Welcome to the Shor-Line Blog!

8 Reasons to Love Shor-Line Cages

Posted on Fri, May 08, 2015 @ 03:56 PM

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Shor-Line cages are vital components to many animal care businesses. Our talented American craftspeople have been making these stainless steel beauties in our Kansas City manufacturing plant for decades. Now, you can purchase any of these stainless steel cages or their accessories for a great sale price...there are hundreds of options on sale!!

Why do people like Shor-Line cages so much? Here are 8 reasons--one for every decade Shor-Line has been in business.

1. Premium craftsmanship goes into every cage. Our workers hand-weld and inspect EVERY cage so you receive the durability you expect from Shor-Line.

2. Strength is built in. Every cage has a 1"-square stainless steel tube frame.

3. Doors receive additional welds. We use computer-controlled welding at every intersection of the door because we know your pet clients can be hard on doors.

4. Rounded corners for easy cleaning. We create rounded corners to help you clean more easily, making a better environment for the pet.

5. Double cages build in versatility. Our Double Door (DD) cage latch assembly lets you house larger dogs or insert a divider for two smaller animals. You can remove the divider to slide in dogs following surgery. One cage has many uses.

6. Continuous innovation. The tighter spacing on the first five vertical cage rods on our small and mid-size cages help keep small paws from getting caught, which means we all worry less. This is just one example of our continuous improvement!

7. Low stress, quieting options. All Shor-Line stainless steel cages come with sound-dampening patches. We also worked with University researchers to develop a Silent Latch Mechanism that is available as an option on new or existing cages.

8. Durability you can depend on. Our craftspeople in Kansas City are so attentive to details and extremely high-quality work that Shor-Line cages last for decades. Pair that with our high-quality stainless steel and you have an investment you can pass down.

GREAT SALE OPPORTUNITY:

Our cages rarely go on sale. Take advantage of this sale that includes ALL stainless steel cages and cage accessories. If you would like to download a copy of the sales flyer, do so here.

Don't forget, this sale only runs through June 30, 2015 and it is in the U.S. only. Any taxes and/or shipping charges are additional.



 

Tags: veterinary equipment, Animal Care, boarding and daycare, animal rescue

Free Passes to Upcoming Shows to See Shor-Line

Posted on Tue, Apr 14, 2015 @ 11:46 AM


We know Shor-Line equipment is an investment for our customers, so we travel the country to help as many people as possible see and feel our quality for themselves at trade shows. Check on our listings on the Shor-Line home page.

We are partnering with Barkleigh to give our customers FREE passes to attend the Pet Boarding & Daycare Expo West 2015, May 6-7 in Burbank, Calif., and Intergroom, June 6-8 in Sommerset, N.J. 


 

The first show, Expo West, will showcase our latest boarding options, including the NEW luxury Barkolyn Boudoir Dutch Door Kennel™. Click on the link here to request your FREE Barkolyn_NewLatch

 

The second show, Intergroom, will host several nationally recognized grooming competitions as well as the latest in education and products. Click on the link here to request your FREE passes, good for three people.
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Come to a show and see all that Shor-Line has to offer...and inspire yourself with new ideas! Passes are good for one day, your choice of day. The links also have information about the activities at each show. Remember to order your passes early because we need your submissions by April 30, 2015 for Pet Boarding & Daycare Expo West and May 20, 2015 for Intergroom.

Don't forget to request your passes early because we are mailing them out!



 

Tags: Grooming, boarding and daycare

Colors to Please Pets and Pet Parents

Posted on Wed, Mar 18, 2015 @ 03:53 PM

Color sends people messages hundreds of times each day, including the moment they walk up to your facility. Color can make us happy one minute and anxious the next.

“People make up their minds within 90 seconds of their initial reactions with either people or products. About 62-90 percent of the assessment is based on colors alone,” reported Satyendra Singh of the University of Winnipeg in her research. 

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How does color choice influence your customers? You actually have two audiences—the pets and their pet parents. In a perfect world, both would like the color choices.

What dogs see

For years the book on dogs and cats was that they only saw in black and white. Research has now determined that dogs do see some color.

Both humans and dogs have special light catching cells called cones inside their eyes. These cones respond to color. However, dogs only have two types of cones while humans have three. Researchers believe this is why dogs see much like a color-blind person—able to see some color but not the whole spectrum.

Jay Neitz at the University of California, Santa Barbara, tested the color vision of dogs and found that they see a spectrum of green, yellow, blue and gray. An article in Psychology Today by Stanley Coren, Ph.D., F.R.S.C., suggests a dog’s vision spectrum is like the chart below.  

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Veterinary Vision, Inc., in San Francisco is a group of veterinary ophthalmologists. The practice’s website shared research on what dogs see. “Behavior tests in dogs suggest that they can distinguish red and blue colors but often confuse green and red,” an article on the website reports. 

So, if pet parents wonder why their dog can’t find the red ball in the green lawn, color might be the issue. A blue ball would be better.

What Resonates with Pet Parents

Singh predicted that the blue would dominate design the first decade of the 21st century with complementary colors gray, taupe, aqua and pale brown providing accents. Fortunately for the companion animal world, these trends fall nicely in line with what animals prefer as well.

Color

An American Express Open Forum article shared current research on what messages color sends about your business. This Shor-Line cat condo shows how you can send several messages with pops of color. The clean white interior shows you value cleanliness. The pop of blue and green are trustworthy and down to earth. The gray anchors the condo with a stable, calming presence.

You don’t have to bathe your business in color to create an emotional connection. In an article in Entrepreneur magazine, Jane Porter explained that subtle uses of color can evoke memories. In dog daycare and boarding facilities, a beach theme is common because pet owners want to think of their pet having a vacation just like they are having. Blues, greens, tans and yellow can trigger visions of water, palm trees, sand and sunshine.

Welcoming Color

Let color be your friend in creating a welcoming atmosphere for people and pets. Even small touches add fun. At Shor-Line, we have added the Blue-Line products with a color accent around our durable stainless steel tables. 

Enjoy using color in your business, and send us some pictures about your people- and pet-friendly facility designs!



 

Tags: veterinary, Facility Design, Industry Trends, boarding and daycare, color in facility design

Ready for the Summer Boarding Rush?

Posted on Wed, Jun 11, 2014 @ 04:03 PM

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An increasing number of Americans are planning more leisure travel in 2014 than 2013, according to an American Express Spending & Saving Tracker report released earlier this year. Are you ready to provide a safe haven for your client’s pets?

During the economic downturn, Americans perfected the “staycation” that kept the family pet at home. This pent-up demand for hitting the road and the air can spell opportunity for professionals who board pets.

Making a plan

The first step is reminding your clients you are available and have space. This is also a good opportunity to update your pricing to current standards.

Look at your overnight packages, especially the week-plus stays. Consider adding value to the stay with perks, such as a bath or nail trim. An early-booking discount can help you plan.

Some email advisors suggest putting the information into a text-only email to prevent spam blockers. Others indicate your clients have given you permission to email, so a PDF attachment should get through and be more helpful.

When your email is ready, send at a time of day you know most of your clients will have time to consider the information. For some, that is the evening. Others will choose a Saturday or Sunday morning.

After you press send

Be prepared to answer questions about the email both by phone and email. If there are several staff members, hand out sheets with basic facts about the promotion and how to book stays.

Pet owners frequently use the Internet to research options. A Humane Society article on choosing a boarding facility is a good resource for pet owners and will help you be prepared for the kinds of questions you might receive.

Think like a hotel, and offer to email out a confirmation with reservation dates and any information the pet owner will need to provide. List formats are helpful to pet owners, so consider the “box” check list.

Try to track your success. Even a simple tally sheet near the main phone can give you good data.

Planning for your guests

What do you do if you have more demand than space? Be happy! This means the great service you have given your clients during the economic downturn has converted into goodwill for your business.

Our Shor-Line team manufactures a line of high-quality, stainless steel cage banks that can wheel into a boarding area and then store when demand is lower. These cage banks also make great “rest areas” between play times at doggie daycares or in veterinary facilities with training or play areas.

To meet summer demand, Shor-Line is making available three- to four-week turnaround times on shipping a number of popular cage assemblies. (Call 800-444-1579 to talk about how cages can grow your business.)

If you do decide to increase your capacity, don’t forget that your customers are depending on the same great service for their pet that they’ve come to expect. Be sure you allow time to give pets love and attention in addition to regular walks and feeding. Besides, making pets feel loved is why most people get into the business!!

Sending the pet home

How pets leave your facility makes a lasting impression on whether the pet owner will board there again. No matter how busy your facility is, make sure the pets go home in the same condition (or better!) than they came in.

Consider what simple handouts or information you can provide. You can take ideas from human daycares. Pet owners love to read about THEIR pet, so maybe a short report and a picture of their pet having fun. 

Little touches and happy pets reinforce the positive decision to leave a pet in your care.

Make this the best summer for the pets in your care.

 

Tags: veterinary clinic, veterinary, Shor-Line, Veterinary care, boarding and daycare