Choosing the Perfect Doggy Daycare: A Guide for Pet Parents
As a dog parent, finding the right doggy daycare is crucial for your peace of mind and your dog’s well-being. From my personal experience, I have seen that there can be a wide variety in the quality of care your dog would get from different companies. On November 13th at 8 :42 PM, I received a message from Lily Burns (Admin at Lost Dogs of King County) that a doggy daycare was on fire, and that dogs were running into the streets, becoming lost. It was the same company that had a fire at their previous facility, earlier in the year. Tino and I jumped into the car and drove to the area in South Seattle, and started looking for dogs. We received reports of one dog in particular, Remi, who had been seen running on the railroad tracks. As we were looking, I heard several trains laying on their horns as they barreled through the industrial area. We searched for her for hours in the dark, but never found her. As we searched, I wondered, Why did anyone take their dog to this daycare and boarding facility after they had already had one building burn down earlier this year? They must not have known the history. This guide will help you navigate through the process of selecting a daycare that ensures a happy, safe, and enriching environment for your dog, and hopefully avoid companies like the SoDo business where we know two dogs died that night.
Starting Your Search:
Begin with online research to identify local doggy daycares. Scour through their websites and social media for insights. Read reviews on platforms like Google and Yelp, paying attention to both the positives and negatives. As you read through these reviews, keep in mind that some companies put in more effort to manipulating these reviews than they do in providing the good service that generates good reviews. The company in question had made customers sign contracts saying they would not post negative reviews. That company also made their employees sign nondisclosure agreements so they could not report the bad conditions at the facility. It turns out that such NDAs are not even allowed under Washington State law. Many employees have since come forward to report all of the warning signs that a tragedy like the deadly fire was to be expected. When you look at these online reviews, you really have to dig around, as there may be many more negative reviews if you follow an inconspicuous link that is not easy to find. Many of these review sites are a bit of a scam. If the company being reviewed spends advertising dollars at that review site, they get more control over which reviews are seen. Do not rely solely on these reviews, but use them as a starting point as you gather more information.
The Importance of First Impressions:
Nothing beats an in-person visit, and the facility should want you to visit first. It lets you assess the facility's cleanliness, space, and overall vibe. Your gut feeling when you step in can tell you a lot about the place. Look at the dogs who are there. Are they happy or anxious? Are dogs playing in a friendly way, or is one dog bullying another? Try to evaluate the attitude of the staff. Are they happy to be working there? Most importantly, is the owner of the business on-site, especially if they have multiple locations? If the business owner does not even spend their day at that location, that could be a red flag.
Licenses and Certifications:
A reputable daycare must be licensed. The company of course needs to have a business license, and needs to be inspected by the Health Department. Staff qualifications in pet care and first aid are non-negotiable. Don't hesitate to ask about their experience and certifications. As someone who has taken the training for CPR for dogs, I can tell you that it definitely helps to take a refresher course now and then. How many of the staff have taken CPR and First Aid training? How recently have they brushed up their skills? The staff should be trained to spot signs of potential health problems, such as, bloat, choking, laryngeal paralysis, heat stroke, paw abrasions, seizures, diabetes, and they should know how to alleviate stress. That dog wrangler should not be passively watching your dog, or worse, scrolling on their phone, but actively evaluating to make sure each dog has the best care.
Staffing:
All things being equal, a low staff-to-dog ratio is preferable. Of course, the skill and caring of one good employee might outweigh two untrained and uncaring employees. A good ratio of dogs to people indicates your dog will get more attention and care. This applies to overnight stays as well. The fire at the SoDo daycare happened after regular business hours, when the daycare dogs had gone home and the overnight dogs were there with a much smaller staff. When the fire broke out, many dogs escaped the fenced area. If they had had a higher ratio of staff to dogs, and if they had been trained specifically what to do in case of a fire, would they have kept more dogs safe?
Supervision and Safety:
Continuous supervision is essential. Notice how the staff interacts with the dogs and manages their behavior. In a good daycare, there would be cameras in every part of the facility. Perhaps it wouldn’t be possible to watch the cameras continuously, when staff should be focusing attention on the dogs in front of them, but video recordings would be helpful to spot a problem, review what went wrong, and correct it in the future. If dogs are playing in a common area, staff need to be attentive and ready to step in if two dogs have a misunderstanding and become upset. The staff at the doggy daycare should have had training in how to break up a fight between two dogs, if it should happen. Any staff member should be able to explain how they make sure your dog gets his special diet, or how they ensure that his medications are given correctly.
Daily Routine and Activities:
Inquire about the daycare's daily schedule. Look for a balanced mix of playtime, rest, and meal times that align with your dog's habits. Most dogs sleep for most of the day. I know my dogs do. Going to a building with dozens of dogs is very stimulating for a dog, so they may spend more time being active, but you wouldn’t necessarily expect your dog to be playing nonstop for 8 hours while at the daycare. The daycare I took Mu to, when he was young, had cameras in the play area and I could watch them live. I really appreciated that. If the daycare you are thinking about choosing doesn’t have live cameras you can access, they should at least allow you to come in and observe the dogs playing any time you want, as long as you call ahead to let them know you are coming. If a daycare said I was not allowed to observe the dogs, I would be very reluctant to give them my dog.
Health Protocols:
A daycare serious about health will have stringent vaccination and health check policies. This is critical for preventing the spread of illnesses. Some dog owners might view this as an inconvenience if they suddenly need to find a daycare situation for their dogs but they can’t even get a vet appointment for several weeks to get their dogs up to date on vaccinations. Also, it is best to give the vaccines a couple of weeks to have their effect on the immune system, so that could further delay your dog’s entry into a daycare. Rather than being annoyed at the inconvenience of keeping your dog’s vaccines up to date and documented, you should be glad that a daycare insists on this for all the dogs. Recently, a new respiratory virus is spreading through populations of dogs. It begins with coughing. Any daycare you might choose should be on the lookout for new diseases appearing in your area. A doggy daycare, with dozens of dogs together in one building, can be a vector for new diseases to spread quickly. These protocols should be spelled out clearly in the agreement you sign. Protocols change and are agreed upon with Department of Health. It is very important that you not take your dog to his regular daycare if you know he is sick. It can be very inconvenient for you to try to find an alternative situation for your dog, but it’s best for all dogs if you don’t take your sick dog to daycare. Ensuring the health of all the dogs at the daycare requires the commitment and cooperation of the daycare staff and the dog owner.
Emergency Preparedness:
Ask about their emergency procedures. Knowing they have a plan for medical emergencies provides additional peace of mind. Every doggy daycare should have a plan for an emergency such as a fire or an earthquake or flood. The daycare owner should be able to show you that plan. Ask a random employee what they would do in case of a fire. Look at the building: if there was a fire, is there a safe outdoor space where the dogs could be taken a safe distance from the building? At the SoDo location where there was a fire on November 13th, the only outdoor fenced areas were right up against the building, so the dogs were contained within fifteen feet of the burning building, not an adequate distance.
One particular type of emergency is very likely to occur at any given dog boarding facility: sooner or later, a dog is going to escape. It may be because a door wasn’t latched, or an employee error, or because a dog owner made a mistake when bringing the dog in. A dog could escape when it’s no one’s fault, just a random series of accidents. Because it is very likely that a dog could escape from a doggy daycare, sooner or later, that business should have a plan for that, and any random employee should be able to tell you that plan. The SoDo daycare in question had had dogs escape previously, besides the night of the fire. We know from witness reports that the staff did not handle these escapes properly. In fact, the night of the fire, one of the dog’s owners first learned about the fire when the Washington State Patrol called them to report that their dog had been hit and killed on the freeway! They didn’t even understand how that could be possible since their dog was supposed to be safe and sound in the boarding facility. The business owner did not contact the owners of the dogs, the night of the fire. Most dog owners had to learn about it from news reports or social media. One dog owner reported her dog as missing even though her dog had been moved to another facility and was safe; the SoDo business owner had not even let her know where her dog was, a full day later.
Every owner of a dog daycare or boarding facility should be familiar with these 2 articles from Three Retrievers: Loss Prevention for Dogs, and Three Retrievers Guide to Finding Your Lost Dog. If they don’t already know about this information, or if they are unwilling to read these articles, look for another facility.
Understanding Your Dog’s Needs:
Consider your dog's temperament. Some thrive in a bustling environment, while others prefer quieter settings. Would a particular daycare have the staff and the facilities to accommodate dogs with different needs and personalities? At an excellent daycare, they would know that certain dogs like to play with certain other dogs, and that it would be best if particular dogs went out and played at different times, to avoid an altercation.
The Trial Run:
If the daycare offers a trial day, take it. It’s the best way to gauge how your dog adapts to the new setting. Some doggy daycares offer discounts if you buy a package for many months in advance. If you do that, can you cancel? The daycare that burned did not allow people to get refunds when they, understandably, did not want to continue taking their dogs to a business that had two facilities burn down in a year.
Seeking References:
Don't hesitate to ask for references from other clients. Their experiences can offer valuable insights. Naturally, if the business owner recommends that you talk to certain clients for references, they would have picked those clients because they expect them to say nice things. If possible, try to talk to someone who decided not to continue going to that daycare, and find out why. You can find past clients of a daycare in social media apps if you take the time to dig around.
Watching Your Dog’s Reaction:
Post-visit, observe your dog’s behavior. Excitement about daycare is a good sign; anxiety or stress might suggest it’s not the right fit. The goal should be that your dog is excited and happy to go to that daycare, and then he is excited and happy to come home to you. If you take him to the daycare once, and then the next day he is hesitant or anxious about going back, is it because going to any doggy daycare is just not a good fit for your dog? Or is it because that doggy daycare is not meeting his needs as well as another business might?
Don’t assume that higher prices always means better care. A recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle details many reported problems with a high-end dog resort that advertises the best care for your dog. Customers and former employees report dogs with injuries and trauma, and untrained staff and crowded conditions. This organization charges double or triple the average rate. While they claim that 93% of customers are satisfied, I would find the reports of abuse and neglect difficult to overlook.
Conclusion:
For three days, I spent many hours trying to help the owners of dogs who had gone missing after the fire. Remi, the dog we had searched for in the immediate aftermath of the fire, was eventually found, days later, when she jumped off of a freeway on-ramp, and fell 50 feet. She couldn’t run any more, due to her injuries, and someone was able to get ahold of her and call her family. She has made a full recovery.
One of the dogs who escaped the fire was hit and killed on the freeway, and the owners were called that night. It turns out that another dog who escaped the fire was also hit and killed in the same area of the freeway. Because he was hit in the lanes of travel, his body could not be recovered easily. It took a couple of days, and we had to coordinate with State Patrol in order to get the proper protection to recover the remains. So the owners would not have to see their dog in that condition, I examined the remains and matched them to photographs the best I could . They are looking into doing DNA testing to be certain, but I’m 95% certain the remains recovered are a match for their dog. The owner of the SoDo business did not help them find their dog, or even let them know their dog was missing. This sweet dog would still be alive if they had known that this daycare business was dangerous, not trustworthy.
It’s easy to assume that all doggy daycares are great places where everyone is happy. Why would you have a doggy daycare unless you love dogs? Well, it’s big business, or it can be. If a particular facility has 100 dogs staying there, that facility might be generating $3,000 to $5,000 per day. A medium sized daycare might have a payroll of $60,000 per month. There is also rent, food, equipment, laundry, and other supplies. A business owner has to make decisions on how much staff to hire and how much to pay them. It would be easy enough for someone who was only interested in profit to cut corners and keep more money for themselves. When the SoDo business owner’s other facility burned down in February of 2023, 115 dogs were at the building at the time, and many of them escaped. All the dogs were recovered safely that day, in large part due to firefighters and volunteers. When you have to board your dog at a facility for part or all of a day, it can add up to a significant expense for you. More important than the cost is the impact, or potential impact, a dog daycare could have on your dog’s health and safety. Besides outright injuries or illness, your dog could simply become stressed at an incompetent daycare, eventually leading to illness. Boarding at a good facility can actually improve your dog’s health and state of mind. Please take the time to research any doggy daycare you are considering using. Ask lots of questions and compare several facilities before choosing.