1Booking & meet-and-greet
- Every new dog starts with a free meet & greet — no exceptions, no charge. We meet before the first stay so I can see how your dog does in my home and with any other guests, and so you can see exactly where they'll be staying. If it's not a good fit, I'll tell you honestly.
- Booking through Rover: payment and confirmation happen on the platform — nothing extra needed from you.
- Booking directly with me (coming soon): hold your dates with a 50% deposit or full payment up front, your choice — balance (if any) due at drop-off. See §11 for payment methods.
2Cancellation
Because I only keep 3 spots, a late cancellation usually means a night another dog could have had.
- By 12pm (noon) three days before drop-off — full refund.
- After that — the first 7 days of the stay are refunded at 50%; any days beyond the first 7 are refunded in full.
One policy, both channels: these are the same terms as the Moderate Rover policy on my profile, so your terms never depend on where you booked. Rover stays are still administered by Rover end to end.
Direct bookings aren't a Rover booking, so no Rover policy, guarantee, or reimbursement reaches them — a direct stay is governed entirely by this document, the Boarding Contract, and the Liability Waiver you sign for it.
3Drop-off & pickup
- Drop-off window: 8am–8pm on your arrival day — we'll confirm a time when you book.
- Pickup: by 12pm (noon) on your departure day.
- Need a different time? Just ask — I can usually flex with a little notice. Early drop-off or late pickup by arrangement is fine.
- Unarranged late pickup past noon rolls into an extra night at the nightly rate ($85) — the spot was still occupied, and I plan the roster around it.
- Rover bookings: late pickup is billed through Rover instead, pro-rated by the partial day at the Rover-listed daily rate — the extra-night rule above is for direct bookings.
4Vaccinations & health
This is a shared home, so this part is firm:
- Rabies, DHPP, and Bordetella must be current, with proof, before the stay. Upload records with the intake form or bring them to the meet & greet. No proof, no stay.
- Flea and tick prevention must be active during the stay.
- If your dog shows signs of illness at drop-off (coughing, sneezing, lethargy, digestive trouble), I may have to decline the stay for everyone's safety.
- Contagion disclosure: if your dog has had kennel cough or any other contagious illness in the last 30 days, or is exposed to one shortly after a stay, please tell me right away — I'll do the same for you.
5Age, spay/neuter & intact dogs
- Dogs under 1 year: boarding is for dogs 1 year and older. I adore puppies, but the under-one crowd needs round-the-clock supervision that isn't a fair fit for a shared home stay.
- Intact males: case-by-case, based on the meet & greet and how they do with other dogs.
- Females in heat: I can't accept females in or near their heat cycle — it's not safe or fair to anyone in a shared home.
6Behavior & safety
- Honest disclosure is the deal. The intake form asks about bite history, reactivity, resource guarding, separation anxiety, and escape risk — answer fully. A dog with quirks and an honest owner is welcome far more often than you'd think. A surprise is not.
- If a stay stops being safe — for your dog, another guest, or me — I may end it early. I'll call you first, then your emergency contact, to arrange pickup.
- Undisclosed aggression is the one hard line: if a dog turns out to have a bite history or aggression that wasn't disclosed, the stay ends immediately and pickup is at your cost, with no refund for unused nights.
7Feeding & medications
- Please bring your dog's own food, measured for the stay — familiar food keeps stomachs settled. Prefer I handle meals? Kibble $5/day, home-cooked $15/day.
- Oral medications are given exactly per your written schedule, at no charge. List every med — name, dose, times — on the intake form.
- Injections (like insulin): case-by-case — let's talk at the meet & greet.
8If there's an emergency
Here's exactly what happens, in order:
- I call you.
- If I can't reach you, I call your emergency contact.
- If I can't reach anyone and your dog needs care now, I'm authorized (per your intake form) to get vet treatment up to the dollar cap you set — the form suggests $750 as a default, but the number is yours to choose — before further contact.
- I'll go to your vet if it's feasible, otherwise the nearest emergency vet.
You'll get a full account of everything, with receipts.
9Photos & report cards
Every guest gets a daily photo report card — meals, potty, activity, mood, and the day's best moment, sent every evening. Your intake form sets your photo preference and I follow it exactly: Yes (report cards + my marketing), Report cards only, or No photos.
10What to bring
The intake form has the full checklist — the short version: food (measured), bowls, leash, bed or blanket, meds, and a comfort item. One thing is required: a collar with an ID tag stays on your dog for the whole stay.
11Rates & payment
- Boarding: $85/night (standard, new clients). Up to 2 other dogs in the house with yours. Multi-night and repeat-guest rates — just ask.
- The Cabana Stay: $110/night. Same standard boarding, with at most 1 other dog in the house with yours. Good for anxious, older, or slow-to-settle dogs.
- Guaranteed Solo Stay: $170/night. Your dog is the only guest boarding — no other dogs in the house. Subject to availability; ask when you inquire.
- Day care: $60/day. Drop-off/pickup 7am–8pm, extendable within reason. Same free meet & greet requirement as boarding.
- Holiday surcharge: major holidays add $15 per night (boarding only).
- Rover clients pay through Rover — nothing changes for you.
- Direct bookings: a 50% deposit or full payment up front holds your dates — your choice, balance due at drop-off if you paid the deposit. Repeat clients may also arrange to pay cash, at drop-off or pickup.
- Accepted methods: Zelle and Venmo. No card payments in person — there's no card reader here. Online card payment is a planned future option, not available yet.
12Life at my house
- Small roster by design. I keep only 3 dogs at a time so each one gets real attention — this isn't a volume operation, and I turn down bookings to keep it that way. Day care shares these same spots, not extra capacity.
- I work from home, so dogs are supervised throughout the day and never left alone longer than 3 hours.
- Sleeping: dogs sleep inside the house — crate if they're crate-trained and prefer it, or a dog bed in the living area. Tell me their home routine and I'll match it. (A dedicated guest suite is on the way — this will only get better.)
- Guest dogs are introduced carefully and separated whenever needed.
- Pool: the yard has a pool, and it's secured and gated. Dogs don't enter it without your permission, and any access is under full, direct supervision — always.