Avondale Pet Resort
Des Moines, Iowa
By Roxanne Hawn

The Pet Resort sits between the main veterinary hospital and the cat hospital and has its own entrance and reception. Inside the lobby, there is a large mural of dogs, dressed as people, checking into a resort, with an Afghan hound as desk clerk. Quarry tiles cover the floor and up onto the front desk, along with copper colored tiles cased with various dog breeds. There is an exam room, food prep kitchen, and a laundry and supply room between the lobby and atrium.

A small waterfall provides ambient noise to keep the dogs in the nine vacation suites lining the large atrium from hearing every little noise. Another mural above the water fall shows dogs enjoying vacations in Paris, Hawaii, and Las Vegas. An award-winning local artist, John Neal, painted both murals.

The 5 x 8 foot vacation suites, lining the atrium, have walls that extend up eight feet, but above that, they are open. The suites include radiant-heated tile floors, one window, a bench, a Kuranda bed, a TV, and a small fan.

Inside the main kennel area, or “dorm rooms,” there are Horst custom kennels, 18-24 square feet each. The kennels have durable, easy-to-clean polyethylene side panels and galvanized chain link doors. Each one holds a Kuranda bed. The sealed concrete floors have radiant heat. There is an Acco concrete polymer drain at the rear of each run. Staff manually flushes those drains three or four times per day with a gate valve.

Each of three exits features double gates. Staff exercise dogs in either the large yard, which is surrounded by a six-foot privacy fence, or they leash walk them along wood-chipped paths around the 1.6-acre property.

The cattery is at the opposite end of the building, providing a quieter atmosphere for feline guests. That area included many windows, Clark cages and a playroom with climbing tree and aquarium.

Staff uses Health Technology’s Triple Two and Cage & Kennel Cleaner, along with Kennel Odor Eliminator as needed. Staff uses a wall-mounted SMT pressure washer, with a 50-foot hose, to clean. “It’s almost like using a car wash wand, with the chemicals pre-loaded,” Thiel explains. The facility also includes commercial laundry equipment – one washer, one dryer – that can do three or four normal machine loads at one time. Thiel keeps a regular washer and dryer in another room as a backup.

Thiel says, “In hindsight, drains in the suites would be a huge help. Also, we could use more natural light and storage in the kennel area.”

Avondale’s pre-entrance procedures require all pets to receive a brief wellness exam by one of the complex’s veterinarians or veterinary technicians. The check covers eyes, ears, teeth, skin and coat, heart and lungs, and such. Heartworm and flea protection are not required, but strongly encouraged. Pets that arrive with fleas receive a Capstar tablet to kill fleas. “They may also receive a Frontline spray treatment,” Thiel adds.

In addition to vaccination requirements, Avondale requires fecal exams for feline guests once a year and for canine guests every six months. “That’s one thing that’s different here,” Thiel explains. “We’re so much stricter with fecals than most kennels.”

Pets are fed twice a day, or as the client requests. Avondale feeds Purina EN, Iams Mini Chunk or Eukanuba low residue foods. Food from home is also welcome.

To make medication handling easier, staff uses day-of-the-week pill minder boxes. Front desk staff loads each slot when pets arrive. “It’s especially helpful if the pet is on several medications,” Thiel says. “It saves fumbling with lots of pill bottles and provides a way to double-check that meds were given, in case the staff member forgets to initial the pet’s cage card.”

Kennel staff leash walk each dog three times a day. High energy dogs and dogs from the same family can play in the fenced yard. Individual playtimes come with a vacation suite stay.

All dogs who spend two or more nights receive a courtesy hydrosurge bubble bath on the morning of departure. Full service grooming is also available with one of two groomers – one has more than 25 years experience and the other specializes in the FURminator treatment, which reduces shedding.

“Rather than special programs or promotions,” Thiel says, “we market our resort as all-inclusive. Rather than charging extra for a bed, leash walks, medication administration, bathing or nail trims, our rates are based on offering all the extras in one simple rate.” Thiel recommends, however, setting peak-time and off-peak pricing, which at Avondale is a difference of about $10 for a weekend stay.

Because of the close relationship between the hospitals and the resort, staff has the opportunity to observe procedures and learn more about pet healthcare. “They are, then, better able not only to recognize problems in boarders, but also feel ore confident providing care for special needs pets,” Thiel says.

Some clients even schedule surgery during a pet’s stay at the resort. That can include everything from routine spays/neuters and dentals on up to complicated orthopedic surgery, where confinement and strict leash walking are part of the recovery process.

Avondale staff also has access to onsite childcare, which just recently opened up to a few kids from the community. It’s been open since 1997, and on any given day six or eight kids take part. The cost of childcare varies from employee to employee – based on the hours worked per week.

A local high school pre-vet tech program and Carlisle High School’s Multi-Occupational Career class are great sources of employees for Avondale. New and experience staff team up for on-the-job training during a new person’s first few shifts. Thiel also uses ABKA’s educational programs to train new staff. Raises are linked to completion of these programs. Full-time team members also take part in monthly complex-wide sales incentive programs. Thiel manages the resort staff and is a member of the management team that oversees the entire complex. Full-time team leaders for the front staff and kennel staff help with training, oversight and inventory duties as well. “While turnover has been a problem in previous years,” Thiel admits, “it has been greatly reduced over the past two years as most current employees are in their 20s to 40s. We are very lucky to have several long-term employees. Two of Avondale’s current veterinarians worked here as kennel staff or technician positions since college.”

Teamwork efforts encompass professional education, lunches or dinners with training included, and community events – like taking part in the local Susan G. Komen Foundation Race for the Cure run and walk each October.

Thiel laments about missing the “days of lazy summers and holidays,” but she credits a good workout routine with keeping her sane. “About five years ago, I discovered that exercise is a great way to combat the stress,” she says. “My family tells me I’m a nicer person after a trip to the gym, after work.”

Still, she got what she came for – relationships with longtime clients and the great people she’s met through ABKA.

Services Offered: Dog and cat boarding, veterinary services, training, dog daycare, grooming, pet supplies

Reservation and Occupancy Rules: Credit card required to hold reservations; 48-hour cancellation notice required for peak times (Thanksgiving and Christmas weeks, Memorial Day through Labor Day, and Spring Break) and 24 hours the remainder of the year; Overbooked during peak seasons by about 10%, extra cages in the hospital handle any overflow; Occupancy averages 90%, with a year-round waiting list

No. of Dog Enclosures: 87 indoor runs, 9 themed vacation suites

No. of Cat Enclosures: 27

No. of Employees: Six full-time & 10 part-time for the Pet Resort, 3 full-time & 2 part-time veterinarians as well as 20 full- and part-time veterinary technicians and support staff (including receptionists, child care providers, a bookkeeper and a maintenance man)

Entrance Requirements for Dogs: Pre-entrance exam, current (within 2 years) rabies, distemper/parvo, bordatella, and fecal test every six months

Entrance Requirements for Cats: Pre-entrance exam, current (annually) rabies and FVRCP, and fecal test once a year

Technology: Veterinary software – Cornerstone – which includes a boarding and grooming module. It allows staff to see what’s scheduled throughout the facility, and it gives clients the benefit of all services on one invoice. Pet Portal, via website (www.avondalevet.com), clients can complete information sheets, but they cannot make reservations online at this time.

Retail: Very small area in lobby with rawhides, West Paw toys, and a few grooming supplies

Media: Coverage on local TV, including ABKA’s work to airlift of dogs after Hurricane Katrina. More than 30 dogs arrived at Avondale. Most went on to other kennels, but Avondale did adopt out 10 dogs to new homes.

Denny Woodruff graduated from the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1974. Community minded, Woodruff has volunteered for the YMCA, the chamber of commerce and as a coach for several little league teams. He even served on the city council and as mayor of Carlisle, Iowa.

Avondale Animal Hospital opened in 1973 with Dr. Jim Wistrom at the helm. It served both small and large animals. Woodruff joined the veterinary practice in 1974 and two years later became a partner. In 1984, the large-animal portion of the practice was sold off. And, in 1986, Woodruff became the sole owner. In 1989, Woodruff oversaw a major renovation, which included additional exam rooms, offices, a central treatment area and expanded lobby. After many kennel visits, he undertook a second expansion in 1997, and that’s how the current Avondale Veterinary Healthcare Complex came to be. The large L-shaped facility encompasses:

• Avondale Animal Hospital
• Avondale Cat Hospital
• Avondale Grooming
• Avondale Pet Resort
• Avondale Child Care

Roxanne Hawn is a freelance writer in Golden, Colorado, specializing in animal-related and lifestyle topics. She’s a regular contributor to the American Animal Hospital Association’s TRENDS magazine and to ABKA’s Pet Services Journal.