GREAT NEWS! Our Fire Sprinkler System is Complete

After two long years of negotiation, planning and approval, we have completed the installation of a fire sprinkler system throughout our facility.  This system was voluntary on our part and not required, but our goal has always been to provide the highest level of safety for all of our pals that visit.  Most dog facilities in Denver are located in older industrial buildings that are not required to have fire sprinklers, therefore this was always our ultimate goal.  To complete this on our 4th Anniversary here at The Pooch was very excitiing for all of us.  We know you too will feel it was an important addition to the safety and well-being of your dog during their visit.

Latest Playful Pooch Achievement

As evidence of our ongoing commitment to our customers and their pets, Playful Pooch was named a winner of a Gold Star Certificate from BBB (Better Business Bureau) Denver/Boulder, 2010 - for having no complaints in a three-year period!

Weed Killer That Is Safe for Your Dogs

With the advent of spring and the desire to have a beautiful, weed free lawn, dog owners should be aware that many commercial-made weed killers use chemicals that can be harmful to your pet.  As a result, it is a good idea to read the instructions for applying it properly and keeping children, dogs and other pets away for the proper amount of time.  However, there are many ways to kill weeds that will also do the job well, without endangering your dog.  For the most part, these methods are simple, cost effective and work as well as any chemcially-made weed killer on the market.

One of the best ways to kill weeds naturally and keep them from coming back is using salt. A pinch of salt placed at the base of a weed will leach into the soil, upset the pH balance of the plant and effectively kill it. Salt dirt or gravel drives heavily, and weed growth will be contained for many months.  Sugar can be added to your salt mix, as well as some chopped up chili peppers to prevent your favorite pet from eating what you've placed on the ground. It works the same way as regular salt, and you won't have to worry about your pet's health.  Sprinkling cornmeal into cracks and crevices will control weeds in hard-to-reach places. No need to pull them up anymore, just put some cornmeal into the cracks, and the weeds will soon be gone.

Another way to kill weeds immediately is to douse them with boiling water. This is an age old remedy for intrusive weeds, and about as natural as it gets. This may not be the best spot weed killer of the bunch, because if there is any run off to the sides as you pour, it will kill everything around it, but boiling water is a good solution for large areas. Consider drenching cracks or crevices with boiling water and then lay cornmeal into them as a double whammy. Be careful, as scalding water can seriously burn your skin.

Another timeless and natural weed killer is vinegar. The acids in vinegar, although mild to us, are killers for weeds. Target the base of the weed so the vinegar can get into the root system and kill the weed. An effective vinegar solution to use as a weed killer is as follows:

Mix 1 gallon of white vinegar, 1 cup of regular table salt and 1 tsp. of dishwashing liquid, preferably something that is biodegradable. To make less, cut the quantities in half or quarters for what suits your weed problem best. Spray the mixture on offending weeds to kill them without harming your dogs, kids or other pets. Once again, be careful where you spray, as this mixture is very strong and will kill any kind of plant it comes into contact with. The higher the acid content in the vinegar, the more potent it will be.

The aboved information comes from an eHow Home article contributed by Dale Yalanovsky.