FAQS

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the most common questions we receive. You can ask more at your Daycare Prep Mini Tour.ย 

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We view this as a Team Effort. WE work together to help your pup(s) have a wonderful time while you are away. This means allowing your pup enough time to adjust before boarding. Some dogs need just one visit while others need 3 or 4 visits.ย 

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We offer extended care for all of our pup patrons. If you are traveling with a business, family care or educational Visa and will be gone for more than 4 weeks overseas to Europe, Asia or the Middle East we are happy to care for your pup for longer durations of time. We do require a minimum of 3 daycare prep days prior to your extended care plus one overnight stay of 2 days to properly prepare your pups for such a long stay. This ensures that your pup(s) realize that you are defiantlyย coming back for them and prevents separation anxiety.

We have cared for pups as long as 3 months โ€ฆ often times we care for pups for 4 weeks or longer. In addition to our regular short stays of just a night or two and then our standard vacation stays of about 1 week or 15 days. Longer stays do not change the price. We find that the longer a dog is with us naticing peers go home the more effort it takes to help them with anxiety. We strive the help every pup stay happy and relaxed and offer more 1:1 petting and massage.

Pups need to be a minimum of 6 months for a single day or overnight stay and 8 months of age for longer stays with a complete set of vaccinations prior to care. We also limit care for elderly pups (per occurrence) after the age of 11 due to potential medical energies.ย 

We are a chemical free space. That means we use dog friendly washable mats, STEAM mops and hot water to ensure everything is clean. We clean every.single.morning so that all bedding, beds and toys are fresh daily. Since we do not use chemicals pups tend to not smell enzymes which leads to less instinctual marking.

If your pup gets sick while they are here, we immediacy septette them and they spend their time inside of a crate until you are able to do pickup. We are equipped to handle minor bumps, scrapes and scratches.ย 

NOTE: These are dogs aka canines. As humans, we tend to care for them like a baby (especially the tiny pups) but they have all of the instincts of their larger, wilder counterparts. We do our very best to keep everyone happy, healthy and safe. YOU ARE STILL RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR PUP WHEN THEY ARE HERE. That means, you are still responsible for their physical health, mental health and temperament. If your dog is not suited to play in an open space with fellow dogs DO NOT USE OUR SERVICE.ย 

Our day begins with a wake-up call around 7am and pups get to say hello and go out for a bathroom break.ย 

Then, daycare and boarding coms and goes 8-9am.ย 

After morning drop-off and pick-up we have welcome routine for all incoming guests.: Play, Pets and Pampering.

We do not feed guests until 10am – BRUNCH is welcome by all. With little dogs so many get upset stomaches if they have too much excitement after eating so we wait until everyone has had a chance to get the zooms out.ย 

Then we have a full day of Play-Rest-Repeat until our next drop-off and pick-up window 5-6pm.ย 

Dinner is served at 6:30 and then back outside for some late-evening zoom-zoom’s.ย 

Bedtime is typically around 7-8pm depending up the age of the group and the overall group dynamic.ย 

We do not create or kennel pups in separate spaces as a result we only offer a limited number of pups to stay with us at any given time. Due to our limited space we do not offer discounts, coupons, price negotiations or cost adjustments.

Your pup is encouraged to select one of our beds, dens or sleepy things. Guests gravitate toward one of our many car beds, private houses or built-in town homes in our daycare room for naps, resting and eventually make their way into a cuddly sack, soft bed, built-in houses or private villa for their slumber.

Absolutely. In the winter we keep our Play Time in Paris environment at approximately 70 degrees to ensure a comfortable environment. In the summer we adjust accordingly and spend much of our time outside enjoying the sunny days.

Fortunately, our unique size and temperament restrictions allows us to ensure all pups playing are friendly, non-threatening and welcoming. We take special precautions to allow adequate time for nervous or anxious pups to relax with us first, then slowly introduce them to the pack. Weโ€™ll continually monitor their interaction to ensure they are able to socialize on their terms; giving them encouraging belly rubs, ear massages and cuddles along their way to full retreat enjoyment.

Our staff is trained in Pet CPR and First Aid through the American Red Cross; we also have on-site canine first aid kits ready for any incident. In the event that we are not equipped to handle a certain circumstance we utilize VCA Veterinary Speciality Center (7 min. from our home) 425.697.6106, which has 24 hour emergency assistance. In the event of an injury of any kind, parents are contacted immediately. Your alternate pick-up provider will be called to meet us at the vet in the event that a need arrises.

Per our paperwork, you will need to have an alternative contact person who can pick up your dog or meet us at a vet if needed. This is very rare. That alternative pickup person must be in the sate at the time of your travel. This person can change per visit.ย 

Your fur-baby can also enjoy our other amenities at no additional cost. Including,

A: Your fur-baby will be involved in a variety of activities including, but not limited to โ€ฆ

Lots of Olfactory Stimulation with our Dog Safe Scent Garden!ย 

Chasing and playing tag.

Follow-the-leader games.

Ball and frisbee.

Squeaker fetch.

Search and discover games.

Belly rubs and butt scratches.

Open play with fellow guests.

We offer weekly Sound Bathe (Tibetan Sounds Bowls, Live Violin and Soothing Nature Sounds via CD)ย 

Throughout the week we provide Canine Massage, Hips, Shoulders and Spine relaxation through EFT and Jin Shin)ย 

Throughout the week we offer group Reiki sessions.ย 

General R&R.

Earthing and Grounding on REAL GRASS!ย 

You are required to bring your pups food and treats. There is an additional cost if you pups runs out of food or arrives without food for their boarding.ย 

Daycare pups are not required to bring food.ย 

Your pup may also enjoy some of our complimentary treats that I make myself. All homemade, organic, human-grade ingredients (for pups without allergies). See example below.

No, this is a private residence so we do not offer a LIVE view of pups. This is for the safety and security of everyone. We do offer daily images, video and more on our Instagram page.

Check out our Instagram page for daily video and images: http://www.instagram.com/thelittledogretreat OR @thelittledogretreatย 

This is a single family owned and operated business. No outside staff.ย 

We are NOT a ย licensed veterinary center. This is for play, day and night care, rest and social interactions. Dogs are descended from wild animals and as such their behavior can be unpredictable. We have undergone rigorous training to handle aggression and any dog that displays characteristics of aggression are not permitted on the property. ย We pre-screen all of our guests for this reason.ย 

As of this post, we have been professionally caring for dogs since 2007. That would make this 17 years and counting!ย 

There is myself and my family.ย 

Just like at home, we expect the pups to be able to be alone for short durations while dinner is being made or a short trip to the grocery store.ย 

We offer a variety of energy work such as Reiki, ย Meridian Alignments, Chakra Balancing, Akashic Record Reading and more … See our Services page for current pricing.ย 

Yes! We offer (at no additional cost) playtime for all of our boarding guests and daycare guests together. Our daycare regulars often help new pups acclimate faster and get playing the first day they arrive.ย 

Since I work with many dogs at once I do not offer daily check-in’s. I tell everyone that No News, Is Good News. I will only contact you if there is a problem. Typically if your pup refuses to eat after 2 meals you will get a text or phone call from me asking if I can offer them pumpkin or tuna. Remember, to watch the Instagram feed @thelittledogretreat for daily happenings.ย 

I find that most toy breed dog owners are generally very protective of their pups so they rarely get to drink from community water bowl or run free through the forest. As a result, it is rare for a pup to get sick while in our care. But, if your pup displays sings of an illness we immediately separate them from the pack and call you to determine if they will need to get picked up or if they can continue with their care.ย 

Immediately! We take a limited number of pups so if you are booking airfare or accommodates get on the calendar as soon as you can. 6-12 months in advance is not too early.ย 

No. We do not offer refunds for any care. Any pre-payments or despots can be applied to future daycare or banding for the next 12 months. If your pup must cancel for a holiday, the holiday rate will be applied and removed from the credit balance for that day itself.ย 

We do turn dogs away so we ask that you be mindful with your bookings.ย