FAQ: Boarding / Daycare

We board all types of pets – furry, feathered, scaly and more! Our typical boarders are dogs and cats, but we are not strangers to rabbits, hamsters, birds, and lizards. For small animals we do require owner’s to provide habitats (tanks, bird cages, housing for guinea pigs & rabbits).

We do not accept any pets that are venomous, poisonous or primates.

If you have a unique pet and want to see if they will be comfortable in our center, ask us by filling out our “Contact Us” form.

We recommend a tour before using any pet care facility. You should always visit to make sure you are comfortable leaving your pet there. This also gives you the opportunity to ask lots of questions to make sure their services can meet your pet’s needs.

The best way to secure a tour is to schedule one directly on our site to ensure we are able to accommodate you. Select the date and time range that works best for you and we will be in touch to confirm that it will work for us. Or, if you’re in the area, you can stop any of our Best Friends locations for a tour during business hours. Tours are for “people only” so you can get the most out of your visit.

You can make a reservation for our boarding, grooming, or day camp services in three ways: 1) online through our reservations site, by downloading our mobile app, or by calling one of our centers directly.

Pets may check-in anytime during our operating hours, which is one hour before the earliest park and one hour after the latest park, including holidays, events and early admission. Our check-out time for all of our room types is noon and daycare charges will apply for late check-outs. However, if grooming is added on to an overnight reservation in our Indoor or Indoor/outdoor rooms, the daycare charge will be waived until 6pm the day of check-out. This rule does NOT apply to any of our suite style rooms (including Vacation Villa, Luxury, and Club suites) and daycare charges will apply for checking-out after noon.

We require a one day/one night deposit on whatever room type they are choosing upon making the reservation. We then take full payment at check in.

We realize that plans do change, and wish to accommodate all of our customer’s needs.

We require a cancellation within 48 hours of your boarding reservation in order to return your full deposit.

Your pet should adjust quickly to our boarding facility, staff and routines. However, a pet can experience a change in urination, bowel movements and eating habits outside of their normal routine. We believe in open communication with our guests, so you can check in on your pet throughout their stay. Boarding life can be very exciting, some dogs spend all day having fun running around, playing and barking at their new friends. These pups often leave feeling exhausted, but happy and tend to sleep a lot the first couple of days they are back home.

Also, we routinely quiet the facility down after closing hours to give the pets adequate rest and comfort. It’s best if your evening schedule, in the week before boarding, is stable and consistent, and getting the pet(s) into a comfortable “wind down” to their day by 7PM will enable them to adjust quickly to the kennel, once boarded.

We have different types of accommodations, please visit our boarding/daycare page.

Most of our pet care centers are fully air-conditioned for summer comfort and heated in the winter. About two-thirds of our properties also have outdoor exercise runs and play yards for outdoor activity, weather permitting.

Best Friends has both indoor and outdoor facilities. If you would like specific information about the center closest to you, you can request it with our “Contact Us” form or by finding a location near you and giving them a call.

We have webcams in our group play rooms so you can watch them in action if they are participating. Our boarding suites all offer cameras for you to view your pet. You are also able to call in directly to our facility to speak with a team member to provide you with information throughout their stay. Pets will receive report cards to take home with them. Additionally, you are able to add on “Nightly News” to your pets’ stay to ensure regular updates each day.

Your pets may have one or two toys to play with in their suite during their stay. If you bring toys from home, be sure to mark them with permanent ink with your last name. Your pets’ toys will stay with them in their suites and we do our best to return all toys. Occasionally, a toy may be lost during a playtime or cleaning. If you prefer not to bring toys from home, you can purchase toys in our retail center for your pet’s stay.

If they are boarding in one of our standard rooms, we ask that you leave your bedding at home. We like to ensure our flea free environment and we are able to provide your pet(s) with bedding, blankets, etc.
For our suites and cats, you are welcome to bring your pets’ own bedding with you.

We highly recommend that you provide us with your pets’ own food to help prevent any upset tummies. We do offer both wet and dry food for your pet(s) should you choose not to bring your own.

We have fantastic add-on services to enhance your pets’ boarding/day care experience.

Best Friends has a mix of indoor/outdoor & indoor-only pet care centers. All Best Friends centers are highly sanitary and safe. Dogs in our care will eliminate in the exercise run of their two-room suite, in our playrooms, or outdoors (if the center is indoor/outdoor). These areas are well suited for this purpose, and are regularly sanitized. Our highly trained staff continuously monitors all elimination and consumption behavior, which is noted on each pet’s chart. To learn more, schedule a tour with us.

Yes, each room includes at least one walk for them to go potty. Depending on the activities that you choose for your pet, they will either participate in group play or individual walks or playtimes.

We do have some breed restrictions, however, also depending on the breed/weight of your pet(s) will depend on whether or not they will be able to comfortably share an accommodation. We do not allow intact pets to share accommodations.

Pets will frequently become very thirsty from the excitement and stress of seeing their family and loved ones again when they’re picked up. It’s natural and you should expect your pet to be a bit dehydrated from all the excitement once you get them home.

While in our care, pets are monitored carefully for their consumption of fresh water, which is continuously checked and refreshed throughout the day. And, just like the excitement of coming home, when they first are checked-in and settled in their suite, they will tend to become very thirsty. We watch this carefully, and are sure to provide plenty of fresh water upon check-in to get the pet fully hydrated. After the first 30 minutes or so, they settle into the new routine, get comfortable, and establish regular eating and drinking habits. Upon returning home, give your pet small amounts of water or ice cubes, until all excitement is dissipated.

Acclimating your pet to the boarding routine prior to arriving is helpful. For dogs who do need an extra bit of calm, we sell Honest Paws CBD Calm products at our centers.

Our primary concern is the welfare of our guests. For this reason, our minimum boarding age for dogs is 4 months. It is generally recommended that puppies get their first round of “adult” shots at 12 weeks (including rabies), and the second round at 16 weeks. Additionally, in any kennel environment, a young pup could possibly be exposed to air-borne viruses it could not fight off. Our recommendation is to board puppies at your veterinarian’s office until they have reached our minimum age requirement.

Senior dogs are always welcome. Be sure you communicate any medical or health related issues to us ahead of their stay. For more details on this, visit our Vaccine & Health Requirements Page.

Our boarding rates vary depending on locations. Visit our pricing page and select the location you are interested in visiting. This will give you a complete list of the boarding rates depending on the type of suite you are interested in.

At Best Friends, we are meticulous in cleaning our kennels, and use hospital grade disinfectants to keep them spotless. However, in the closed quarters of a boarding facility amongst other pet guests, a dog’s natural odor may become more noticeable.

Certain customers may also be more sensitive to pet odors after having not been with an animal for a while. We recommend scheduling a “go-home fresh bath” or grooming appointment on your pet’s last day of boarding with us. Check-out time is 12 noon, however if you schedule a “go-home fresh bath” you may pick up your pet any time that day before the Center closes for the price of the “go-home fresh bath or groom” and no additional boarding charge.

Boarding can be long term, as long as we are pre-paid for each 30 days. There is no discount for any long term boarding and we require a credit card on file.

We don’t require that our boarding dogs be spayed or neutered. However, if you have multiple dogs, boarding in the same suite, they will need to be spayed/neutered. Any dogs, boarding with us that are not spayed/neutered, will be limited to individual play rather than attending our group play during their stay. Learn more about our care requirements here.

All of our up-to-date requirements are held on our Vaccines and Health Requirements page. If your pet is in need of a vaccination, we are partnered with VIP Petcare in many of our locations where we offer a full array of vaccinations and wellness services to our clients. These clinics are convenient, staffed by a licensed veterinarian, cost-effective, and there is not an exam fee. Visit our Vet Care page to learn more about these vaccination services.

We can work with owners to administer medicine for their diabetic pets as they are typically able to visit and do so. View our Medications and Medical Conditions list to learn more.

Pets with significant medical needs are better off under a veterinarian’s care than in our pet boarding centers, despite the qualifications of our well-trained staff.

Yes, your pet can be exposed to disease when kenneled with other animals. The risk is, however, quite low, and virtually eliminated when kennels require advance vaccination to ensure a healthy population of boarded guests. Additionally, high sanitation standards and quality living conditions are vitally important to ensuring an absence of disease.

Our modern sanitation procedures, air flow system, required vaccinations, kennel suites construction, and staff training programs all help to create a healthy, safe and secure environment for your pets when they are in our care. You may have heard “horror stories” of poor treatment and conditions at kennels in the past…we have taken great pains to ensure that all Best Friends pet care centers provide a first-class, highly sanitary environment that dispel any fears you might have about boarding your pets with us.

We strongly suggest a tour, before making a boarding selection, of any facility that you might consider in your area. Here’s what to look for:

¨ You should be able to tour any aspect of the facility without a reservation, at any time during business hours.

¨ It should smell and be clean from top to bottom.

¨ Staff members should be available and capable of answering any of your pet care questions.

¨ You should request and receive reference lists of current and/or past customers to check on their satisfaction.

¨ Staff members should own pets and appear kind and friendly toward the animals in their care.

¨ The kennel should require vaccinations from a licensed veterinarian prior to allowing a pet to be boarded.

¨ Kennel suites or runs should be spacious and clean, and independent from one another. There should be no evidence of group kenneling, except, of course, for Doggy Day Camp socialization day camp programs for qualified pets (spayed or neutered, vaccinated, can be socialized, non-aggressive).

We often run promotions to help you save on upcoming boarding stays. All of our promotions can be found on the Events & Promos section of our website. Also, if your pet is boarding with us for the first time, then you are eligible for our First Night Free on-going offer for new pets (excluding Disney). The best way to receive discounts, learn about exciting things happening at your center, and be invited to special events is to join our email list.