Doggie day care is a relatively new idea but has gained extreme popularity in recent years. This is a place you can take your dog or cat to play for the day. Many of them also offer overnight boarding with day care services during the day. One great aspect of these day cares is that most of them have online webcams so you can watch your pup play.

Doggie day care facilities vary widely in terms of the space they have and the services they offer. They will all have some kind of indoor and outdoor play area for the dogs. Some may have a cat room with posts and climbing toys for the cats to play on. Many day cares have some kind of water or even a whole swimming pool for the dogs to play in when it is hot outside. They have shaded play areas and lots of toys to play with or climb on. There is always at least one person watching the dogs to make sure no one gets hurt or in a fight.

Overnight boarding in these places is also plusher than in a regular boarding kennel. Often, a regular boarding kennel will be a building with many cement runs separated by chain link fencing. The dogs are kept in an indoor room, separated by cubicle-type walls where they may have bedding and even a television on the wall to keep them company.

Doggie day care rates will vary, but most are likely in the $15 to $30 range for a day’s play. They also offer monthly rates and multi-dog discounts. Other services they may offer are dog training and grooming. If the day care has a pool, it may even offer swim lessons for your pooch or weekend public dog swimming times.

The dog policy is the same at most of these places. All dogs have to be willing to socialize with other dogs in a group setting. No aggressive animals or sick animals. All dogs must have up-to-date shots, rabies, heartworm, and flea prevention. The dogs must be a certain age, generally over 12 weeks old, and they usually need to be spayed or neutered to prevent any problems. Many places require an interview with you and the dog before the dog can stay.