FAQs
Adult Dogs (5 months and up):
- Provide proof that they are up to date on the following vaccines :
- Rabies, DHPP, and Bordetella.
- Must be free of fecal parasites – Provide proof of a negative fecal test within the last 6 months for dogs 1yr and up, 3 months for dogs under 1yr.
- On monthly flea and tick prevention.
- Need to be surgically sterilized (spayed or neutered) by 6mo of age.
- All dogs must be healthy and free of all contagious conditions/parasites and fully recovered from any injury, procedure, or surgery.
Puppy Info (under 5 months):
- Puppies less than 5 months have modified vaccine requirements and meeting health requirements is used as a guide rather than setting a starting age.
- Must have proof of the first 2 rounds of the DHPP vaccine series, the Bordetella vaccine, and proof of a negative fecal test within the last 3 months.
- On monthly flea and tick prevention.
- The Rabies Vaccine is due at 20 weeks (5 months of age).
- Puppies less than 6 months do not need to be surgically sterilized to attend.
- All dogs must be healthy and free of all contagious conditions/parasites and fully recovered from any injury, procedure, or surgery.
The behavior assessment consists of 3 parts: Body Handling, Group Interaction, and a Crate Test. Dogs need to pass all three areas to be eligible for Smart Doggy Day Care.
- Body Handling: This exercise begins with petting and is gentle and brief, hands on assessment of your dog: looking at eyes, ears, mouth and feeling over their body and limbs for any superficial abnormalities that warrant further inspection by our staff or your vet. We need to make sure we can touch your dog as if it were a day care dog having a routine morning or afternoon body exam. Dogs need to be able to tolerate body handling and collar handling (touching, leashing, leading and unleashing).
- Group Interaction: We will make a play group for your dog including 4 to 6 friendly and well known current day care dogs. We will be gauging your dogs reaction to both males and females, as well as dogs that are slightly larger and smaller than them. We will introduce toys to the group and vary the level of excitement and play. Their reactions to the dogs in their assessment will help us decide which of our play group(s) your dog will do well in.
- Crate Test: Your dog will be crated for approximately 5 minutes while we secretly observe them and their reaction. Dogs must be accepting of the crate, not biting the bars or digging at the floor pan.
- After a full day of Smart Doggy Day Care with Warm Up Packs, Group Play, a One-on-one positive training session and more Group Play, each Guest Dog returns to their Guest Room to rest and relax. It’s about 2hrs for your pup to enjoy some space to themselves, to catch a nap on their cozy bed or do some recreational chewing on an Owner provided bone, chew or toy.
- Dinner is fed to the Guest Dogs at 5:30pm and can be as unique or as simple as the Owner desires. We encourage additional food enhancers to entice a strong appetite during your dog’s visit. See the “How to Pack” section for more specifics on food, enhancers and recreational chew items.
- Guest Dogs are given an additional evening play session after dinner, it’s about 30 minutes of time with a small group (2-10 dogs) of friends who are also visiting for the night. Play Groups pals are chosen with a dog’s size, play style, and overall safety in mind. A BVB Dog Handler is always present with the Play Group and will use all of the current Smart Doggy Day Care Compassionate Care guidelines and standard safety procedures when interacting with the dogs to keep their play time fun and safe.
- There is another rest/relax period after evening play for approximately 2 hours.
- Guest Dogs are walked out for late night potties at 10pm. After potties, they receive a final body check, have their collar removed and any potential ingestion hazards cleared from their Rooms before lights out at 10:30pm.
- Yes! Our 2nd and 3rd shift staff remains on site after the lobby closes and throughout the night.
- 2nd shift staff Feed Dinners and an hour later bring the dogs back out for evening play sessions.
- Together 2nd and 3rd shift staff leash walk out each dog for bed time potty breaks and then tuck them in for the night.
- The 3rd shift staff watch and listen to the dogs in the Guest House after lights out and respond to any special needs when they arise, just like you would!
- First morning potty breaks begin at 5am; these are quick and on leash so each dog gets relieved before any of them get too uncomfortable waiting. Each dog is walked out one by one into one of our securely fenced yards.
- Breakfast is served immediately after the 1st round of potty breaks, from 5:30am to 6am.
- The Guest Dogs receive a second round of potty breaks after breakfast, these are more relaxed and off leash in the same securely fenced yard.
- For the next 1-2 hours as we prepare for Smart Doggy Day Care and Day Care Dogs arrive, our Guest dogs remain in their Rooms to enjoy some space to themselves, to catch a nap on their cozy bed or do some recreational chewing on an Owner provided bone, chew or toy.
- By 8am Guest Dogs join their Day Care Play Groups for the day where they participate in morning Warm Up Packs, morning and afternoon Group Play and receive their personalized one-on-one training session.
- All Drop Offs are MORNING ONLY:
- 7am-8am Weekdays
- 9am-10am Sat, Sun, and Holidays
We feel strongly about beneficial effects of your dog(s) having an entire day to settle into the environment, participate in physical activity and have positive mental stimulation before the slower paced evening activities begin. Dogs are more relaxed overall and more comfortable in their Guest Rooms after spending the day with us. Getting to know the staff onsite, getting used to their Rooms in small doses throughout the day and having a buffer from the intensity of the farewell all makes for a better first night and sets the tone for the remainder of the Stay.
- Morning Pick Ups are available:
- 8am-10am weekdays
- 9am-10am Sat, Sun, and Holidays
- Evening Pick Ups can be accommodated when a final day of Day Care is added to the last day of the reservation. Regular Day Care fees apply.
- 4pm-7pm weekdays.
- 4pm-5pm Sat, Sun, and Holidays.
- As availability and pricing are directly linked to the dates and times reserved for your dog via your Reservation Request, Bay View Back staff will not begin your Reservation Request without your consented Drop Off date/time and your consented Pick Up date/time noted.
- We urge you to make every attempt to firm up your schedule prior to booking your reservation as we make commitments to other customers based on the scheduled availability of our Guest Rooms and may have a difficult time giving your dog standard accommodations if your dog’s Stay & Play reservation is extended last minute.
- Please note, if you change the Drop Off date after we begin your Reservation Request, the original “start” date of your reservation remains the reference point for any future cancellations and that this can affect the status of your refund or lack thereof.
- The demand for boarding space is increased on Holiday Dates and staffing is more challenging and more expensive during these times.
- We charge a $16/day premium for each dog on these dates to offset the increased holiday wages that are paid to our staff on all of our listed holiday dates.
- Payments are due farther in advance and cancellation policies are stricter to help ensure that we can schedule our staff appropriately during these busy times. We want to be sure we have enough people in place to give your dog(s) a full, active and enriching day – even on a holiday!
Let’s face it, it’s easy to go overboard when you’re packing for your pup, we have limited space for personal belongings and provide many basic comforts for your dog, so please follow these guidelines to help keep it light!
- Provide adequate food for the entire duration of the reservation. Bring all dog meals in individually portioned zip lock baggies or PLASTIC containers, snacks or treats should also be packed in an air tight PLASTIC No glass or ceramic, please. Gladware, Tupperware or a similar container is appropriate. All bags and containers must be labeled with your dog’s name and last initial.
- Please consider packing a food enhancer of your choice (just a couple tablespoons each meal will do); canned food, yogurt, sweet potato – you name it and we’ll be happy to customize your dog’s meals for you during Stay & Play. Often the change of routine and environment can put even enthusiastic eaters off their food for the first few days. We’d love to avoid that because when dogs eat well, they are happier, have more energy, are more resilient and have better immune function too.
- Recreational bones and chews are encouraged and will be given during rest breaks and removed overnight. These should also be packed in an appropriately sized, air tight plastic container.
- Medication, supplements and calming aids fully labeled, with Owners full name, dogs name, drug name, size/concentration, dose and frequency. A “Medication and Supplement Administration Form” must be filled for each medication, supplement, or calming aid your dog receives.
- A favorite toy in good condition and/or a disposable t-shirt that smells like you/home.
- Bay View Bark provides raised, chew resistant, Kuranda beds, bedding and bowls for our Guest Dogs during Stay and Play. Please do not bring any additional bedding or bowls from home as we will not be able to accept them at Drop Off.
- Upon Drop Off, all dogs must be lead on a 6 or 8 foot nylon or leather non-retractable leash. They must wear or have packed along, a quick release collar – NO metal collars, chain leashes or retractable leashes allowed due to safety and handling precautions. Additional walking aids such as harnesses and head collars are permitted.
- Please, please follow the packing guidelines and measure each meal into a single labeled plastic bag or container. At busy meal times, all of the meals for each dog in the Guest House are pulled out and arranged on a feeding cart. Having the meal bags/containers labeled with your dog’s first name and last initial ensures your dog receives the correct meal in the correct amount each time they are fed.
- Yes, we are happy to give your dog their regular dietary supplements or medications for ongoing health or behavioral issues. We can accommodate pills, capsules, chews, powders, creams and drops, but we will not give any medications via injection.
- Please be sure to give us adequate information regarding the product you provide, your dog’s condition, direction for administration and provide whatever may be necessary to disguise the pills/capsules and entice your dog to eat them. We can pill dogs, but prefer to avoid it for staff safety whenever necessary.
- We will not give medications to treat contagious conditions as dogs with contagious conditions are not welcome for care until they are healthy and symptom free.
We want your pet to get their meals and medications in the way you prefer during their stay. Please help us in advance by taking a few minutes to update your pets FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS and MEDICAL PREFERENCES in your Boarding Preferences. We will quickly review this info with you at drop off and if anything is missing or needs updating, we will gather that info from you then.
You can find the Boarding Preferences for your pet:
- Via the PET INFO tab of a boarding you are requesting in Pet Exec
- Or by the PET INFO tab in your Owner Portal
When you populate these fields, the info is saved in your Pet Info for future boarding visits. You can modify it as needed when things change.
Tips and Tricks
Fill in the FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS for each mealtime that is applicable. If you want your dog to get a Bed Time treat/chew/stuffed Kong, please include that on a separate line in the PM feeding instructions box.
- Type in all caps
- Keep it brief but include the amounts of any enhancers (example: ½ CUP BROTH, 2 TBSP CANNED PUMPKIN, ¼ CAN OF WET FOOD) Remember to pack those enhancers too!
- We require each meal to be packed individually (big bins with scoops are never accepted), please note if you are providing BAGGIES or CONTAINERS for your dog’s meals. Small Glad Ware, Tupperware and resealable take out containers are all good. The amount in cups is nice to have as secondary information. (example: 1 BAG KIBBLE (2 CUPS) or 1 CONTAINER OF CHICKEN AND RICE)
- Check off the desired feeding times (AM/NOON/PM)
Detail any medications, supplements or medical treatments to be administered in the MEDICAL PREFERENCES box. If you want your dog to get a Bed Time medication or medical treatment, please include that on a separate line in the PM feeding instructions box.
- Type in all caps
- Put each medication on its own line
- Include the quantity and dose of each type of medicine
- Example: 2, 100MG TRAZADONE TABLETS
- Example: 1, COSEQUIN CHEW
- Example: 2, 1200MG VALERIAN ROOT CAPSULES
- Example: ¼ INCH STRIP OF NEOPOLYBAC OINTMENT IN LEFT EYE
- Provide the administration directions and method
- Example: IN A PILL POCKET – EATS LIKE A TREAT
- Example: IN A CANNED FOOD MEATBALL
- Example: IN A TBSP PEANUT BUTTER ON TOP OF FOOD
- Example: GIVE SPOON OF PB TO DISTRACT AND APPLY OINTMENT FROM ABOVE
- Remember to include the pill pockets, canned food, peanut butter or other additional enhancer we should use for the medication administration.
- Check off the desired medication times (AM/NOON/PM)