Avery's Favorite Doggy Day Cares Across N. America
Most, if not all, National Parks (and some National Monuments as well) do not allow dogs on trails, so we've had to find fun things for Avery to do on days we want to hike in these areas. Here is a list of the places that we took Avery to that she seemed to give "5 dog bones" to. We told her to rate it with 1-5 stars, but she said they all are good, and she likes bones more than stars! :) (NOTE Much to our surprise, Acadia National Park does allow dogs on their trails. Also, most of Canada's National Parks do.)
ARIZONA
FREDONIA, AZ: Auntie Pat's Pet Sitting (Pat and Larry)
- Website:
- Some destination(s) around this Day Care: Zion National Park
- This is a business in a home. The two owners used to work for Best Friends' Animal Sanctuary and are obviously huge animal lovers. There were approximately 8 dogs there, and they made a special effort to bring another puppy or two to their place the days Avery was there because most of the other dogs were more "mature" and not as hyper. They did a great job of providing an environment to wear her out. $30/day
PAGE, AZ: (Shelley's) Pampered Pets
- Website:
- Some destinations around this Day Care: Natural Bridges National Monument, Monument Valley, Hovenweep, Mesa Verde
- This is a somewhat disorganized business, but nonetheless a good one for Avery. She seemed excited to go there and came home tired and happy. $30/day
SEDONA AREA, AZ: Hillside K9
- Website:
- Some destinations around this kennel, dog training, grooming, and day care facility: Sedona area hikes and State Parks
- We became tired of traveling with a puppy that had some issues that we haven't been able to correct, so we opted for a 2 week training "bootcamp" with Shawn, the owner. Jennifer is his wife and the business manager. They are very professional and have many options for you and your dog.
CALIFORNIA
PALM SPRINGS, CA & INDIO, CA: The Grand Paw
- Website:
- Some destinations around this Day Care: downtown Palm Springs, hikes in Palm Springs, Joshua Tree
- This is more of a "corporate" type of business. Lots of dogs (25+ I believe). Very professional. $30/day.
COACHELLA/INDIO, CA: Dog Sitting Services by Kat (DSS by Kat)
- Website:
- Some destinations around this Day Care: downtown Palm Springs, hikes in Palm Springs, Joshua Tree
- This is a casual setting at Kat's home/business. It is surrounded by a beautiful date palm grove. She has an outdoor play area and indoor area as well. She only had 2 dogs there the day we went, but she played with Avery herself to keep her exercising. She only takes a maximum of 6 dogs a day. $25 for 6 hours or $30 for more than 6 hours.
OREGON
PORTLAND, OR: Ruby's Doggy Day Care
- Website:
- Some destinations around this Day Care: all of Portland, OR!
- Truth be told, we used this doggy daycare when we lived in Portland, but used it again when we passed through Portland during our travels. It is an exceptional day care with some trainers on staff, and other staff who obviously care about the dogs. There are ample dogs of every size. They keep the barking down to a minimum. They have nap time, as well, so that the dogs don't stay "amped up" the entire time.
NEVADA
HENDERSON, NV: Camp Bow Wow
- Website:
- Some destinations around this Day Care: Lake Mead Rec Area, Las Vegas, Hoover Dam
- This is a "corporate" type of business. The entry is formal, like a vet's office. They have video camera's to watch your dog play. They have many, many dogs during the day. There are multiple locations. Formal intake paperwork and even a required "evaluation" day: 3 hour evaluation. Can stay all day for free during that evaluation. They have multiple rooms, I assume for dogs of different sizes and temperments. They have indoor and outdoor space. Half day: $19.50 or full day for $28. They do provide a coupon when you pick up your dog after the trial visit and this coupon gives you 3 days for $60.
UTAH
HURRICANE, UT: On the Spot Play and Stay
- Website:
- Some destination(s) around this Day Care: Zion National Park
- Business is run professionally, but not "corporately". I believe they have 2 locations. We went to the one in Hurricane. They have a number of dogs there, but it's not huge. I believe they had about 10 dogs the days we brought Avery there, and some of them were overnight guests. They had a big outdoor play area, and some indoor space. We also paid for a grooming, which was good as well. They charge per hour. I believe it was $2/hour or thereabouts.
KANAB, UT: Auntie Pat's Pet Sitting (Pat and Larry)
- Website:
- Some destination(s) around this Day Care: Zion National Park
- This is a business in a home. The two owners used to work for Best Friends' Animal Sanctuary and are obviously huge animal lovers. There were approximately 8 dogs there, and they made a special effort to bring another puppy or two to their place the days Avery was there because most of the other dogs were more "mature" and not as hyper. They did a great job of providing an environment to wear her out. $30/day
MOAB, UT: Karen's Canine Campground
- Website:
- Some destinations around this Day Care: Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Dead Horse State Park
- This business is listed in Arches' paperwork provided at the Visitor's Center. It is run at a home business. She has a separate building a yard for the dogs. She has between 2-6 dogs there, usually had 2 others when Avery went. $30/day
WISCONSIN
PEWAUKEE, WI: Barkin' Up Hickory
- Some destinations around this Day Care: Milwaukee, WI
- This doggy day care gets about 50-60 dogs a day. You must start by bringing in your dog before 7:30 a.m. the first visit. After that you still must do morning drop offs (before 9 am). We didn't know this until we needed to use them for an afternoon. It was kind of a bummer. Cost is about $30/day with tax.
CANADA
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA: Happy Tails Pet Resort and Spa
- Website: www.happytailspetresort.ca
- In the downtown of Winnipeg (which is a really cool city to explore!)
- We used it for the doggy day care. It was extremely professional and Avery seemed to have had a really good time there. Very nice staff.
TORONTO, ONTARIO: Paws Playground
-Website: www.pawsplaygrounds.com
- In the outskirts of the downtown of Toronto.
- Very professional smaller business. We used it for daycare and boarded her overnight and she seemed happy about the experience. Very nice staff.
OTTAWA, ONTARIO: The Dog House
- Website: www.itsallaboutfun.ca
- Near the downtown of Ottawa. Ottawa is the capital of Canada and is amazing. Avery did daycare and stayed over one night. We positively loved the owner/trainer of this business. She was very knowledgeable and helpful regarding pet behavior.
MONTREAL, QUEBEC: Les Anges Gardiennes
- Website:
- We needed daycare and overnight care for Avery. This place got 5 stars in my google search, so I was very excited to use them. Their phone system was terrible, and I could never reach a human. I also emailed. I finially did get someone on the phone and we booked a spot for her. The location was a good half hour outside of Montreal, so not really convenient. The woman seemed nice enough, but I wouldn't say this was the most professional business. We did figure out that their business number is a cell phone, and texting is a better way of reaching her.
CHARLOTTETOWN, PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND: The Holman Grande Hotel
- Website: www.theholmangrand.com
- We stayed at this hotel because we were attending The Shellfish Festival and they were a "partner" of the event. This hotel is amazingly dog and cat friendly. There is no extra fee. All rooms are open for pets and have wood floors and minimal damageable furniture. We needed a pet sitter for while we were at the event and they offered to find someone on their staff who would do it for $10/hour. We used a woman named Jodhi Wood and she was excellent. She took our dog for a walk, played with her, etc. It was a great option albeit not cheap. We would do it again, though, and actually did use her a second time while we were on PEI.