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A gray-muzzled senior dog resting quietly on its own bed in a private boarding kennel
Senior Care

Boarding a Senior Dog: Questions to Ask Any Facility

Medication timing, mobility, somewhere quieter, and the vet plan — the questions worth asking any Long Island boarding facility before you leave an old dog overnight.

Lillian Ruff Pet Spa
Two dogs from the same household resting side by side before a boarding stay at Lillian Ruff Pet Spa in Ronkonkoma, NY
Behavior

Boarding Two Dogs: Can They Stay Together?

The one question every two-dog household asks first. How we handle pairs at Ronkonkoma, and when separating them overnight is actually the kinder call.

Lillian Ruff Pet Spa
The Lillian Ruff Pet Spa storefront at 16 Laurel Rd, East Northport, NY
East Northport

How to Book Dog Grooming Online in East Northport

Only 7 of 18 Long Island salons we audited let you book grooming online at all. Here is what to decide before you book, and what each service costs.

Lillian Ruff Pet Spa
The Lillian Ruff Pet Spa storefront at 16 Laurel Rd, East Northport, NY
East Northport

September in Northport: Book the Groom Before Cow Harbor Day

Great Cow Harbor Day is Sunday, September 20, 2026. Our East Northport salon is closed Sundays, so the last appointment before it is Saturday the 19th.

Lillian Ruff Pet Spa
The Lillian Ruff Pet Spa storefront at 16 Laurel Rd in East Northport, New York, on a winter afternoon
Seasonal Care

Booking a December Groom at a Tuesday-to-Saturday Salon

Our East Northport salon opens Tuesday to Saturday, which means 23 working days in December rather than 31. Here is the arithmetic and how to plan around it.

Lillian Ruff Pet Spa
The Lillian Ruff Pet Spa grooming salon at 16 Laurel Rd in East Northport, NY
Breed Specific

Border Collie Grooming in East Northport: Rough, Smooth, Feet

Rough and smooth Border Collies need different appointments. Where the feathering mats, what a proper blow-out removes, and the foot work a running dog needs.

Lillian Ruff Pet Spa
A long-coated dog having its leg feathering combed through section by section during a grooming appointment
Grooming Tips

Burrs and Grass Seeds in Dog Fur: How to Get Them Out

Ears, armpits, groin, between the toes. What to try with fingers and a comb, what makes it tighter, and when a seed that has worked into skin becomes a vet call.

Lillian Ruff Pet Spa
The Lillian Ruff Pet Spa storefront at 835 Portion Rd in Ronkonkoma, where boarding and daycare are offered
Health & Wellness

Can a Vaccinated Dog Still Get Kennel Cough? Yes

Kennel cough is a complex of pathogens, not one bug. What the bordetella vaccine really does, why Suffolk County uses a six-month clock, and when to stay home.

Lillian Ruff Pet Spa
The Lillian Ruff Pet Spa storefront at 16 Laurel Rd in East Northport, NY
East Northport

Cats, Color, Hand-Stripping: What We Don't Do Here

A straight list of what our East Northport salon does not offer — cats, creative color, hand-stripping, daycare, boarding — so nobody wastes a trip.

Lillian Ruff Pet Spa

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