Frequently asked questions

If your dog has never been to our daycare & boarding facility, a daycare evaluation (lasting 4 hours minimum) is required to begin service. Evaluations are done by appointment and must be scheduled.

Dogs must also be current on bordetella, distemper (DHLPP or DHPP), canine influenza and rabies vaccines. In addition, all dogs 6 months or over must be spayed/neutered.

If your dog hasn't been to daycare or boarding in over 6 months, we do require that your dog come and spend the day for at least a half day of daycare (at least 6 hours) to get re-acclimated to our environment (fees apply).

If it has been over a year since we’ve seen your pup for daycare or boarding we do require a new Evaluation.

We run large playgroups that don't separate based on age, size or breed. Some senior dogs do GREAT in our daycare environment, especially those "young at heart" pups who love to play even in their golden years. But we do have our Senior Dog Policy in place to ensure your dog is a good fit for our daycare/boarding structure.

What's a senior dog? At Bark + Boarding we consider any dog 10+ years of age to be considered a senior dog. This is not a hard and fast rule and may vary slightly depending on the individual dog and breed. For example: A Great Dane or other extra large breed dog may be considered senior by the age of 7.

For daycare, you are welcome to bring in your evaluated dog anytime; however, Bark + Boarding reserves the right to terminate daycare services if we feel we are no longer the best fit to care for your pup.

For boarding, all senior dogs will be required to attend a day of daycare within one month of any boarding stay to allow B+B to assess the dog and ensure they can remain happy and healthy while boarding at our facility.

What are we looking for during our senior dog boarding assessment?
Mobility: we want to ensure the dog is still able to move around on their own, walk comfortably on our floors and get up from a lying down position on their own.

Stress: we want to ensure the dog is not showing any signs of extreme stress, including but not limited to: excessive panting/drooling, stress defecating, increased snappiness/agitation when approached or touched. These behaviors can not only negatively impact the dog’s health and safety while they are in our care but can also put our staff at risk while trying to provide appropriate care for the dog.

Advanced Health Conditions: While our staff are very well versed in caring for dogs with many health ailments and conditions, there are some health conditions that we are not equipped to properly monitor and would best be cared for at a veterinary hospital.

Dogs must be dropped off by 4pm on drop-off day for any boarding stay.

Experience has shown us that a dog tired from playing and having fun will be less likely to be depressed or anxious during that first night of boarding. We feel so strongly about this that we charge the same amount whether they are dropped off at opening or right at 4pm - so it's a great value to let them get as much playtime as possible!

Aside from the well-being of your dog, we are looking out for the best interest of the pack: when your pup arrives he's excited and ready to play but the rest of the pack is winding down for a good night's sleep. Entering in so late in the day causes the overall flow of the day to change and riles up the rest of the pack. Getting your best friend here early gives your dog time to burn off energy before dinner, which goes a long way toward more restful doggie dreams that first night and an overall less stressful experience for everyone.

We will certainly try!

It all starts with the initial evaluation. We give your dog a quiet space to start in and let your dog tell us how to proceed. Does she need more time to calm down? Is he ready to go and make new friends right away? We watch; we encourage; we read the dog’s body language; but most importantly, we give the dog time to adjust to the new environment.

Once the dog is ready to join the pack, we continue doing those four things. Some dogs will need quiet space alone after playing for a while. Others will snooze in a corner of the room curled up with four new friends. Others will barely rest at all. Our facility has different spaces that accommodate these varying needs for space and interaction. We listen to what your dog is telling us.

We have many regular clients who thought their dog would not be part of a pack—and their dog surprised them and had a great time.

Our daycare/boarding structure is a large, one-pack playgroup (meaning we don't separate by age/size/breed/play style). While this structure works for many dogs, it may not be the best fit for YOUR dog... and that's okay! Just because we're not a good fit doesn't mean you have a "bad dog". It just means you need to find the right fit for your pup.

We are open for daycare 364 days a year and you never need to call ahead (for evaluated dogs). Simply drop off anytime during our hours of operation.

For non-holiday boarding visits we can usually accommodate all requests within a 24 hour time-frame. For holidays (especially Thanksgiving & Christmas), the sooner you can book your reservation the better! We book up about a month in advance for big holidays so to ensure your spot, call ahead!

Yes! We offer three types of boarding options:

METAL CRATES: These are standard, wire crates and can fit everyone from the smallest of chihuahuas to the biggest Great Danes.

STEEL CRATES: For the most skillful of escape artists, these crates are similar to our metal crates but the bars are made of thick steel bars that make it impossible to sneak out. Space is limited so are first come, first served.

ZONES: For dogs with crate anxiety, health issues, barrier reactivity or 2 dog families we offer Zone boarding.

Check out our list of approved boarding items:

WOOF!
Food
Treats
Bones/bully sticks/rawhides, etc
Medication (if needed)+
Leash/Harness

*pre-measured bags of food are preferred but bulk Ziploc bags are acceptable provided they fit in our Boarding food bins
+Please do not pre-mix prescription medications into food. Non-prescription supplements such as fish oil, probiotics and joint supplements may be pre-mixed into food.

GRRRR! (not accepted!)
Bowls
Crates (unless otherwise specified)
Towels, blankets, bedding
Large, Bulky Beds
Glass ANYTHING

When your pet stays with us, the daycare rate, boarding rate or packages will be the only charges incurred. Walks, feedings, medicine administered, and so forth are included in those rates. Sometimes a $20 Holiday Surcharge may be applied to says on/surrounding a federal holiday. Our invoices are available to view right on your Time to Pet portal so there are no surprises!

We do not, but we do have security, fire alarms, video cameras, and our building is climate-controlled. Dogs are securely kenneled at night. If there are any issues, we have an on-call manager on duty at all times. If your dog requires overnight monitoring, the best options to look at are in-home pet sitting (which we provide depending on where you are located) or boarding at a veterinary hospital.

Not all dogs like to share their toys and for this reason we do not allow toys in the main daycare Zones. Dogs spending time in our Enrichment room may play with toys in a one-on-one situation or in a smaller play group as deemed appropriate by our Daycare Manager.

We stand by the philosophy that "No news is good news!" If you haven't been told otherwise, your dog is likely doing great! We do give Yellow Cards for dogs who display concerning behavior such as snapping, humping or excessive rough play. While we always do our best to prevent accidents, if anything escalates beyond a Yellow Card we always call you right away to let you know an incident has occurred. Any dogs displaying sick symptoms (coughing, vomiting, diarrhea) are always separated right away and we will call you to come up with a plan to remedy the situation. We have a great working relationship with Fairfax Animal Hospital should your pup require vet care while in our care.

n our experience, the dogs treat the daycare like an indoor dog park. They’ll mark and go potty as if they were outside in a park. Most dogs have no issues translating indoor housebreaking to using the bathroom in our facility. Some dogs do hold it and will wait for outside time so yes! we have a fully fenced and covered outdoor area which the dogs have access to three times a day. We offer outdoor playtime after each meal time to each dog (even if they were not eating in the previous meal time). Our outdoor run is located right off the main daycare Zone so dogs have the option to play indoor or outdoor depending on their preference.

Want to take your pup for a quick potty break at drop-off or pick-up? We have a fenced in yard available for client use diagonally across from our building entrance by the parking lot.

Water is available at all times in all of the Zones. Think of daycare like going for a run. Even though water is constantly available, after a car ride home, it will probably be time for your dog to drink some more water to help re-hydrate after a hard day of play.

We’d be happy to try. Currently, we carry several brands that work well for dogs with various sensitivities or health issues, and we are always adding new brands. Our products range in proteins and we offer many varieties in Grain-Free & Poultry-Free options. Our guiding philosophy is to carry a range of foods in terms of price and type that we stand behind unconditionally. We only carry brands we would feed our own pets. Although some of the brands seem costly up front, most dogs or cats will actually eat less and feel healthier in the long run. Our staff members are happy to answer any of your questions regarding what brand might be best for your pet.

US! We've been in the pet care industry since 1999 and all of our staff members are pet owners themselves. We are here to help whether you're an existing client or not. Have a question about training? Need help with feeding amounts? Or maybe you just want advice? Look no further than Bark + Boarding! We are here for you 7 days a week!

We offer Pet Taxis to and from Fairfax Animal Hospital. Is your dog here playing for the day? We will happily walk dogs over to Fairfax Animal Hospital for vet appointments (at no additional cost).