Everyone can use our grooming services as long as your dog has an updated Rabies vaccine. For daycare and boarding, an evaluation is required, which can be scheduled by emailing info@thedogstay.com. After passing the evaluation, we require at least one day of daycare before boarding to ensure your dog is comfortable in our open-pack environment and has a positive experience.

For any Daycare or Boarding stay, we require the following vaccinations to be up to date:

• Rabies

• Distemper (DHPP)

• Influenza

• Bordetella

For Grooming we require updated Rabies

Evaluations take no more than 30 minutes. You’ll drop off your pup, and we’ll introduce them to a few friendly dogs in one of our play rooms while we observe their behavior—watching for any signs of stress, fear, or aggression that could impact the safety of other dogs or our team. Once the assessment is complete, we’ll give you a quick tour of The Dog Stay and walk you through our daily routines, facility features, and operational policies.

If you’re planning a boarding stay, a full day (6 hours) in daycare must be completed within two weeks before your requested boarding start date.

📆 Example: If you’d like to board starting June 15th, you must finish a full daycare day by June 1st.

This gives us enough time to review how your pup adjusted, finalize their reservation, and ensure they’ll feel confident for their sleepover.

Why two weeks?

It guarantees we’re watching your pup long enough after evaluation to spot any late‑blooming nerves or social hiccups.

It lets us confirm pack harmony and tweak any details before an overnight stay.

It protects both your pup’s well‑being and the comfort of every Pup in our care.

If you’re planning a boarding stay, a full day (6 hours) in daycare must be completed two weeks before your requested boarding start date.

• 📆 Example: If you’d like to board starting June 15th, you must finish a full daycare day by June 1st.

• This gives us enough time to review how your pup adjusted, finalize their reservation, and ensure they’ll feel confident for their sleepover.

• Why two weeks?

  • It guarantees we’re watching your pup long enough after evaluation to spot any late‑blooming nerves or social hiccups.

  • It lets us confirm pack harmony and tweak any details before an overnight stay.

  • It protects both your pup’s well‑being and the comfort of every Pup in our care.

If your pup hasn’t visited The Dog Stay for daycare or boarding in over four months, we require a brief re‑evaluation. This helps us make sure they’re still happy and confident in our open‑pack environment—and that they’ll continue to have a great experience with their pack family.

Duration: About 30 minutes.

Observation: We re‑introduce your pup to the facility and let them mingle with a few dogs from their usual pack.

Assessment goal: Look for any changes in comfort level, body language, and play style to confirm they still thrive here.

Next steps after passing the Re‑Evaluation

Full Day of Daycare (6 hours):

We ask that your pup spends at least one full 6‑hour day in daycare so we can observe how they settle into the routine.

If they adjust smoothly, they’re cleared to return for regular daycare visits.

Boarding clients only:

If you’re planning to board, that “full day of daycare” must be completed two weeks before your requested boarding start date.

Once the full day is done and they do well, your boarding request can be approved.

We know routines can change, so these steps let us keep every pup safe, happy, and confident—whether they’re here for play or a sleepover. If you have any questions or need to schedule your pup’s re‑evaluation, just let us know!

Why do I need to schedule a day of daycare before my dog can board?

Once your pup has passed their re/evaluation, we ask that they spend one full 6‑hour day in daycare before any overnight stay. Here’s why:

Builds routine familiarity

After a break of four months or more, even the most social pups can feel a bit rusty on drop‑off routines. A full daycare day gives them a chance to re‑learn our drop‑off greeting, play rotations, mealtime rhythm, and rest‑time signals—so they arrive at boarding feeling calm and confident.

Ensures pack harmony

By observing your pup for a full day, we confirm they’re still playing nicely, settling in smoothly, and reading canine cues correctly. This protects both their well‑being and the balance of our entire pack.

Smooths the transition to overnight

Boarding involves new cues—dinner at a different hour, sleeping in a quieter space, different lighting, etc. If your pup handles a full daycare day well, it’s a strong signal they’ll adapt comfortably to an extended stay.

Timing for boarding requests

For boarding specifically, that full daycare day must be completed at least two weeks before your requested start date. Once it’s in the books—and your pup passes with flying colors—we’ll officially approve your boarding reservation.

• For Daycare: After your pup passes the evaluation, you can drop off and pick up anytime during business hours—no scheduling required. Our hours are 7 am to 7 pm Monday through Friday, and 10 am to 5 pm on weekends.

• For BOOKED Boarding: Once your dog has passed the evaluation, they must attend at least one full day of daycare before boarding to ensure they are comfortable in our open-pack environment. Boarding can be scheduled through online booking or by emailing us at info@thedogstay.com. Drop-off for boarding is available during regular daycare hours, but we prefer drop-off before 4 pm to allow for proper introduction and playtime with the pack. Pick-up is anytime during regular hours, but we recommend before 1 pm to avoid a daycare fee.

Early Drop-Off & Late Pick-Up Policy

Because we get it—life runs late, early, or totally sideways sometimes.

At The Dog Stay, your pup’s safety, comfort, and tail-wagging happiness come first. But we also need to make sure our team is properly scheduled and prepped to give every pup the care they deserve—especially outside of our regular hours.

That’s why any early drop-off or late pick-up must be approved at least 24 hours in advance. And yes, we do have a grace period for those tiny hiccups in the day—but once we cross that window, fees apply to help cover the cost of keeping our doors (and arms) open beyond regular hours.

Operating Hours

Weekdays

• Drop-Offs Begin: 7:00 AM

• Pick-Ups End: 7:00 PM

Weekends

• Drop-Offs Begin: 10:00 AM

• Pick-Ups End: 5:00 PM

The Grace Period (for life’s little delays)

We totally understand if you’re running a few minutes behind—or ahead. That’s why we offer a 10-minute grace period on both ends:

• Early Drop-Offs: No fee if your pup arrives within 10 minutes before we open.

• Late Pick-Ups: No fee if your pup is picked up within 10 minutes after we close.

🟢 6:50 AM to 7:00 AM? No problem.
🟢 7:00 PM to 7:10 PM? All good.

Fee Breakdown: Per Started Half-Hour

• Early Drop-Offs:
  Should a Pup be dropped off earlier than the 10-minute grace period before opening, a fee of $20 per started half-hour will be charged for the time beyond the grace period.

• Late Pick-Ups:
  Should a pet be picked up later than the 10-minute grace period after closing, a fee of $20 per started half-hour will be charged for the time beyond the grace period.

Additional Information

• Pre-Approval Required: No early or late arrivals without a heads-up at least 24 hours in advance. We need to plan ahead, and we can’t promise flexibility without notice.

• Why the Fee? Because extra time means extra team coverage. These fees go directly toward making sure we have the hands—and hearts—available to care for your pup outside of standard hours.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding. For any questions or to request approval for an early drop-off or late pick-up, please contact us at least 24 hours in advance.

Yes. It’s important for dogs to stay on the same diet to avoid digestive issues. Bring enough food in a sealed container with instructions clearly written on the container themselves. Breakfast is generally served by 7am and dinner by 5pm. Lunch can be given at noon. As to not create disruptions these are fixed feeding times. We do have house kibble if food runs out for $5 per meal

Due to our fixed capacity and staffing requirements, we have a cancellation and early pickup policy to ensure we can provide the best care for all pets:

• Standard Cancellation: If a reservation is canceled more than 72 hours before the scheduled stay, no fees will be charged.

• Late Cancellation: If canceled within 72 hours of the scheduled stay, a fee equal to 50% of the total booking cost will be charged.

• Early Pickup: If a pup is picked up earlier than the scheduled departure date, the full boarding rate applies for the entire booked period.

Medications can be given as well in the pill form during meals, which we currently do not charge for. Any additional medications and charges will be case by case, and inquire by emailing info@thedogstay.com

Each dog room goes outside at least once every 2 hours. The amount of time depends on the weather and air quality, but we prefer extended periods assuming it’s nice out. We have over 3000 square feet of outdoors, mostly dirt and grass. Not using turf is intentional as it is hot on the dogs feet and difficult to keep from absorbing messes. The ground it hard so not a lot of dust kicks up but we do offer full service grooming for exit baths which our clients take advantage of often. While outside, we have at least 1 attendant supervising and cleaning - their priorities are 1) no fights (dogs can have a tendency to play to the point of annoying other dogs), 2) no eating things they shouldn’t, 3) observing behavior in general for any signs of odd behavior, and 4) cleaning messes (we pride ourselves in keeping it clean at all times).

We pride ourselves on cleanliness. Each room is mopped multiple times a day and right after messes. We remove and flush any dog #2 in a toilets, as to reduce waste of bags and keep it clean. We do a deep clean at the end of the day, every day as well and disinfect each bed daily.

At The Dog Stay, we believe dogs thrive when they can interact and play freely with other dogs in an open environment. This setup encourages:

• Physical exercise: Dogs can burn off energy by running, playing, and engaging in natural behaviors, which helps them stay fit and happy.

• Socialization: Dogs improve their social skills and confidence by interacting with other dogs of different sizes and temperaments in a supervised, structured setting.

• Mental stimulation and stress relief: Being part of a pack-like environment reduces boredom, lowers anxiety, and allows dogs to engage in calming natural behaviors like sniffing and exploring​.

Yes, minor injuries such as nips, scratches, or bumps are possible. This is a natural part of dog play, especially when dogs are interacting freely, much like children at a playground. Our staff is highly trained to monitor the dogs and step in when necessary to prevent incidents from escalating​(Helping Fido)​(The Dog Gurus). While we do everything we can to ensure safety, some level of risk is inherent in open play settings.

If your dog is involved in an incident, we will:

• Administer basic first aid if necessary.

• Separate the dogs involved.

• Notify you right away with details of what happened.

• Conduct a thorough investigation, including reviewing security footage, and keep you informed throughout the process

The Dog Stay is not responsible for covering veterinary bills unless the injury results from our negligence. If an injury occurs, we will conduct a thorough investigation and connect the parents of the dogs involved to discuss how they would like to handle any veterinary expenses.

We prioritize safety by:

• Grouping dogs by size, temperament, and energy level.

• Maintaining a low staff-to-dog ratio for close supervision.

• Stop accepting dogs once we reach capacity.

• Training our staff to recognize early signs of tension or overexcitement.