What a Doggie Daycare Day Looks Like at My Home in Elkton

If you've never left your dog with someone, the hardest part is picturing the day. Where will she be? Who's with her? Does anyone actually walk her, or does she sit in a crate until you come back? I'm Preddy, and I run Healthy Pooches out of my home in Elkton, so let me walk you through what a daycare day really is.

Daycare runs Monday-Friday, 7am-6pm, and it's $30 a day. It happens in my house and my yard, not in a commercial building. That one fact shapes almost everything else about the day.

It's a home, not a facility

Dogs who come to me spend the day in a real house with couches, dog beds, toys and outdoor space. That's on purpose. Plenty of dogs do better in a calm, lived-in space than in a big echoing room full of barking. I have my own dogs too, so a visiting dog walks into a place that already has a rhythm.

It also means one person is looking after your dog, not a rotating shift of staff. You talk to me at drop-off and again at pickup. If something happened during the day, you hear it from the person who saw it.

Walking and outside time

A tired pet is a good pet. That's the line under my logo, and daycare is built around it. Your dog gets walked, and your dog gets outside time. A walk works the legs and the nose at the same time. Sniffing is real work for a dog, and a walk where she's allowed to stop and investigate tires her out more than a fast lap around the block.

Yard time is a different kind of day. It's where dogs stretch out, chase a toy, roll in the grass or find the warmest patch of lawn and stay put. Some dogs want to run. Some want to lie in the sun and supervise. Both are fine with me.

Time with other dogs

Dogs are social, and most of them like having company during the day. At daycare your dog spends time around other dogs while I'm right there watching how it goes. I pay attention to body language: a stiff posture, a hard stare, a dog who keeps trying to leave the game. If a dog needs a break, she gets one.

This is also why I require a meet and greet before the first day. I want to meet your dog with you standing next to me, see how she handles a new place, and decide together that daycare suits her before you've paid for a day of it. Some dogs love it from minute one. Some need a few visits to settle. Neither one is a problem.

Rest is part of the day

A good daycare day isn't nonstop action. Dogs that never settle come home wired and cranky, the way kids do after a birthday party with too much cake. Part of my job is mixing activity with downtime, so there's a chance to flop on a dog bed or a couch and recover. Plenty of dogs go home and sleep through the evening. That's the goal.

What I need before the first day

The rules are the same for daycare and boarding, and I don't bend them. They protect every dog in my home, including yours and mine.

• Shots up to date: DHPP, Bordetella, Rabies and Lepto.
• Tags on, plus Heartguard and flea and tick prevention.
• Spayed or neutered.
• Updated shot records from your vet before the first stay.
• A meet and greet with me first.

A dog who isn't up to date will be declined for daycare and boarding. I'd rather say that plainly now than surprise you at the door.

Pricing, holidays and the free fifth day

Daycare is $30 a day. If your dog comes every day for five days in a row, the fifth day is free. I'm closed Saturday and Sunday, except for boarding. I'm also closed on Thanksgiving Thursday and Friday, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day.

If those hours don't fit your work schedule, tell me. I'm willing to work something out. Payment is due on time, since late payments carry a $20 charge per day, and I don't offer refunds, so it's worth reading my pricing page before you book.

If daycare sounds like a fit for your dog, call me at 443-406-6694 and we'll set up a meet and greet. I'd love to meet you both.