With a recent news story in June 2025 about 23 dogs being seized from an unlicensed home-based daycare here in Montgomery County and the frequent horror stories we hear about our client’s previous experiences with unlicensed in home boarders (like Rover.com hosts) we’ve been thinking a lot about what it really means to be a licensed dog care facility and why it matters.

To be clear: we’re not here to shame anyone.
The licensing process in this county is complex, expensive, and at times, frustrating. We were required to obtain a Conditional Use Permit, a Use and Occupancy Permit and a Commercial Kennel License through Montgomery County, MD. Anyone providing boarding and daycare services in their home is required to go through these steps. It was a challenging process that took about a year and a half and around $200k. Over the years though (after the frustration has worn off, haha) we believe that licensing isn’t just red tape. It’s about creating safe, accountable, and professional environments for the dogs we all love.

Being licensed means we are:

• Approved and inspected regularly by the county
• Following strict health, safety, and sanitation standards for dogs and staff.
• Fully insured and properly zoned for what we do
• Compliant with payroll, workers comp, minimum wage guidelines, tax and labor laws
• Investing in extensively trained, fairly paid staff who are protected on the job
• Required to document, track, and uphold these standards year-round
• Requiring necessary vaccines
• Accountable and transparent

These things are costly. They protect our team, your pets, and you. But here’s the hard part: unlicensed businesses aren’t held to those same standards. They don’t carry on the same expenses, and often, they can charge far less, not because their care is better or more efficient, but because they aren’t playing by the same rules.

That creates an uneven playing field for businesses like ours that work hard to do it right.

We are Montgomery County’s ONLY licensed cage-free facility with large outdoor space for dogs to be dogs. We’re proud of the behind the scenes work that goes into Dog’s Day, and we’re grateful to every client who supports a business committed to the highest standards of care, safety, and integrity.

If you ever have questions about our licensing or operations, we’re always happy to share more about what goes on behind the scenes.