Daycare

Our daycare dogs treat the indoor daycare setting like an indoor dog park. It does not look (or smell) anything like your home. We are cleaning constantly and disinfect the entire facility daily, but our dogs know they can go potty inside and that's ok. You can always add outside time, a pack walk or training if you want your pup to get some time outside each day, too.

We do our best to do a quick health check when each dog arrives for any services, but we are not a veterinary facility. 

It is true that when groups of dogs get together, they bring with them all the diverse bacteria, viruses, and parasites that they were exposed to in their own separate lives. Then they play, lick each other, exchange saliva and roll around for hours. 

Will your dog get sick though? 

That all depends on what exactly was passed around and your dog’s individual immune response (which can also depend on your dog’s age, breed, genetics, diet, etc).

If you want to avoid an environment where dogs can be exposed to communicable illnesses and parasites, you should probably avoid daycare since no daycare where dogs are socialized in groups can guarantee your dog won't be exposed to possible illness. 

The best way to avoid the most harmful diseases are vaccinations, which we require (rabies, parvo, distemper, canine flu & annual fecal test for parasites).

Some illnesses that are common in a social setting (esp with puppies with low immunity) are canine cough (aka kennel cough), giardia, papilloma (puppy warts) and conjunctivitis (puppy pink eye).

So, if you want your dog to engage socially with other dogs and experience the world beyond their home and your vet  feels they are healthy enough for group play, we are here for you!

On the rare occasion that something happens during your pup's stay with us, we will attempt to contact you first. If we cannot reach you, we will contact your emergency contact. (We always recommend an emergency contact who is IN town if you are traveling or someone who can make decisions for you in your absence). Finally, we will contact your vet to see how they want to handle it. If it is after hours, we will take your pup to the emergency vet in our area. All vet bills are the responsibility of the owner.

We do have some insurance limitations with pit bull breeds and wolf hybrids, so it's a bit complicated. We do assess pit/mixed breeds individually though, but they have to be extremely social and non-reactive. Please contact us if you have any questions

We are pretty well known for our flexibility with overnights. Most of our staff has the ability to take some overnight pups home at night and if we have just a few pups, we usually let them go home with a staff member (at no extra cost) for that night. We will check with you first though. If you are requesting a sitter for the entire stay, the rate is an extra $10/night. 

Most nights all of our overnight pups are in facility with our overnight staff, plush beds and lots of playtime & nap time.

First of all, congratulations on your new family member! 

We highly recommend allowing enough time for your new dog to get comfortable with their new home before introducing them to daycare. This can take weeks, so we do ask that you have your new pup for at least 3-4 weeks before bringing them in to the daycare setting. 

Highly social dogs may adjust quickly to their new life and will be ready for daycare sooner. But, it is really important that they feel confident before having them in a new pack setting.

We require all dog to check-in for daycare or overnights before 12noon. 

The pack is super active in the morning and we want all dogs to be on the "same page" with their energy level and play time as much as possible. Since most dogs arrive between 7-8am on weekdays, there is a ton of play going on and nap time starts around 12noon for many of them. So, if you are bringing your super energetic dog at 11:45am, they will most likely arrive to a room full of tired pups who want to nap and rest now. Then, your pup gets frustrated and we don't want that. We also take most of our pictures for report cards in the early morning and we don't want your pup to miss that fun :)

We require rabies, parvo, distemper and the canine influenza vaccinations. We also require an annual fecal test for all dogs. These records need to be uploaded to your profile and reviewed by staff before first day (and continued attendance when they expire)

We require that all males are neutered by 8 months and females are spayed by 12 months. We do not allow females in heat. This is for the safety and well-being of all dogs in group play and we appreciate your cooperation.

This is an interesting question and the short answer is... sometimes. Your dog may attend daycare for months or even years and then suddenly you get a report card about new behaviors (barking excessively, whining alot, snapping at other dogs, fence guarding and rushing gates, etc). We try to be as transparent about your dogs behavior on report cards each day, but we write them in the mornings and their behavior may change as the day goes on and we may chat with you at checkout. Sometimes it could be a health issue and we may recommend checking with your vet. But, yes - some dogs "age out" of daycare and it's just too much for them as they get older.

This is when we take our lunch breaks and try to get most of the pups to nap. Some dogs are in the facility for 10-12 hours for daycare and longer for overnights and it can be exhausting for them. We have found that having a dedicated time that is quiet without customers coming in and out really helps them rest. We also need our humans to get some breaks, too. Don't worry - a human is always with the pack. 

If you MUST pickup during this time, please ring our doorbell and be patient since it might take a few minutes to get to you.

Yes! See our QR code at the bottom of this page or search "Wags and Ruffs" in your App store