Tired of your pup begging for your sweet Easter treats? This year, save the trouble by getting them their very own Easter basket! It’s super simple and your furry friend is bound to love it. Here’s how to make the perfect doggie Easter basket in just a few simple steps!

1. Pick out an Easter themed basket.

There are so many different options for what you can use to hold all of your pup’s goodies. The most common options are wooden or plastic baskets. You can find each kind in lots of different colors and prints and most are very affordable. Pick whatever fits your their personality best!

2. Add treats.

You can add a bag of your pup’s favorite treats, or you can go for some Easter-themed snacks. There are so many recipes online for dog friendly cookies, peeps, cakes, etc. You also have the option to stop by a local dog bakery, where they have lots of customizable treats in different flavors, shapes, and sizes!

3. Get some fun toys.

During holiday seasons, many pet shops come out with cute festive toys you can pick up if you’re really in the holiday spirit. A new chew toy or plush bear is sure to brighten your doggie’s day!

4. Grab some festive Easter accessories.

Choose a festive new collar or bandana for your pup to wear on Easter Day. A fancy bow or a cool new leash would also make a great addition to their basket.

5. Break out the plastic Easter eggs to make it all come together.

Grab some plastic eggs and put some milk bones or small snacks inside. You can add as many or as little as you would like, and for even more fun; you can hide them later and have doggie Easter egg hunt!

Now you have the perfect DIY dog friendly Easter basket! Check out Tiki’s Easter basket this year!

What’s inside? Two bags of his favorite treats, two Easter bandanas, two cute toys, and lastly we added plastic Easter eggs with milk bones inside!

**Tag us on Facebook or Instagram to show us your doggie’s Easter basket this year!

Instagram: @gooddogindy

Facebook: Good Dog Hotel and Spa

1. Stay inside and bake yummy treats!
This one you can never go wrong with. Our furry friends are always up for a tasty treat! Instead of going out in the cold, hang out with your pup inside and get to baking. There are tons of cool recipes on the internet for easy, affordable, home-made dog treats. For example, you could whip up some savory bacon-peanut butter bones, or some sweet pupcakes!

2. Make some DIY Christmas Ornaments! For a fun way to do something festive with your pup, create some cool Christmas tree decorations together! Like in the picture above, you could make a salt-dough puppy paw print ornament. It’s super easy, all you need is some dough, and a furry puppy paw! These are even more special, because you will have something to remind you of your best friend, forever.

3. Take a snow-filled hike! Although we may not always be super excited to embrace the cold, our dogs love it! Dogs love to investigate and sniff out new environments. With snow, comes new smells, textures, and temperatures. Hence why they enjoy rolling in it/ running through it so much. Snow is just one big toy for them to play with!

4. Take pictures with Santa! During the holiday season, there are lots of places you can take your pups to get pictures made with Santa! How cute is that? Some pictures turn out totally adorable, and others will make you laugh for days. Either way, it makes for a great picture, and it would also create some awesome memories too!

5. Cuddles and a movie marathon! Although this may be the most simple on the list, it still is a great way to spend the day with your pup. Believe it or not, some dogs really enjoy watching T.V. Netflix even offers a variety of dog movies such as ‘Bolt’, ‘Hotel for Dogs’, ‘Benji’, and many more! So turn on a good movie, get the snacks, and cuddle up with your dog for the day.

These are just a few of the fun things you can do with your pup this winter! At the end of the day, your dog really just enjoys any time he/she gets to spend with you. It’s simple. We don’t always think about it, but our dog’s worlds revolve around us. Even if they don’t need too much to be happy, we should still take the time out of our day to spend a little quality time with them. Whether that’s inside or outside, your dog will love it either way! It’s the thought that counts, and they will be forever grateful for the time spent.

Ok, so Tiki clearly isn’t a musician, and this isn’t a rockumentary about his trials and tribulations as a rockstar. (Although in our world, Tiki is definitely a rock god.) Actually, the blog title is an evil ploy to grab your attention and give you a glimpse into Tiki’s life. You may see him in our lobby, but we watch him behind the scenes. The more time we spend with Tiki in our homes, around our families and pets, the more we see his character. This story is just one illustration (of many) that should paint a picture for you.

In 2012, our manager Michelle adopted Glow the kitten, and Tiki was his first friend. Glow grew up with Tiki, often sharing the bed at our front desk or napping together in Michelle’s office. This was Michelle’s way of acclimating Glow to our Good Dog family of pups and humans, and our mascot took the job seriously. He is unrelentingly loyal, loving and helpful to his friends, especially the tiny white kitten.

Glow is now fully grown and doesn’t quite need Tiki’s brotherly protection. Among the Good Dog family of pets, the two are pretty much equals. On October 13, however, the dynamics shifted. A crafty little ninja, Glow managed to escape his yard and was struck by a car in front of his home. Thankfully a passerby saw him – battered and bruised but still alive – and called the numbers on his tag. Michelle rushed Glow to the ER, where he remained unable to move and in pain for days. The vets treated his injuries but were unsure whether he’d use his front left leg again.

Upon release from the hospital, Glow arrived at Good Dog in a laundry basket full of blankets and toys. Tiki unleashed a cry right from the start (one of his trademark part-goat, part-crybaby shrieks). But this wasn’t one of his customary pleas for attention. It could’ve been Glow’s inability to leave the basket, or maybe Tiki knew his friend was in pain. Either way, Tiki was clearly upset. He tried his best to gain closer access, scuffling anxiously around the office, yanking at various blankets and other obstacles, and throwing a minor hissy to protest the state of affairs.

Over the next few weeks, whether at home at work, Tiki rarely left Glow’s side. (And if he did, he’d check in often.) He was a regular fixture around his injured friend, sleeping on a makeshift bed at night and safeguarding their space during the day. With plenty of other dogs to play with, and plenty of other spots to sleep, this was the choice Tiki made. Pinky the pup would often drop in, checking on her kitty sibling and his protector.

Glow healed quickly and, thank goodness, began using his injured leg. While he still can’t jump on the couch, he’s back to taunting Charlie the cat and conducting other ninja-related business. Tiki is back to normal as well, but the incident struck us as interesting. Maybe Tiki remembered the pain of his own car accident and knew Glow was hurting. Or maybe he simply missed the rambunctious side of his BFF. Regardless, our little mascot rocked the role of caretaker when called upon. Just one of the many reasons we love him to pieces.

Hello all!
We’re the Daycare Doodle Duo known as Darwin and Wally.

We look and act so much alike that we may as well be twins, but we’re actually half-brothers born a year apart. At 3 years of age, Darwin is naturally the more mature and well mannered pooch. Wally, on the other hand, is a 2-year-old wild child who earned the nickname ‘pigpen’ for his love of rolling in mud and destroying any toy in sight.

We’ve been visiting Good Dog for daycare (and the occasional hotel stay) since 2009, and in our humble opinion, daycare is the best invention since bacon! When mom drops us at Good Dog, we can’t wait to trot through those doors and say ‘hello’ to everyone in sight. The daycare staff says we’re inseparable and do just about everything in unison — we even take our mid-day naps together. (There’s no better pillow than a fluffy doodle, so it just makes sense to cuddle with each other!)

We stick together back at home too, whether we’re hiking, swimming, or playing frisbee (our most favorite game ever). Darwin is better at catching, while Wally plays pretty solid defense by tackling and stealing. At the end of each game, however, we always come to an agreement and run around carrying the frisbee together.

Our favorite person in the whole world is our momma. Not only is she a great dog mom to us, but she fosters shelter dogs and helps them find forever homes. She just started doing this a few months ago, and believe it or not, every one of our foster siblings has been adopted by wonderful families!! We’re currently caring for Odis, our fifth foster-sib, and we try hard to be the best possible brothers by setting a good example. Mom says we’re very welcoming and have the ability to bring even the most timid dogs out of their shell.

If you like to hit the Monon Trail, you’ll probably see us out walking with mom and maybe some friends as well. You can’t miss us since we usually bring pals along — you’ll see four or more dogs (including two big handsome doodles) running and having a blast along the trail!

Now back to our Good Dog life. We know we’re coming to daycare when mom says “do you want to go to school?” in the morning. Our answer is always a resounding “yes!” followed by jumping and running toward the door with tails a-wagging. It’s always a different story coming home … we look like knocked-out zombies after a full day of play!

We’ve pretty much done it all at Good Dog: boarding, daycare, grooming, and even some training with Adam. We had a few training sessions with our old foster-sis Keara, who learned a ton of basic doggie manners so she’d be prepared for her forever family. Meanwhile the two of us learned how to behave like the true gentlemen we strive to be. We love Adam … he is so good at reminding us about our training lessons when he watches over us in daycare. Although don’t tell him we told you this, but sometimes our minds just want to focus on playtime!

That’s all we have for now, and we hope you enjoyed reading a little bit about us. Next time you’re at Good Dog, be sure to peek in the observation window. If you see two twin doodles attached at the hip, you’ll know it’s us!!

Our final devoted pup is Mr. Murphy!

Murphy is one big lovable Lab! He started coming to Good Dog just 10 days after we opened! His owners loved the proximity of Good Dog being only blocks from their home. Murphy has stuck with us for so long because they love the convenience of all our services we have to offer. Murphy takes full advantage of our daycare and grooming, plus he loves to spend the night here! Now if only we had a Vet on staff they would be set!

When Murphy is not hanging out with his pals in Daycare he is enjoying going on walks and eating! That’s right Murphy loves his food, like most labs it’s one of his favorite activities! That is right next to swimming, which he is lucky to have friends with a lake house where he spends plenty of time during the summer.

Murphy also has quite the collection of balls that he has claimed are his after neighbors brought them over and he popped them. He has several basketballs and footballs, but his favorite is a NBA basketball that he insists you throw when in the yard.

Whenever Murphy comes in he always runs right up to the front desk to see who is working and say HI, after that though he is straight to the daycare door! Murphy loves to come in for daycare once every couple of weeks. He also is a regular in our grooming room where he loves his Shed-X treatment. All that brushing really makes him feel good, plus he loves to help out the groomers and give a good shake to get rid of that extra hair! Every once and awhile Murphy’s owners will take a vacation and that means it’s Suite time! He loves to stand up on the door of his suite and watch the staff as they walk other dogs or feed them. He knows it will soon be his turn and he will get to go spend his whole day playing with a new batch of dogs!

The big man will be celebrating his 9th birthday next Friday on the 24th! You would never guess it though considering he still has the energy of a pup. His owners got him in April of 2003 from a small breeder in Shelbyville, IN. Murphy is one of those dogs who just instantly can put a smile on your face. He is so lovable, fun and everything a lab should be! Make sure to stop by and say Hi to Murphy when you are in. We promise his smile will make your day!

Portia and Ginger Barr

Meet Portia and Ginger Barr, the second installment of our series on Good Dog’s longest-standing customers!

Every once and a while you hear stories of dogs overcoming all obstacles, and this is another one of those stories! At just 10 weeks old, Portia and Ginger were found under the White River Bridge by cyclists. Severely malnourished, the dogs actually had gravel in their little tummies from trying to eat rocks. Luckily, mom and dad Barr heard about the two pups through a mass email, so they went to visit the little black lab now known as Portia. Once they saw the duo together, they couldn’t resist!

These two lovely ladies started visiting Good Dog in 2005. Portia and Ginger are both Lab mixes, and even though they don’t look similar, they are definitely litter mates! While the girls like to pretend they are 5, they’ll celebrate their 10th birthdays in May. Ginger is the outgoing sister who wants all the attention, so when Portia gets some lovin’, Ginger is sure to squeeze her way into the mix to garner some attention.

Portia and Ginger both adore coming to daycare. As soon as they get the chance, they stick their noses through the gate and wag their tails in unison. If you ask the Good Dog staff to describe them, it only takes one word: sweethearts!! They live up to their title by always being polite, patient and calm. Whenever it’s time to take pictures or put on leashes, they both behave exceptionally well. The girls also love getting treated to a groom every few weeks. Ginger likes baths more than her sister, but they both behave like princesses for the grooming team — Portia just does not want to get her pretty little toes wet! According to mom and dad, they come to Good Dog because of the cleanliness of the facility and, most importantly, because they feel comfortable leaving their dogs in our hands — something they still appreciate to this day!

Back at home, Portia usually mans the top of the stairs, where she can see the street from her window. When she’s not on guard, she runs around stealing socks and checks to see whether Ginger has conned someone into a treat. Ginger is a big fan of food, and she’ll search for any morsel she can find. She’s also a big fan of chasing outdoor critters and alerting everyone whenever a dog walks by her house. Both girls love to howl and are avid hikers … They hit the trails pretty often and have been on every path in Eagle Creek!

We’re so happy that Portia and Ginger are in such a loving home with two great parents — they deserve every minute of the happy and comfortable life they’re living. Everyone at Good Dog is absolutely head over heals for this pair. No matter what they visit for — a hotel stay, grooming appointment, or daycare (their favorite) — they’re always the sweetest! Thanks for sticking with us girls!

Coming next month Good Dog will celebrate it’s 7th birthday! We first opened our doors on March 12th of 2005. Since then there have been many changes, new decor, new staff, and plenty of new dogs. In fact we currently have around 10,000 clients in our system! We wanted to give a special shout out to three ( out of many) families who have been with us since the beginning!

Gracie and Gus Turner

The Turners started bringing Gracie here when she was just a puppy in 2005. Gracie is a little Goldendoodle who came from a breeder in Lexington Ky and was born the same day the Turners actually lost their Retriever Charlotte. Gracie ran the house (and daycare at Good Dog) until her brother Gus came along in 2009. Gus was rescued from Lexington Ky as well where his mother was overbred and not properly feeding Gus. You would never guess he had a rough past though since he is such a loving sweet boy!

You probably have seen plenty of pictures of them around on our Facebook page and our website. Both of them love getting their pictures taken and it often seems when they do something cute that they are just waiting for us to see them with the camera. They come in for daycare Monday through Friday and right when they get in they got to their favorite spots. Gracie loves to perch herself on top of the crate, occasionally allowing other dogs to come snuggle with her, Gus loves to lay in the corner where he can oversee all the dogs in the small area and the big area. Every Thursday the pups get a spa day, Gracie is always ready and willing for her bath walking right in to the grooming room and hopping up on the table sitting patiently. While Gus on the other hand runs past the grooming room hoping no one will notice him if he just shrinks down low. After some sweet talk though from Veronique his groomer he can’t resist and jumps right up on the table to give her some kisses.

The Turners love having a standing grooming appointment here since having two doodles can be a lot of work! They also love that the dogs can come and get their energy out when they are at work and when they come home they can all rest and enjoy the night.

Back at home these pups have a pretty exciting life! Gracie keeps watch on the house, while Gus bounds around showing everyone his athletic side. They love visiting the lake house at Lake Wawasee where Gus insists on getting his fair share of rides on the wave runner. Gus and Gracie are also very fond of car rides, especially if it means coming to play with their friends at daycare!

Now between the two of them they have been here over 1,400 times in the last 7 years! Given that information it’s easy to understand why the staff here considers them a part of our family! When they walk in the door they get the “Cheers” style greeting of Gus and Gracie!! We love snuggling up to Gus and laughing over Gracie’s stubborn ways. You will always hold a big spot in Good Dog’s heart!

Hey Everyone!

My name is Chloe and I am a 3 year old Black Lab. I’m an old regular here, I have been coming here since 2010!

I was born in New Hampshire, that’s where my Mom fell in love with a Black Lab named Cassie. They wanted one just like her they said so that’s how they got me, Cassie is my dog mom! When I’m at home I’m just as playful as I am here, I love to wrestle and play tag!

You may have seen me recently in the Yearbook Poll where I was voted Class Clown and I sure love living up to that title, but more on that later! Most of the time I come I’m here for Daycare, that is my favorite thing about Good Dog! I love pulling pranks on all the staff members in there, it makes the other dogs laugh! Most of the time I just do little things like steal their walkies, tip over the water cooler, or grab the roll of paper towels and RUN!! See all these little jokes I pull keep the Daycare workers on their toes and it always makes them laugh. You see, Labs instinctively enjoy holding objects, even hands or arms in their mouths, which they can very gentle (a Labrador can carry an egg in its mouth without breaking it), so that is my excuse for always grabbing things from the staff! Did you also know that female Labs are known to be more independent than males which is describes me to a T, independent!!

I do also enjoy a nice vacation once and awhile in the luxury hotel suites here! I get all set up with lots of Daycare during the day to wipe me out then I come back to my room with some nice cozy blankets and settle down for the night. Most of the time my Mom also likes to get me a bath and brush before I come home to! The groomers here are awesome. They also embrace my wild side and after a little playing around I will stay still for them to get that nice brush out after my wash that feels so good! My Mom also signed us up for a couple lessons with Adam Moos the trainer here where he taught me some basic manners. My Mom does a great job with me, she always has me sit before we come in the door and before I can go back and play.

When I’m not having a Good Dog vacation I love vacationing up in Michigan and playing in the lakes. I am definitely a lake dog! Well that’s all I have for now, I’m currently here on one of my vacations for a few days. I think I see Mary, time to go steal her walkie!!

We’re fortunate enough to have many spectacular “regulars” here at Good Dog, and it doesn’t take long before they become part of our family. Our employees’ spouses often hear funny stories about these dogs after coming home from work at night, and many of our frequent fliers have earned nicknames over the years. We even go through doggie withdrawal if they don’t visit us for a few days!

With so many magnificent dogs and amazing personalities, we decided to make an annual Good Dog Yearbook, showcasing various categories like “Class Clown” and “Big Man on Campus.” After much thought — and plenty of debate — we designated dogs in 22 hilarious categories. Hope you enjoy our first annual Good Dog Yearbook!

Most Likely To Rule the World: Brutus Truitt

Nominees: Hoss Stuart and Ezra Patterson

Most Likely to Destroy the World: Tilly Brockway

Nominees: Chloe Shreiner and Cooper Towns

Best Duo: Chewbacca and Leia Darwin

Nominees: Butch and Annie Noone, Romeo and Sugar Blair, Wally and Darwin Houchin

Funniest: Scout Cloud

Nominees: Gracie Moses and Sailor Williams

Class Clown: Chloe Shreiner
Nominees: Fletcher Faux

Biggest Crush: Mandy Lee-Sadler & Sammi Deloach

Nominees: Juice Leary & Chloe Shreiner

Most Likely to Win a Nobel Peace Prize: Brutus LaEace
Nominees: Millie Welch, Bailey Duginske, and Juice Leary

Most Likely to Become a Hollywood Star: Emma Early

Nominees: Kalibur Kressin, Zoey Oatts, and Dexter Wallace

Teachers’ Pet: Sisi Young

Nominees: Lily Tully, Scout Faux, Gracie Moses

Best Bark: Monty Remen-Schneider

Nominees: Chewbacca Darwin, Rambo Dietzel, and Lana Labita

Best Hair: Dexter Wallace

Nominees: Chewbacca Darwin, Romeo Blair, Emmy Mazza and Penny Lane Meyer

Best Dressed: Cooper Baumgarder

Nominees: Willow Pachon and Pineapple Wilson

Most Laid Back: Juice Leary

Nominees: Martha Ball, Zoey Oatts, Rags Middleton and Buddy Young

Good Dog Spirit: Charly Harmeson

Nominees: Snickers Rothstein, Izzy Davidson, and Gigi Dorocke

Stomach of Steel: Clyde Towns

Most Likely to Fall Asleep at a Party: Hawkeye Byers

Best Smile: Gracie Moses

Prettiest Eyes: Emmy Mazza

Big Man on Campus: Rambo Dietzel

Nominees: Cooper O’Donnel and Oliver Lagrotte

Prom Queen: Millie Welch

Nominees: Gracie Moses and Emma Early

Prom King: Cooper O’Donnel
Nominees: Hawkeye Byers, Sailor Williams, and Buddy Young

Prom Prince and Prom Princess: Gus and Gracie Turner

Princess Nominees: Martha Ball, Lily Tully, and Annie Noone

Prince Nominees: Milo McKinley,Ezra Patterson, Scout Cloud, and Butch Noone

Class Presidents: Soldier and Oliver Lagrotte

Nominees: Luke Skelton, Bob, Kevin, and Teddy Sondhaus, Ike Blum

Hi everyone! My name is Emmy.

I’m a very pretty 10-month-old Australian Shepherd, and as you can see by my pictures, my unique markings make me stand out in the crowd. I get lots of attention for my good looks, and I love every minute of it!

Back at home I have a sister (a very sweet chihuahua mix named Reba) and we’re quite the pair. My parents adopted me back in August — and my new family is everything I could ask for. I love to chase squirrels around our yard and would dig a hole to China if my parents let me. My naughtiest habit is playing with the water bowl in daycare … I know it’s not “good girl” behavior, but the daycare staff just laughs because I look so darn cute doing it!

I’ve been coming to Good Dog since early September, and so far I’ve enjoyed everything they have to offer. I even met the nice trainer Adam Moos — he really helped me and my family with some “puppy basics.” I can be a little shy from time to time, but Adam taught me to come out of my shell.

When I’m lucky enough to get some daycare play, I enjoy leisurely watching all the silly pups run in circles! Sometimes I do some light jogging with the ladies while we gossip about the day’s events. Since I have a little dog at home, I like spending my time with the big dogs in daycare. My best friend is Heidi the Wheaten, and we can hang with the big dogs for hours!

And last but not least, I love staying in the Good Dog Hotel. I’m spending some vacation time in a roomy suite this week, and I even enjoyed a nice bath and brush with the groomers. With all of my Aussie fur, the brushing feels so good to me!

That’s all for now, but if you have any questions, just ask me. I may have only been here a few months, but I sure know the ropes!