Happy Pride Month!

We’d like to start off by thanking everyone for your donations to our Potter League Collection Box!

We are still accepting donations of food & treats until the end of June.

Of course, we also want to thank you for your support and for voting for us in the various local “Best Of” listings. These listings are so important for small businesses because they truly are the voice of the people. As we know here in Rhode Island, word of mouth and referrals are worth more than any amount of money spent on paid advertising. So, if you took time out of your day to show up for the Underdogs, we thank you! If you didn’t get a chance to vote for us, there are many other ways to show your support which cost nothing but go a long way towards helping Underdogs grow. Leaving us a review on Google is great! (Yelp tends to hide good reviews unless we pay for their premium listing.) Following, liking, sharing, and interacting with our content on Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok helps convince the algorithms that we are not scammers. (that matters a lot more than you’d think!). Just consider, how many of you found us because someone mentioned us on a Facebook post?

While we’re on the topic of Social Media, we would love to hear from you! What kind of content would you like to see more of?

Take our Quick Survey to tell us how to best entertain you!

Local Events in June!

June is chock full of fun animal events to kick off your summer! June 7th is a particularly busy day with at least 3 events to choose from! Even if you can’t attend any of these, feel free to follow them on socials, make a donation, or share these events!  On June 7th, Heart of RI Animal Rescueis partnering with Club Pilates for a Puppies & Pilates Class at 10 am. Advanced tickets are required and this event is expected to sell out!!Get tickets here!!This is the most adorable Pilates class you will ever take, and, don’t worry, adult dogs always make an appearance, too! All ages are welcome, bring your own yoga mat!

Also on June 7th, Small Dog Rescue of New England is hosting an Adoption Event from 10am-12pm at Rumford Pet in Barrington. Go meet some cute pocket sized pals!

Last but not least on June 7th, starting at 12pm at Bishop Hill Tavern in Johnston, there is a Fundraising and Adoption Event for Vintage Pet Rescue. We’re big fans of VPR, as they take in senior dogs or dogs with special needs making sure they live out their golden years in comfort and safety. Raise a glass for them!

Now through June 18th Providence Animal Control Center is having their “Pay By The Pound” event. If you’re looking for a new friend, this could save you some MAJOR coin, considering these pets are already vaccinated, microchipped and spayed/neutered! They might even be already housetrained. Shortcut to the good part! Plus, when you adopt you’re actually saving two lives; the pet you take home and the next one coming in to take their spot.

Tiny Paws Kitten Care will be present at two events in June, on the 14th and 28th, selling merch to support their rescue specializing in neonatal kitten rescue and care. (Flea Markets are always a good time, so it’s a really good excuse to go and support lots of local small businesses!)

Join Heart of RI on June 28th for a day of carnival games, prizes, and shopping the wares of an array of local small business. BUY YOUR TICKETS BY CLICKING HERETickets will also be available for purchase at the door. Shop from local vendors and meet adoptable dogs while enjoying great food from Iggy’s, ice cream from Ben and Jerry’s, and much more. Bring your family, invite your friends, and come make memories while helping animals.

Are you hosting or attending any cool events this month? Please feel free to share them with us in our Facebook Group: Underdogs Community

What’s Happening at Underdogs?

In celebration of Pride Month we are offering 10% off any LGBQT+ themed color work. As a reminder, all color work must be scheduled at the time of booking, and we only use vegan products specifically made for pets!

Here is more information on how color appointments work: Color Service InformationDue to high demand, we have updated our Fear Free Membership Programs to include new Puppy Pre-K packages. We want your dog to truly have a calm and comfortable experience here, so if there’s a specific aspect of grooming with which they consistently struggle, a Fear Free Program is a great way to spend a little dedicated time and effort to help them learn to enjoy the entire grooming process. We love it when dogs are excited to see us, because grooming should be fun, not scary!Check out our different packages here and reach out if you have any questions! Fear Free Membership ProgramsWhile you’re visiting our newly updated website, make sure you check out and subscribe to our blog!  

Fun In The Sun: Summer SafetySummer officially begins on June 21st, but the weather doesn’t care what the calendar says and we’ve already seen some pretty hot days! Dogs have a natural resting body temperature of 101 degrees Fahrenheit. So if you are hot, your dogs definitely are; and, generally, their self cooling systems can’t do the heavy lifting alone. Every year we hear of unnecessary tragedies due to dogs being left in a car. Even a comfortable 70 degree day can turn a car into an oven in just a few minutes. Please leave your pet at home if you are going to run errands. If you absolutely must leave them in the car for even a few minutes, leave the A/C on (And set that emergency brake just in case!).

It’s very important to ensure your dog is not showing signs of heat stress, and, if you notice them panting and excessively drooling, it’s time to get them out of the sun and into the AC. Heatstroke can set in very quickly and be fatal if you don’t act fast. If you’re in doubt call your veterinarian about how to proceed.

“The Summer Cut”, Helpful or Harmful?

A really common request we hear every summer is that a double-coated dog needs to be shaved down because they’re just too hot. It makes sense right? Getting rid of that thick fur coat should make them more comfortable. However, it can actually compromise their ability to cool themselves down. Double-coated dogs have two types of hair: the soft, fuzzy undercoat that you see coming out in chunks at this time of year and the more wirey “guard hairs”. These guard hairs are actually able to lift and let air in when your dog needs a little cool down. When we cut these hairs short, they are no longer able to do their job by “lifting” the undercoat hairs that grow back much faster. Also, depending on factors like age and genetics, they might never grow back quite the same, or at all. When fully shaved down, those fuzzy undercoat hairs grow back first, and, while this can also make for a look that’s not quite aesthetically pleasing, more importantly, your dog’s coat becomes harder to care for and this plan works against the good intentions you had for them to stay cooler in the first place! All this is not to say we will never shave a double-coated dog. There are certain circumstances where it makes sense to do so, but we want you to be able to make those decisions from an informed place. We strongly recommend a good de-shedding treatment, frequent brushing between grooms, and monitoring them closely in warm weather. Now, if your dog isn’t double-coated, a “Summer Cut” can be a great idea, and, for many dogs, this makes sense; for instance, if they’re doing a lot of hiking a shorter haircut makes ticks much easier to spot. A short cut is also a great fit for dogs who are actively getting dirty or wet pretty frequently. Or a summer cut might be right if you just want a break from the maintenance of brushing for the summer. Just remember that they can still get sunburned and can overheat just as quickly, so don’t rely on a shorter haircut to keep them safe and cool.

One more thing: Independence Day is just around the corner, don’t wait until the last minute to call your vet if your pets need calming medication to help with noise sensitivity.

And now, without further ado, we would like to introduce you to June’s Employees of the Month: Monty & ShumaiSearch & Rescue Crew: Snack Division

This month we are so proud to introduce one of the most dedicated dynamic duos we’ve ever met; Monty and Shumai (pronounced \shoo-my\ which is a type of dumpling and she is ABSOLUTELY the cutest little dumpling!) .Monty and Shumai are Pugs, one of the world’s first dogs bred specifically for companionship to Chinese royalty, dating back to as early as 400 BC! Careful breeding has fine-tuned their loyal eager to please temperaments, short statures, big round eyes which make them look like eternal puppies, and their signature flat faces (technically called Brachycephalic). Those flat faces and short statures give them a distinct advantage in their roles here as snack search and rescue, as they can press those noses directly to the floor, their wrinkled jowls trapping crumbs so they don’t even have to stop moving when they find a treat. Then they can just sweep it right up without breaking focus. While their canine colleagues with longer legs and longer snoots unquestionably have other strengths and advantages, they tend to fall ironically short in this particular department.At Underdogs we do take pride in our meticulous cleaning practices that are also supplemented by our night shift robots that vacuum and mop. However, once a month, these two come in to do a full deep clean and always seem to be able to find at least a few lost or abandoned snacks. Shumai always leads the charge through the front door with Monty close at her heels, both ready to get to work.

There’s only one thing that can deter Shumai from her mission: attention from her favorite humans. Staying true to her royal heritage, she first enjoys her Fluff & Buff service, (nails filed, ears cleaned, teeth brushed, cologne, and a fresh accessory) while Monty takes the first pass. He pays particular attention to the lobby area, as he is not only interested in snacks, but he is collecting information via scent as well, and the lobby is definitely prime territory for investigation with all of the foot traffic. He does also like to stay close to his humans. Being the “baby” brother means he isn’t quite as adventurous and independent as Shumai just yet, but he is committed nonetheless.

When it’s Monty’s turn for pampering, Shumai is refreshed and ready to tag in as the final boss. She moves at lightning speed throughout the entire building while still exhibiting incredible attention to every detail. No crumb left behind when Shumai is on the job. When Monty is finished with his royal treatment, they take a quick water break (they do prefer their water purified and still, not sparkling thank you very much) and combine forces to ensure that not a single treat has been missed, exploring corners, inside and under kennels and tables. We’ve even had to have HR have a talk with them about boundaries when they started checking everyone’s pockets. While we appreciate the dedication, Sam’s pocket cheese is her business. That being said, overall they’re just super cute and fun to be around, and maybe we “accidentally” drop snacks around during their visits so that they can feel the gratification of a job well done. We can call it a “performance bonus” or maybe just a little bit of positive reinforcement to keep them motivated. But, whatever the case may be, it works, and, here at Underdogs we are big fans of treating our employees well, paying them fair wages, and cultivating a positive environment. This month and every month, we appreciate the hard work, dedication, and immaculate vibes you bring to the team, Monty and Shumai!

Check out our socials later for video footage of these two hard at work and we hope you find it as inspiring (and adorable) as we do!

Stay cool, we’ll see you soon!