September-October 2021 Updates
Welcome to our blog! Hope's Garden Resort & Boutique is a Virginia Beach pet boarding and daycare facility where all proceeds go directly to support the mission of Hope for Life Rescue, a 501 (c) 3 charitable organization dedicated to the care, rehabilitation, and placement of homeless, abused, and/or abandoned animals. Little Serenity, the sweet hound on pictured to the left (now called Cici!) found her forever home just a few weeks ago through Hope for Life Rescue. We hope to share all news, events, updates, helpful tips and shenanigans in each monthly post. Enjoy the read, and if you are new to Hope's Garden, take a gander at our newly updated website, or find your forever friend today by taking a look at all the animals awaiting adoption on the Hope for Life Rescue webpage.
New Procedures and New Faces
The end of September brought a few changes to the way we go about procedures at Hope's Garden. The main change was our switch to Revelation Pets. Not only will this change help our facility become a little greener (no paper involved!) but it will also create a smoother booking and information tracking process for each animal's stay. Each pet receives their own profile so parents can get minute-to-minute updates on their pets' feeding times, walk schedule, and overall vacation stay at Hope's Garden!
Pictured to the left is a profile example of one of our newer faces at Hope's Garden-- little Khalessi! Owned by Hope's Garden manager Kim Thurber, Khalessi is most likely found in the lobby napping, enjoying puppy play-dates with the other guests, or bossing around her older brother Loki. She's a natural leader who will accept some good belly rubs any day of the week!
Two other new faces around the Hope's Garden lobby are the Hope for Life rescues Gotti (a ten-year-old American Pit Bull Terrier), and Becky (a two-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier)! Both dogs visit our boarding facility to play with new guests while learning some manners as well.
Though ten years old, Gotti is a puppy at heart who loves chew toys, long walks and daily playdates with the youngsters. However, Gotti would probably admit that his best friend is Gidget, as the two have been inseparable during Gidget's latest visit to Hope's Garden (pictured below).
Gotti is currently working on commands like "heel", "stay", "leave it" and "house" (a command which helps Gotti feel comfortable in a crate). Gotti is a fast learner, and is quickly picking up on training with that sweet smile you can see to the right.
Becky came to Hope's Garden a bit fearful and shy of her surroundings. However, after just a bit of time, this sweet pup has increasingly grown more confident inside the Hope's Garden building as well as during her long walks outside. Much like Gotti, Becky is also sharpening her skills in commands like "Sit", "Shake" and "Stay". She is slowly getting comfortable with introductions to new dogs as her confidence continues to grow.
Becky is such a loving dog, and gratefully accepts all pets and attention from Hope's Garden staff. She is always open to finding new friends!
We'd like to thank all of our clients and guests for their continued support! It is because of you that we are able to work with dogs like Gotti and Becky in order to prepare them for their forever homes.
Adoptee of the Month
During the month of September, rescue Short Stack, a young Staffordshire mix, became a clear example of the result that we are always hoping for when preparing Hope for Life rescues for adoption. This sweet pup stayed at Hope's Garden for a period of time to learn some manners before our staff member Tegan decided to adopt! Now, we are happy to say that Short Stack is enjoying home life with his owner Tegan and his new doggie sibling.
In speaking on the subject, Tegan says, "Short Stack is settling into his home. He tries really hard to get his new brother to play, and sometimes they run outside in the big yard. His brother is a little older and a bit grumpy sometimes but he's warming up to Short Stack. The other two people in the house adore him, and he gets lots of attention! He's taken over my bed, and is now part of the family. When he goes out he is very affectionate and friendly to everyone he meets, and gets lots of attention in return."
We most recently heard that Short Stack won third place in the non-pug section of a local Pugfest costume contest (pictured below)! Short Stack comes back to visit Hope's Garden often, accompanying Tegan on all of her work shifts.
New Celebrations
The good news about Short Stack, and the other hard work during the month of September called for celebration! Our team decided to start the month of October with a bang by hosting our very first birthday bash for the guests with October birthday!
We wanted to make the day feel extra special for birthday girls like Piper and Bella with doggie friendly treats, party hats, and birthday decor.
We hope to be doing this more in the future to celebrate all of the guests who make stories like Short Stack's possible. If your best friend is having a birthday soon, please let us know the date so that we can plan more of these parties in the future!
New Tips and Tricks
Certified in the Fundamentals of Dog Training and Behavior, our manager is dedicated to keeping all Hope's Gardem staff up to date when it comes to safe handling and training techniques that will make each guest's stay comfortable. But everyone could you some tips every now and then!
Because of this, we hope to provide a monthly resource families can use to learn more about their four-legged friends. This month, we're linking a short resource by Victoria Stilwell regarding a dog's sense of smell: https://positively.com/dog-training/understanding-dogs/canine-senses/smell/
We hope you find this quick read useful in understanding the way your dog views the world. If you would like specific tips on dog training, handling, or behavior, let us know! We'd love to provide more resources in the future!
We hope this newsletter has given you all just a glimpse into the life at Hope's Garden these past few months. Again, we deeply appreciate every guest and client that chooses to support our mission in giving homeless, abandoned, or mistreated animals the care and love that they truly deserve.
More soon! Love,
Hope's Garden Staff