Check In/Check Out Times
Monday-Friday: 8:00am-11:30am -- 2:30pm-5:30pm
Saturday: 8:00am-11:30am
Sunday: 4:00pm-6:00pm
Dogs picked up after 9 AM Monday through Friday will be charged a late pickup / day stay fee of $15 if picked up by 12 and $26 if picked up in the afternoon during regular pick up hours.
Fees and Payments
All fees for reserved services are due at the time of drop off. If additional services are added during the dogs stay, they may be paid at pick up. You will be billed for the full stay booked. For example if you reserve for four days, but pick up early on the third day no refunds will be given. Likewise if you book for four days, but pick up late additional fees may be charged.
All new customers, along with all customers booking stays over holiday weeks/weekends will be charged a deposit equal to two days stay. This deposit is non-refundable unless cancelled 7 days or more prior to the reservation date. All days booked over holidays must be paid for, if changed less than 7 days prior to stay.
Vaccinations and Health Requirements
We recognize that vaccine protocols have changed and many owners and Veterinarians now choose to follow a three year protocol for the Core vaccines. To stay with us we require the following:
- Puppies must have had 2 Distemper/Parvo vaccinations with the second one being given at least ten or more days prior to their stay.
- Adult dogs must be under the care of a local vet and following that vet's recommended protocol or have had a Distemper/Parvo Vaccine within the last year, or submit titre test results showing immunity to distemper and parvo. We cannot accept vaccines given at “vaccine clinics” unless you can also prove that you have established a relationship with a local Veterinarian. This is to protect your dog. We must have a local Veterinarian we can contact in case of emergency, and most local Veterinarians will not assist if you are not already a client of theirs. Out of State/Out of Town customers, please see our policy below for “Out of State” dogs.
- All dogs over the age of 16 weeks must submit a Rabies Vaccination Certificate dated within 3 years. State law requires that the certificate be provided, not a copy of bill/records.
- A current Bordetella vaccine is to have been given at least 10 days prior to your dogs stay. *We will not accept dogs who have received a Bordetella or Flu vaccine less than 10 days before their stay. We will not accept dogs who have received any vaccine within 3 days of their stay.
- Out of State/Out of area dogs, must inform their Veterinarians that they will be traveling, and confirm that they are willing to consult with a Veterinarian local to our facility in case of emergency if there are any questions about treating your dog. All dogs traveling to Pennsylvania must have an Intrastate Health Certificate. This is Law, not just our policy and is required of any dog traveling between states. All Pennsylvania Boarding Kennels are to require this (we state this, only as we have been told some do not...its possible those kennels simply are not familiar with the laws they are to abide by). We must have a copy of it, in case we are inspected.
We recommend submitting your dogs vaccination records in advance. While we would hate to ruin anyone’s vacation, we will have to turn any dog away who does not comply with the above policy. If we must turn your dog away, any deposits will be forfeited.
Canine Cough and other communicable illnesses
We recommend keeping your dog away from community events, dog parks, veterinary hospitals, and doggy daycare (unless they attend daycare at Dog Sense) for 10 days prior to a boarding stay to minimize the risk of exposure and chance your dog will develop an illness, or carry one to our facility. We will not accept any dog who has been at an Animal Shelter, Animal Rescue or similar facility within the the two weeks prior to their stay. This is to protect all dogs in our care from communicable illnesses. We cannot accept any dog who is coughing, vomiting, or has diarrhea unless they have had testing (throat swab if coughing, stool check if diarrhea) to determine there is no communicable pathogen involved. We cannot otherwise accept a Veterinarians assumption that the dog is not contagious. If your dog has any of these symptoms for any reason and your Vet states it’s ok for them to be around other dogs and board at our kennel we must have a letter from your Veterinarian stating the dog is not contagious, and listing the test results to support this.
Beds/Blankets/Toys
In an effort to keep our facility as sanitary as possible and eliminate the chances of bed bugs, fleas and ticks being brought in, beds and blankets from home are not allowed. If your dog needs a blanket, we will provide one. We change and wash all blankets daily. All tier two dogs are given beds in their suites if they choose to use them, in addition to a blanket. Due to the risks of Covid19 and to cut down on the amount of items we need to sanitize when they enter our facility, we are no longer accepting toys from home. We are instead now providing All Dogs with a Kong toy at no charge if your dog will use it. The first Kong will be stuffed and no additional fee will be charged. We can re-stuff the Kong on a daily basis for a small fee. We also have add on chews available for purchase including: Natural Beef Bones, Beef Trachea, and Beef Cheek Rolls.
Meals
We can provide meals for your dog at a small additional fee. However in an effort to minimize digestive upsets we highly recommend you bring your dogs regular food from home. All food must be packaged in small bags per meal, and labeled with the dog's name. Any food not bagged in portion sizes will be portioned by us and labeled. There will be a $2 surcharge if we need to bag your food, and you will need to wait while we bag it so that we can return any extra to you.
It is still acceptable to bring canned food in the cans rather than by portion.
We provide a "Biscuit at Bedtime" to all dogs, there is no need to send biscuits for your dog unless you want them added to your dogs meal in which case they should be added to your dogs meal bag.
Medication must be brought in its original bottle, with label and directions printed on the bottle. We provide Pill Pockets for feeding medication. If your dog is taking medication, please understand that the check in process may go slower than normal as we will need to count and place the medication in a Pill Case and then returning the excess to you. Employees will put on clean gloves to do this.
If your dog doesn't eat within 48 hours of beginning it's stay with us, we will add enticement to its food such as shredded cheese, melted peanut butter, or a gravy made from canned food. If your dog is eating less than 50% of its daily food by 72 hours after beginning it's stay with us, and this is a new behavior for your dog while boarding or your dog is new to us, we will notify you. We do keep meat and canned food on hand for dogs who won't eat. Please be aware if we have to add additives it may cause digestive upsets.
Illness, Parasites, and Injuries
Any dogs showing signs of communicable illness will immediately be quarantined and may be sent home. Dogs showing signs of severe or life threatening illness, or injury, will be treated by a Veterinarian at the owners cost and may be transferred to a Veterinarians care for the remainder of the dogs stay depending on the severity of the illness or injury. If your dog has diarrhea or an upset stomach, we follow the standard protocol of isolating them and observing them for any additional signs of illness. They are fasted for 1 meal, and an over the counter diarrhea (pectilin) is given. We will then give a meal of rice with a half serving of Kibble. This is normally enough to clear stress related issues. If the symptoms continue for more than 24 hours or are acute we will contact you.
Any dog showing signs of internal or external parasites will be treated as appropriate, under a Veterinarians guidance if needed.
Minor scrapes and cuts do occasionally occur when dogs play with other dogs. Dogs may also rub their noses on fence edges and other areas when stressed or lick/chew their tails and feet. We do our best to help your dog relax here and to encourage safe behavior. Minor scrapes are scratches are sometimes overlooked but if seen will be treated with a topical first aid spray. We use two, one is an antiseptic, the other is colloidal silver which encourages healing and is a natural antiseptic.
Pick Ups/Abandonment
All dogs must be picked up on their final days stay, unless we are notified. If you do not pick up your pup by the scheduled departure day, we will attempt to contact you. In accordance with PA State Law, a dog will be considered abandoned after ten days if all attempts to reach owner are unsuccessful. Abandoned dogs will become the property of Dog Sense LLC, and will be re-homed.