Is your dog a “latch key pupâ€? That’s a dog that sits home alone, waiting to hear the key turn in the door when you return from a long day at the office? For many dogs, especially younger and/or bigger dogs, this lack of stimulation and socialization often results in bad behavior like shoe-chewing, trash-digging, and worse.
Every city in America, and I suspect most small towns as well, at this point offer a variety of qualified facilities where your furry kid can spend the day exercising and socializing, getting the care and attention he or she deserves. Many even offer you the ability to watch them having a great time on a webcam while you are slaving away at your desk earning the money to pay for it! Finding the right care center for your dog is just as important as researching a playschool for a child. Your best bet is to get personal recommendations from people who take their dog to daycare, but if that isn’t an option you should make a list of all the places in your area and visit each one to compare and ask questions.
Some important things you should learn before deciding on a daycare:
Operating hours – Ideally, the daycare center’s business hours should extend beyond the start and the end of your normal workday so you have time to drop your dog off and fetch them without rushing (Be sure and ask if they charge a late fee when you arrive after the standard closing time). Some centers offer a canine taxi service which can be a great time-saver if you have a hectic schedule.
When you tour the facility (and you must tour the facility), observe how the staff reacts to all the dogs, and more importantly how the dogs react to them.
Ask if and how the dogs are segregated. Your pal may prefer a center where larger breeds are separated from the smaller ones. And the better facilities assess your dog’s social skills as well as his size when determining his appropriate play group.
Make a note of how accessible water is for the dogs and ask how often the water is refreshed. Most establishments require owners to pack their own doggie lunches to avoid any special dietary issues.
Most daycares don’t offer walks outside the facility because the dogs get enough exercise running around with each other all day. But it is important that there are spacious indoor and outdoor play areas as well as a comfy, well ventilated areas for lounging.
Of course your dog will need to have all his or her immunizations up-to-date, but be sure and inquire about all their health requirements.
Naturally you’ll need to find out what it costs and canine enrichment doesn’t come cheap! As with everything else in America, when it comes to doggie daycare, you get what you pay for. But be sure to ask about any reduced rates offered if you pay monthly or if you have multiple dogs.
What’s the latest trend in Doggie Daycare? If you and your dog live in an “up-scale” community, your local doggie daycare facilities may now be calling themselves “canine enrichment centers.†They are more like doggie day spas, offering a variety of other services, such as grooming, and massage therapy. Some even have a pool for supervised swimming, nature trails, and a rec room with giant TV screens playing dog-orientated programs. They offer activities for pet parents as well, like “Doga” (the doggie version of yoga) and paw painting classes.
We actually have some great clients, turned affiliates, who own and operate some really fantastic doggie daycare facilities. Downtown Hound, home of handsome Pop Art Pet subject, Cruiser, is the perfect place for dogs in Boise, Idaho to spend their days maxin’ and relaxin’!
Judging by the pictures and the webcam on their website, the party never stops – except when it’s naptime of course. If you’re in the Boise area, check them out and tell Tracy we said hello!
Downtown Dog Lounge was voted the Best Doggie Daycare in Seattle this year! Gunner & Lily, who we have also had the pleasure of immortalizing in Pop Art Pet portraits, help their mom, Elise, run two metro locations. 
Downtown Dog Lounge, DTDL for short, offers their clients in-house grooming services as well as a “Pooch Nanny” for pups with special needs like post-surgical pooches, seizure prone dogs, and puppies & senior dogs who might need a little help getting around. If you are looking for doggie daycare in Seattle, please give them a call!
There are benefits to doggie daycare for you as well, like you won’t have to worry about what your friend is up to at home unsupervised. Then, at the end of a long day at work when all you want to do is relax on the couch, so will your dog. He won’t be begging to go on a long walk, or keep bringing you that tennis ball. He’ll be well-exercised and tired, so you won’t have to feel guilty for not indulging him. But don’t worry, the two of you can still go nuts together on the weekends!
