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The following requirements are in place for all dogs who come here for daycare or boarding with group play. This helps ensure the safety of all of our customers, their dogs, and our staff.
Puppies must have received all rounds of each required vaccination, and all vaccinations must be current, before being able to enter our facility. This is to help prevent illness with your puppy, as they have relatively weak immune systems for the first several months.
Required vaccinations:
We may be able to waive certain vaccinations if your veterinarian supplies a written letter stating the medical reasons.
Dogs with ailments such as these will require a note from your vet and/or a screening evaluation from our staff before being allowed back to the play areas. If a dog exhibits typical symptoms associated with these conditions (such as coughing), we would assume it
We sell quick-release collars such as this, in various colors and sizes. They range from $8 to $13 depending on the size.
Buckle-style collars take too long to remove and are not allowed in play. These collars have a pin that fits through a hole, similar to a belt.
Proof of vaccinations, kept up-to-date
We must have documentation on file from your veterinarian showing that all required vaccinations are current. We'll remind you when they're due, and you can fax them to us at (312) 276-8588, e-mail them to us, or bring them in.Puppies must have received all rounds of each required vaccination, and all vaccinations must be current, before being able to enter our facility. This is to help prevent illness with your puppy, as they have relatively weak immune systems for the first several months.
Required vaccinations:
- Rabies if seven months or older
- Distemper and Parvo (DHLPP, DLPP, or something similar that includes "D" and "P")
- Bordatella (also known as "kennel cough" or "canine cough")
- Canine Influenza (the strain called "H3N2" at a minimum, although we recommend getting the "bivalent" option for maximum protection).
Please note: The first time your dog receives this vaccination, it comes in two rounds, typically three weeks apart. You can board with just the first round, as long as it was within the past three weeks. If your dog received the first round more than three weeks ago, and you haven't gotten the second round, you will need to start over with the first round before your dog can enter our facility.
Click here to learn more about this vaccination and why we require it.
- You may substitute a veterinary certificate of adequate titer protection issued within the previous 12 months for the distemper and parvovirus vaccinations.
We may be able to waive certain vaccinations if your veterinarian supplies a written letter stating the medical reasons.
No contagious conditions
For the safety of our other customers, your dog must not exhibit contagious ailments such as the following:- Upper respiratory illness, including (but not limited to) canine cough or canine influenza
- Stomach virus / vomiting
- Giardia
- Worms or parasites
- CPV (mouth warts)
- Fleas
Dogs with ailments such as these will require a note from your vet and/or a screening evaluation from our staff before being allowed back to the play areas. If a dog exhibits typical symptoms associated with these conditions (such as coughing), we would assume it
Spayed or neutered if seven months or older, if entering group play
Large play groups and "intact" dogs are not a good combination. Even if your puppy may not be aggressive, other dogs typically don't react well to intact dogs, which can lead to aggression and a fight. In order to minimize the chance of this happening, we do require spaying or neutering once a puppy reaches seven months old. This is standard practice in the dog daycare industry across the country and is for the safety of your dog, our staff, and our customers' dogs. It is also recommended by most leading veterinarians.All dogs must check in by noon in order to enter group play on their checkin day
This is because the playgroups are well-established by noon, and some of the dogs can be tired. When a new dog enters the group at this point, it could easily lead to another dog become reactive, which could create an injury for your dog, another dog, or a staff member. Please note that we keep noon as a hard cutoff time - we cannot allow a dog into play who shows up at 12:10pm, for example, as people would expect that any time they arrive is close enough to noon.
Please note that we charge a $15 solo play charge on your checkin day if your dog arrives after noon. This is because we would need to pull staff from other duties in order to care for your dog during the afternoon. If this were the case, your dog would enter play the next morning as usual. We strongly recommend arriving before noon in order to avoid this scenario.
At least two months old
It's really best that dogs under two months old stay with their mother, so they learn basic skills and behaviors that they will take with them through life. Once they reach two months, they'll also be big enough to stand their ground in a play group.All dogs in play must have a proper collar
- Every dog in play must have a collar. This helps us separate them if necessary.
- The collar must have a "quick release" feature, so it can be removed quickly if dogs get in a fight or one dog's jaw gets stuck on another collar
- No prong collars are allowed in play, as they can injure another dog
- No buckle-style collars are allowed, as they can take too long to remove
- No choke chains or shock collars
- Every dog in play must have an ID tag on its collar, with at least its name. This is because many dogs look alike, and we cannot take the risk that a dog would, for example, receive the wrong food or medicine. We make ID tags here, and every dog will receive one free tag. After that, any future tags cost $5 plus tax.
- We strongly dissuade any "designer" collars (leather, for example), as they can become easily damaged during play. We are not responsible for damage done to any collar.
We sell quick-release collars such as this, in various colors and sizes. They range from $8 to $13 depending on the size.
Buckle-style collars take too long to remove and are not allowed in play. These collars have a pin that fits through a hole, similar to a belt.