Boarding For Dogs

For canine companions, we offer several types of accommodation, with options for varying levels of activity and socialization to best meet your dog’s needs. Whether you have a playful pup that wants to romp and play with a pack, or a senior or rescue that prefers some personal space and rest and relaxation, we work very hard to ensure your best friend has a safe and positive experience.

Please note that we are not accepting new clients for dog boarding at this time, in an effort to better serve our existing client base. We may continue to accept new clients for simple cat boarding, depending on availability – please contact us to discuss. This policy may change during the slower winter season, but will depend entirely on availability.

Boarding Schedule & Reservations

Our kennel is staffed every day, 365 days a year, rain or shine. Boarding pets can be dropped off and picked up any time that the kennel is open, with hours every day of the week, with just a few exceptions around major holidays – our regular schedule and modified holiday schedule can be found here.

We do prefer that boarders be dropped off a few hours before closing on a given day, so we can get them settled in and comfortable before the evening. For dogs specifically, we like to feed prior to 4pm, so we can rest them and monitor afterwards for any upset tummy or digestive issues. If a dog must be dropped off after 4pm on a given day, we ask that they be fed prior to drop-off.

Boarding reservations can be booked in person, by phone, or by email. Reservations must be booked in advance of the boarding, to ensure that we have space, and that necessary paperwork is in order prior to drop-off.

Please note: We do tend to book up around major travel holidays, summer weekends, and school vacation weeks, and would recommend booking well in advance of those dates, especially for larger dogs and double dogs who will require larger spaces, as our capacity is limited.

Please also note that we may not be accepting new clients for dog boarding at this time, in an effort to better serve our existing clients. We may continue to accept new clients for simple cat boarding, depending on availability – please contact us to see. This policy may change during the slower winter season, but will depend entirely on availability.

Request Boarding Dates Form

Click here to access the form to request boarding dates.

Dropping Off or Picking Up For Boarding

When arriving, please note that we have limited entry to our waiting room to one party in the waiting room at one time, as not all dogs are stranger or dog friendly, and we ask that space be given especially for dogs you do not know. To let us know that you have arrived to pick up or drop off, simply enter the waiting room, or hold the waiting room door open for 3-5 seconds to summon assistance for you (- there is a beeper tied to the door, so we will know you are there -) and we will come up to the waiting room to assist you.

Please note that if someone other than the owner will be picking up or dropping off (friends, family, relatives, etc), it is usually helpful to have paperwork done in advance by the owner to ensure the care and contact information on it is correct and complete. Additionally, pre-payment can be done ahead of time if that is helpful. Lastly, if someone other than the direct owner is picking up a pet, please ensure that we have their name recorded and that they bring ID.

Paperwork for Boarding

Click Here to download the paperwork for boarding drop-off. An updated copy of this form must be filled out for every boarding stay. It is recommended that all paperwork be filled out prior to the boarding drop-off, as it will speed up the drop-off process.

Click here to download the Boarding and Daycare Socialization Agreement form. This form is required for any dog to socialize while staying with us. This form is kept on file for one year.

How Boarding Works

Starting at around 7:30 in the morning, single dogs and social groups go outside to our fenced-in yards – while they are out, their overnight spaces are cleaned, food and water bowls are washed, bedding is kept if clean, or washed if dirty. Dogs come back in when their spaces are refreshed, and we start breakfast – once everyone’s fed, we pass out fresh water bowls, and the day begins.

What dogs do during the day

We have a few different daytime options for dogs who are boarding:

1. For dogs that are very socially inclined and would enjoy extra social and play time, we may be able to offer a space in our Doggie Daycare program; after breakfast and until they are separated for dinner time in the afternoon, boarding dogs who we have tried and tested and have done well can hang out with groups of 3-5 daycare dogs while they’re inside, and go out to the play yard with bigger groups a total of 8-10 times over the course of each weekday. (More specific details of how the program works can be found on the daycare page.) This daycare option may be offered to boarding guests who have done well with socializing Mondays through Fridays (excepting certain holidays), and does not come at an additional cost while boarding. Boarding dogs who are participating in the daycare program continue to have an individual spot for feeding and for overnight. On weekends or holidays when daycare is not available, social dogs follow the schedule of option 2.

2. For dogs who are socially inclined but also enjoy some personal space and time to rest and relax, dogs can have their own space when they are inside, and each time they go outside they can accompany a social group of typically 8-12 compatible dogs. This includes going out with the group five times a day on weekdays and Saturdays, and four times on Sundays. With this option, when dogs come back inside, they return to their individual spots to rest and relax. There is no additional cost for this option.

3. For dogs who are not particularly socially inclined and prefer their personal space, we have fenced-in singles yards where they can enjoy outside time, typically five times during the day on weekdays and on Saturdays, and four times on Sundays.

In order to socialize with other dogs, all dogs must meet the health and behavioral requirements set forth in the Daycare and Socialization Agreement, which can be found below. All new dogs that would like to socialize go through an introductory testing period. Typically we start by getting them settled in and comfortable with our facility and our staff first – from there, they meet a couple of neutral, very well-behaved dogs. If that goes well, we slowly introduce more dogs until they have been exposed to a range of dogs with different temperaments and personalities.

We make every effort to put compatible dogs together, but each dog is a unique individual, and they can be unpredictable. A dog’s safety is our highest priority. If a dog does not do well with all others, or is visibly nervous or uncomfortable, we may be able to build some safe and compatible groups for them, but they may ultimately be unable to socialize, at our discretion.

Items and comforts that we provide

Comfortable Bedding – We offer an assortment of beds, blankets, and towels for bedding. You are welcome to bring bedding from home if you so choose,* but we ask that it be clearly labeled and fully machine washable.

Feeding and water bowls – We provide several styles of bowls and plates – stainless steel, plastic, and ceramic. We do not recommend bringing bowls from home unless necessary, as they are likely to be lost (stainless steel bowls are usually difficult to differentiate) or damaged (ceramics are fragile), as we wash them frequently (each meal for food bowls, and at least once per day for water bowls).

Food – We offer for our canine guests Hills Science Diet Sensitive Stomach and Skin dry food, as well as assorted types of wet/canned food, at no additional cost; however, we highly recommend bringing your dog’s usual food to avoid any possible tummy upset, especially if your dog has known food allergies or sensitivities, or is on a specific limited-ingredient diet. If you do bring your own food, we always recommend bringing more food than necessary, so we can have extra in the event of unplanned extensions to the stay due to inclement weather, flight cancellations, traffic, etc. Dogs who are participating in socialization programs may also have a higher calorie need while boarding, if their level of physical activity is higher than usual.

Toys – You are welcome to bring toys from home,* but all items must be clearly and individually labeled, and washable. For dogs, we prefer to have “indestructible” toys, as ingestion of damaged pieces can be a safety concern. For this same reason, we do discourage giving bones that can break off large or sharp pieces, such as rawhides or real animal bones. We are happy to provide Nylabone style chews for pups who enjoy chewing.

*All items should be clearly labeled before drop-off. While we make every effort to keep track of and return all items that come in with our guests, we will accept no liability for lost or damaged items. If we witness a pet damaging an item, including bedding or toys, we may at our discretion remove it if there is a safety concern – risk of ingesting small pieces, foreign body blockage, etc. Comfort is great, but safety is always our highest priority.

Where Dogs Stay

In our kennel, we have several types of accommodations for dogs – “run” spaces with a floorspace of ~4 feet wide by ~7 feet deep, and cages of varying size (typical “large” cages have a floorspace of 27 x 46 inches). Dogs are always kept in size-appropriate accommodations, with placement assigned based on size and need. We always use the largest spaces available.

During the day, boarding dogs participating in the Daycare program typically stay in run spaces with other daycare dogs, but have their own space for overnight and at feeding times. All other dogs have their own space. All areas of our kennel are climate-controlled year round, with heat, AC, and fresh air exchanges throughout the building.

Boarding more than one dog

We do have run spaces and cages that can accommodate more than one dog from the same family together, both during the day and for overnight. Dogs are not supervised during overnight hours, however, so if they aren’t used to being out of the house and might be nervous, or if they aren’t 100% comfortable with their companion dog, we may recommend keeping them separate during any time they are unsupervised. If we do separate same-family dogs, we are very happy to keep them in spaces next to or across from each other, so they can still benefit from the presence of their sibling nearby, while still enjoying that extra personal space. Boarding costs (listed below) are per dog.

Rates

Rates for boarding are by day and night that dogs are with us.

For day only boarding, it is $18.50 per half day (0-5 hours) or $37 per full day (over 5 hours).

While overnight boarding small, medium, or large dogs, it is $37 for each day the dog is with us and $15 per night that the dog is with us; if they are dropped off in the afternoon on the drop-off day or are picked up before noon on the pickup day, those days are pro-rated as half days, at $18.50. Please note that we do not pro-rate by the hour; noon is the hard cutoff for half days, and there will always be at least one half day on each side of an overnight stay.

Dogs over 90 lbs may fall into the “giant dog” category, which is an additional $5 per night to accommodate if they require our largest spaces.

There is no additional fee for dogs to participate in socialization programs while boarding.

Please note: Rates may change over time; the rate for a stay is set at the time a reservation is made.

Additional services while boarding may have additional fees, including the following:

• Administration of medications, dietary supplements, diabetic care (testing blood glucose, injections), or other treatment protocols such as activity restriction, leash walking, etc.
• Grooming and hygiene regimens such as brushing fur or teeth, cleaning of goopy eyes or skin folds, bathing, nail trimming, etc.
• Additional sanitization, for example in cases of incontinence or inappropriate behavioral urination/defecation which requires significant additional cleaning.
• Additional disinfection, in cases of contagious illnesses/parasites that require special handling and disinfection protocols.

Estimates for boarding stays can be provided on request.

Health and vaccine requirements

– All Boarding Dogs must be up to date on the following:

Annual Physical Exam

Rabies Vaccine

Canine Distemper, Parvovirus, and Adenovirus-2 Vaccine

Leptospirosis Vaccine

Bordetella (aka Kennel Cough) Vaccine

Canine Influenza Vaccine, for strains H3N2 and H3N8

Canine Parainfluenza Vaccine*

Fecal Testing – Floatation and Giardia ELISA – Every 6 months.**

In the event that a dog should test positive for a contagious intestinal parasite, there may be an additional fee assessed for disinfection, and they will be unable to socialize with other dogs until the infection has been cleared with a negative fecal test following treatment.

Annual Heartworm Testing, with a Negative result.

Flea and Tick Preventative, year-round.

In order to socialize with others, dogs must be Castrated or Spayed.

If a pet has not had one of the required vaccinations, they typically must be administered at least 10 days prior to the scheduled boarding or daycare day, so that that it is effective by the time that they arrive.

In addition to the health and vaccine requirements above, there are additional policies and conditions that must be agreed to for all dogs who will be socializing while they are with us. The form for this has all off the health and vaccine requirements on it and is printable – it can be downloaded here:

Daycare and Boarding Socialization Agreement

_{^{Please note that the above information is provided for informational purposes only, and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult your primary care veterinarian for more information on any of these topics and before making any healthcare decisions for your pet.}}

Additional Services While Boarding

In addition to our boarding services, we are also a primary care veterinary hospital, and offer grooming services. We are happy to offer preventive health services and/or grooming while your pet is staying with us. We do tend to book up ahead for some services, so it is best to schedule in advance to ensure availability while your pet is with us. We are also happy to schedule tours of our facility Monday through Friday, and Saturday mornings.