Creekside Pet Resort is for the Love of Dogs

On Easter Sunday, a doggie-treat hunt was underway at Carmichael's Creekside Pet Resort.

“The dogs are more interested in the tree squirrels down by the creek than the dog treats,” laughed Carole Baird, owner and operator of the Resort.

When she was only eight years old, Baird already knew her greatest love in life was canines. Growing up in a household that raised German Shepherds, having a mother devoted to holistic health, and later attending college to become a registered nurse, Baird followed her passion and is now living her dream.

Situated just north of Carmichael near Madison and Manzanita Avenues, Creekside Pet Resort sprawls neatly across two acres on Hackberry Lane, with nearly a third of an acre a dedicated private dog park. The facility can accommodate 90 individual dogs or even more if a family of dogs share kennel space.

The two features that set Creekside apart from other kennels are genuine love and concern, coupled with a holistic approach to pet care. Dogs are not just kenneled and fed; they receive individual attention from the staff, get at least two exercise sessions per day, and quickly become part of the Creekside family.

“Giving pet owners a sense of relief from the guilt of boarding their dogs is my favorite thing about my job,” Baird said. “I’m not in it for the money, although it does provide my living. I do it because I just love dogs.”

Conversely, the least favorite aspect of Baird’s job is seeing the dogs she boards get old, lose their sight, or die.

“One of our boarder dogs lost her sight, so we worked on training her to stop on command so she wouldn’t run into things as she ambled around,” Baird said. “It’s heartbreaking to see our pets decline in health as they age, and then pass away too soon.”

Baird not only owns and operates Creekside Pet Resort, she also
breeds and shows Border Collies. She currently has eleven dogs bred from
the Darkwind and Shoreland lines. After much research, the dogs that had
healthy genes, working ability and beauty were from New Zealand and
England, namely the dogs of Clan Abby Kennels, and Wizaland Kennels,
respectively.

“I was elated when I found Darkwind Border Collies in New Mexico," she said. "Robyn had all the bloodlines I loved right here in the USA."

“I never destroy puppies that don’t meet AKC (American Kennel Club) standards, I either give them to good homes or keep them,” Baird said. “Border collies are very intelligent, high-energy working dogs that need lots of human interaction and activity, so sedentary or less active people wouldn’t be appropriate for this kind of breed.”

Regarding rescue and outreach, the resort contributes by donating left-over dog food to food banks such as Loaves and Fishes, who in turn gives the dog food to indigent dog owners. Additionally, there have been times when resort clients lost their homes to foreclosure and were not able to retrieve their dogs, nor continue to pay for boarding. These dogs are kept at the resort until either the owner’s circumstances improved or until an appropriate adoptive family comes along.

In one case, back in 2006, a woman became homeless and could not pick up or pay for Amanda, a Border collie mixed-breed dog. Five years later, Amanda is still a resident of Creekside Pet Resort, and will stay there either until she’s adopted or until she dies of old age.

Baird said she is concerned with the lack of animal shelter facilities in our area, and in the future would like to be a part of addressing that need.

“The main thing people can do to help reduce the amount of abandoned and abused dogs is to not buy puppies from pet stores, which often obtain animals from puppy mills,” Baird said. “Also, knowing what kind of dog suits your family is the most important aspect of choosing a new puppy.”

 “My clients notice how happy their dogs are to come to day care, which is evidence of the care and attention they receive here,” she said.

With nearly everything included in the price of the service, the resort provides quality pet care at a good value and the happy, well-behaved dogs obviously love it and staff.

The facility is as clean, or cleaner, than many people’s homes, and with the spaciousness, holistic care approach, and loving attention from all the staff, Creekside Pet Resort is the first place to visit when the need for pet boarding or day care is necessary. As a dog owner, I wouldn’t take my pet anywhere else.