Our Rules & Policies
These guidelines exist to keep every dog safe, happy, and well cared for. Please read carefully before your first visit.
Health Requirements
All dogs must be current on Rabies, Bordetella, Distemper (DHLPP), and Influenza vaccinations, as well as flea and tick prevention. New clients must complete an online application, sign our waiver and rules documents, and complete an evaluation prior to any services.
Please do not send your dog if they are coughing, sneezing, vomiting, have diarrhea, fleas, or any signs of illness. Illness spreads quickly in group settings. If your dog begins coughing or showing signs of illness while in our care, you (or your emergency contact) will be contacted for immediate pick-up. When in doubt, keep them home and reach out to us.
We understand that some illnesses can be carried without visible symptoms and some are airborne. We clean, disinfect and refresh water bowls constantly throughout the day, but ask that you accept these inherent risks of any group care environment. Please alert us any time there is a change in your dog’s behavior, health, or condition.
*A Note on Conjunctivitis & Canine Papillomas: Minor cases do not necessarily require staying out of daycare. However, if your dog’s eyes need cleaning more than once an hour, or if they have more than one or two warts in their mouth, please keep them home until symptoms resolve. Warts can take several weeks to fall off.
Behavior & Safety
We are a social, cage-free environment. Dogs in our care must be comfortable in group settings. We do not allow aggressive behavior, though we understand dogs occasionally have off days. In those cases we may separate dogs into smaller groups temporarily. Ongoing behavior concerns may result in dismissal from Dog’s Day.
Dog daycare, and cage-free boarding carries inherent risks similar to children’s daycare. Dogs play with paws, nails, and teeth — minor scratches or scrapes can occur, and on rare occasions, bites or other injuries. Please note that veterinary care, even for minor injuries, has become increasingly costly, and these costs are part of the inherent risk of group play that owners accept.
Please send only a breakaway collar and pre-packaged food and medications. Leave harnesses, blankets, beds, and other personal items at home as they are often viewed as chew toys by other dogs. If needed, we can provide a slip lead. Dog’s Day is not responsible for lost or damaged items.
While all outdoor play takes place in fenced yards and we have never lost a dog, please understand that there is an inherent risk any time a dog is off-leash.
Drop-Off & Pick-Up
Drop off: 7:30–8:30am or 11:00am–12:00pm
Pick up: Anytime between 7:30am and 7:00pm
Hours of operation: 7:30am–7:00pm, 7 days a week
Arrivals after 12:00pm will either be turned away during busy periods or charged a $20 fee per 10 minutes with no grace period. Pick up outside of operating hours incurs a $10 fee per half hour, with no arrivals before 7am and no pick-ups after 7:30pm. Late pick ups or drop offs must be scheduled in advance.
Arrival Procedure
Please call or text 301-263-5887 when you’re about 10 minutes away to let us know you’re on your way. When you arrive, pull up to the gate and follow the driveway around in a circle to keep traffic moving.
For everyone’s safety, please remain in your vehicle until the car ahead of you has fully departed.
Drop-Off
When it’s your turn, bring your pup through the first gate. A staff member will greet you and take your dog through. Please be sure to take your leash with you when you leave.
Pick-Up
Once the driveway is clear, grab your leash and walk through the first gate. A staff member will bring your pup out to meet you.
Unannounced arrivals can be disruptive and may create safety concerns for the group, so we kindly ask that you always give us a heads-up before arrival. Thank you for helping us keep everyone safe!
Reservations & Cancellations
Reservations should be made by 11:00am the day before your requested service to ensure proper staffing. Reservations after that will incur a reservation fee: $10 per dog for daycare, $25 for boarding.
Please give at least 24 hours notice for cancellations, especially during holidays and summer. All reservations, cancellations, changes, and vaccine updates must be managed through your Gingr account. A $7 booking fee applies if we make changes on your behalf, except for same-day late reservations.
Dogs who have not visited in several months may be asked to complete a daycare visit before an overnight stay to ensure that there are no new safety concerns. All new dogs must complete a minimum of two successful daycare visits (or whatever plan was discussed during your pup’s acclimation period) before their first boarding stay.
Meals & Medications
Meals are offered around 5:00–6:00am and 4:30–5:30pm.
Meal Packaging
All meals must be pre-packaged by serving in labeled zip-lock bags (AM or PM if different). If your dog’s meal includes perishable ingredients like canned food, ground meat, or vegetables, package the dry food and perishables separately by meal. We will combine them at mealtime. Frozen items are fine — we will defrost before meal time. If it is a long stay and meals consist of kibble only, you can send a larger bag of kibble labeled with the amount to be given at each meal.
Medications & Supplements
All oral medications must be pre-packaged by day and time. You may add pills directly into the meal baggie labeled “with meds”, package separately in labeled bags, or use a daily pill organizer separated by AM and PM. Please keep all medication/instructions current in your Gingr account.
Payment
Payment is due at pick up or in advance. We keep a credit card on file and charge at checkout. Boarding rates are based on a 24-hour period. If, for example, your dog is dropped off in the morning and picked up in the afternoon (or more than 25 minutes after the original drop-off time), an additional half daycare or full daycare charge will apply.
Communication
We love keeping you in the loop and make every effort to send updates throughout the day. Because we are a home-based environment rather than a conventional kennel, we aim to keep communication focused so our attention stays on the dogs. If you don’t hear back immediately, we will follow up as soon as we’re able. That said, during our business hours, you should receive a response within one hour. If you do not, please reach back out as there is a chance your text was not seen.
Please limit non-urgent texts and calls to our hours of operation. We communicate all behavioral concerns by text so that every staff member has a shared record. We will always let you know if your pup had a time-out, a scuffle, or anything else worth noting — and we’ll make sure to share the good stuff too. 🐾