A gentle guide to understanding early signs of IVDD in dachshunds At the Long Dog Hotel, I meet a lot of wonderful sausages with wonderfully devoted humans. And one phrase I hear often — always with love, always with concern — is: “He’s just a little stiff sometimes. Nothing serious.” It’s such a common sentence. And it’s one I want to gently unpack, because when it comes to dachshunds, “just a little stiffness” can be the very first whisper of IVDD. This blog isn’t here to s

As the days stretch a little longer and the garden starts humming with life, our sausages suddenly rediscover their inner adventurer. Spring is a gorgeous season for dachshunds — softer sunshine, warmer walks, and plenty of new smells to investigate. But it also brings a few sneaky hazards that can catch even the most attentive owners off‑guard. At the Long Dog Hotel, spring is when I start seeing the same patterns year after year. So here’s a calm, friendly guide to help you

I know many of you will skip read the following and others won't bother at all but that's life.  But it has to be said...so pull up a chair and grab a cuppa or something stronger and read.    I get abuse and rude people fairly often who don’t like my charges so I thought id share with you an insight into a dog boarders life below….   Apparently Licenced home boarders are GREEDY because we won't support owners budgets with our costs at £40-£80 per night depending on time of ye

We know all about IVDD here at the Long Dog Hotel, sadly our rainbow pup Poppy suffered with it and both current Directors, Millie Moo and Dolly have suffered with it. This is the reason why we only accept quiet chilled pups at the hotel to allow IVDD warriors a chance to enjoy a holiday without fear of being jumped on. IVDD  stands for Intervertebral Disc Disease , a condition that affects the spine of animals, particularly dogs. It occurs when the intervertebral discs (the

🐶 As a dog boarder and especially one who looks after medical/elderly/ivdd pups I have to be super careful which whom I take on so for me the trial process is more in depth to make 100% sure your dog will fit with my regulars who are appreciative of a quiet holiday 🐶 Trials are a one off fee and although I understand I am a higher than most boarders, I am extremely picky on whom I accept at the hotel due to not taking on overly boisterous behaviour. 🐶 Trials are more money

I just want to highlight the hard truth -dealing with the general public is emotionally hard work when running a business. We all run our own business the best way that suits us as individuals, we don’t run it to suit anyone else. As the customer, the choice is yours to choose to work around the business rules or choose another boarder. Treat people how you wish to be treated and respect how that person wishes to run their business as it’s not your business to run. I speak fo

…The unfortunate truth of owning and running a business. Running a business is really rewarding but really hard work. What they don't tell you is that it can cause severe stress and anxiety, and can drain you mentally to the point of depression in even the most laid-back people. People will talk about you, compare you to others, use you, they may not be kind, not respond to you, they will view you as a service and not a person anymore. You start to worry about disappointing p

You wouldn’t employ a solicitor to do a plumbers job so it shouldn’t be any different when looking for a suitable boarder for your beloved dog…find the right one that fits your requirements and budget. Think about how you currently look after your own dog. Sometimes cheaper rates mean boarders get more dogs in but this could be at the cost of your dogs welfare so get curious on behalf of your dog, they are relying on you to get it right! Below are a few pointers to think abou

I am a Trustee for my local group, Oakley Stitchers we make all sorts of things that go to hospitals, care homes, dog charities or individual's all over the UK-do look us up! My lovely client Schmidt (pictured below) wanted a handmade fitted jumper to take home with him. One of my amazing stitcher ladies kindly makes them for me. If you'd like one they are £10 and all I need is the length of your pup! Easy as that 😊 ..get in touch ready for those chilly months xx

Here at the hotel there are no steps for pups to go up and down so we can make sure all our boarding IVDD pups are safe. We dont have any steps inside the house, the upstairs is blocked off with a baby gate.

Our everyday life is about our dogs. While our friends/family are on vacation or having family celebrations, we spend our time looking after our wonderful guests, settling them in, walking them, cuddling them, keeping them safe, feeding them, playing with them, caring for them, constant washing/cleaning, new dog meetings, dealing with mounds of paperwork/accounts and updating clients daily. All of our own plans are made to not coincide with our guests holiday dates/times and

Hey furiends, Millie Moo here, Director of Long Dog Hotel….hoomum says I is a brave girl as I’ve been through 3 ivdd ops (neck&back) & one scare where I was on crate rest for 8 weeks-phew a lot for a 11 1/2 year old! I told hoomum to buy dis amazing ivdd book by Dr Marrianne Dorn for der hotel because we board ivdd pups so it’s totally fab and full of great advice. We totally understand how tough it is to go through ivdd so to all der pups currently suffering, lots of licks &

We love a cuddle together in the sunshine next to our hoomum. Life can't get any better :)

Oh how time flies by. Moo had a wonderful 10th birthday on 10th January and was spoiled rotten. She had special homemade biscuits from Afternoon Paws Dog Bakery, balloons, cuddles and a lovely walk..phew time for a sleep on the sofa #birthdaygirl

We have the beautiful 13 1/2 year old Mikey here to stay for a few days. He is absolutely adorable...who could resist this little face?

The wonderful Becky from Afternoon Paws has kindly made us some bespoke healthy sausage dog treats, what more could a sausage dog ask for. Fully approved by the Directors, Millie Moo and Dolly :)

Super cute little Nutmeg and beautiful longhaired sausage Bear from Barking Barnets Dog Grooming came to visit us here at the Long Dog Hotel. We are super excited to have them stay very soon.

The Long Dog Hotel team went to visit Phil and the gang at the Sausage Dog Hotel this week. Ollie and Stanley were super welcoming and we had a lot of fun running around with all the sausages.

We have finally got our stunning picture up from Hound Dog Photography in prime place above the mantelpiece. We continue to miss our beloved Poppy every day but we can now say hello to her every day.

Sadly we lost our baby Poppy to cancer in November last year (2019). She was only 9 years old which meant that our Moo was left on her own. It has been 6 months now and Moo has become quite depressed at losing her best friend. Please welcome Dolly to the Long Dog Hotel as Millie Moo's new friend. She is a beautiful 6 year old long haired chocolate tan which we have re-homed and she is settling in nicely. We are hopeful in time they will become the best of friends.