellent practice.

In short, we must demonstrate a hallmark of quality within everything we do!

So what does this mean for Scamps and Champs?

As a new member we agree as a business to abide by the following pet industry charter:

1. Strive to improve industry standards

2. Promote responsible pet ownership

3. Strive to ensure customer satisfaction at all times

4. Always provide customers with clear and current information about products and services in a polite and professional manner

5. Ensure all staff are appropriately trained to carry out their job role and that they have a comprehensive understanding of company products, services and procedures

6. Minimise the environmental impact of the business wherever possible

7. Promote best practice in animal welfare by observing the Five Welfare Needs: Diet; Accommodation; Wellness; Sociability; Behaviour

8. Maintain the working environment to ensure it is fit for purpose

9. Abide by all current legislation relative to the business

10. Not bring the pet industry, the Pet Industry Federation or divisional association into disrepute

So basically you can look forward to recieving our usual high-level of professional pet care services, just with the secured knowledge that we are working to pet industry leader standards and that we now have access to additional specialist training and support. 

We are very excited about our new membership with the nationally accredited Pet Industry Federation and we hope that you will be too!

Check out Scamps and Champs full range of pet care services, check availability and contact us via our online form.

Top Five – Valentine’s Safety Tips for Pets

We all know how much you love your pets! Many of us even admit to loving and spending time with our beloved pets more than humans! Therefore, at Scamps and Champs we want to make sure Valentines Day is a special occasion to remember, for all of the right reasons! Ensuring you can snuggle up with the lady or man in your life for the Pawfect Valentines Day!

Pets make the best Valentine’s date as you don’t need to buy them chocolates, they have no use for flowers, and in fact these gifts can be extremely dangerous for them. All they need is your unconditional love and affection. If you can’t keep your paws off each other – we want to make sure that you spend the day together safely. Here are our top five Valentine’s Day safety tops for you and your pets.

1.    Toxic Chocolate – Ensure it’s for your Mouth only

It is well known that chocolate is extremely toxic for dogs, however it is one of the most common gifts on Valentine’s Day and therefore means that there’s lots of chocolaty temptation around for their tongues! Make sure any chocolates are kept up high and out of reach even the fruity flavours. Also make sure that you don’t leave wrappers lying around as they may still have chocolate on them and in addition the foil or plastic can be harmful if consumed. If chocolate is consumed by dogs they can become extremely ill and in severe cases it can be fatal. If your dog consumes chocolate then

2.    Skip the Love Hearts

Sugar free sweets, sweetener and gum contains the toxic ingredient xylitol. If ingested xylitol can cause; vomiting, loss of coordination, seizures and in severe cases liver failure. Therefore, skip the sweets this Valentine’s Day as love hearts, are far from loving for your purr-fect pets!

3.    Restart the Heart

We know you love your pets with all of your heart, therefore jeopardising their safety is just not worth the risk. If your pets consume, chocolate, sweeteners or sweets, this can devastatingly cause them to go into cardiac arrest. Stay smart by learning how to perform CPR on your pets effectively, so that in the event of emergency you can save the life of your pet.

4.    Rose-Worthy

Believe it or not your beautiful Valentine’s Day floral arrangements can be harmful to your pets, the aroma produced by flowers can be an enticing scent for your pet. If they manage to nibble your beautiful bouquet the results can be disastrous, even just small amounts of toxic flowers can cause; vomiting and upset stomachs. Be additionally cautious if your floral arrangements contain lilies as these can be fatal if consumed by cats.

5.    Animals are NOT Gifts

You may think that a cute puppy or kitten would make the most romantic gift of them all! However, it won’t be puppy love if you and your partner separate, or you move into a new home together which does not allow pets and your perfect pet ends up at the animal shelter. Bringing a living animal into your home needs careful consideration and is a life-long commitment that should not be taken lightly. Animals are not a choice that can be picked up and then thrown away, in accordance with your life style. Don’t buy an animal as a gift, take time to think about this life-altering commitment and talk it through with your partner thoroughly. Perhaps plan a date to visit an animal shelter or breeder together instead, once Valentine’s Day is over and spend Valentine’s Day together on a date talking things over.

We hope you have the most purr-fect Valentine’s Day with your pets, remember to stay safe and most of all give your animals the love and affection they deserve on this special day of the year.

Going away to celebrate Valentine’s Day and need your pets to be cared for? Take a look at Scamps and Champs pet care services.