Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Bark of the Town staff is trained to watch for every sign of a dog's well-being and safety while in a daycare pack. We have two to three staff members devoted to outside play and constantly supervise all daycare members at all times. We have canine-friendly methods of stopping rough play. Some deterrents we use for excited or aggressive play are coins-in-a-can which startles them temporarily, or we use a simple squirt bottle filled with water. No dog is ever struck or verbally yelled at. We treat your dog like our own family. A lot of positive reinforcement goes a long way.

Yes. Bark of the Town has a large insulated indoor climate-controlled warehouse space for daycare and boarding dogs. We keep the inside temperatures at a comfortable 73-76 degrees in winter and summer. All inside areas the dogs stay or play in are climate-controlled. During inclement or hot weather, we have a large indoor play area and keep a small door open to the outdoor play yard allowing dogs to come and go as they please. Weather permitting, we open a large garage door in our warehouse to our backyard play area. All boarded dogs sleep in air-conditioned and heated areas inside our warehouse in their own enclosed suites with night lights and music.

Some daycares will confine your dog for “nap-time”, “lunch” or “camping” for hours on end. Bark of the Town has all-day-free-play resulting in happy and pooped pups! You be the judge when you pick up your happy pup. Most pass out on the way home. It's a good question to ask when comparing daycares and their schedules. At Bark of the Town, like children, we use time-out as a last resort when members present rough-play or aggressive behavior. First offenders will be given a verbal reprimand and second offenders are given a time-out session of 10 minutes only removed from the pack.

Bark of the Town's introduction is slow, calm, and fun. We only use trained senior staff to evaluate dogs going into our pack. We follow a proven interview process for every dog before being allowed into the general play population for each dog’s optimum safety, comfort, and happiness. We first allow them to acclimate to their surroundings inside our spacious warehouse with a few senior daycare dogs. We let them become familiar with all the new smells and with being smelled themselves. After all, that's how dogs meet! When this is done slowly and with great care, every member is confident and comfortable with everyone else. That creates a well-balanced pack. Sometimes a couple of days may be needed for a complete introduction to be successful, but if it's not fun for your dog, then what's the point? Not every dog will be successful in daycare, but if your dog is apprehensive, or has severe anxiety issues that we cannot overcome, we will be up-front and honest with you and work to try and identify a solution.

At Bark of the Town, employees must love animals, be mature, and have the ability to think quickly on their feet. New employees are coached and trained by staff for many weeks until they are proficient in every detail. We perform background and reference checks and look for family values in each potential staff candidate. We also encourage and support the continuance of higher education. We are fortunate to have a wonderful, long-term staff and we think each and every one of our staff is a member of our family!

This is completely normal. You can expect your dog to be tired for the first several times they come to daycare, and no, they are not sick! They just played hard in the fresh air all day. They need to build their doggy stamina! Although the dogs have ample time to nap, there is a lot of activity and stimulation to process in a daycare atmosphere. This can poop a dog out! And of course, they will be playing for the majority of the day. It is not uncommon for them to drink a lot of water during and after daycare. All Bark of the Town attendees have access to separate drinking stations for all dogs, which are kept fresh!

Meals should be given by owners before/after Daycare. Boarded dogs are given morning/evening meals with owner-provided kibble and snacks, and complimentary treats each night of their stay. Any medications should be clearly marked with dispensing directions. We keep a log for medicine dispersal as this is very important for every dog's health.