Program Guidelines in Daycare

The Rover Oaks Doggie Daycare program provides a wonderful opportunity for approved pets to romp and play with other dogs. This activity offers valuable socialization, regular exercise, and fun… which can have a very positive impact on the pet’s behavior, stress level and overall health. Listed below are the guidelines that all pets (and parents!) need to know. Please remember that these daycare guidelines may be changed or amended at any time without notice.

Approval Process: To be considered, all candidates must be neutered or spayed, not aggressive or extremely dominant, current on required vaccinations, and using an effective flea & tick preventative. Our staff will contact owners to schedule their pet’s temperament test after receiving the completed application forms and vaccination records. The temperament test is a one-day process that evaluates the social skills of potential new pets by introducing them to our test dogs first… and then gradually to our approved daycare pets. A pet may be tested while it is boarding at Rover Oaks, as long as the temperament test application has been submitted and a testing appointment has been scheduled prior to the pet’s arrival for boarding. 

Probation: Pets approved for Doggie Daycare are always considered “on probation” since their behavior can change. If their social skills become unsuitable at any time, their daycare privileges can be suspended. Similarly, pets who have not participated in Doggie Daycare for over 3 months will be watched closely. If their behavior has changed such that it imposes a safety risk to other pets or themselves, they may have their privileges suspended.

Hours of Operation: Daycare runs from 7:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Pets can be dropped off anytime during regular office hours, and all pets (unless boarding overnight) must be picked up by 6:00 p.m. Pets who are boarding on weekends may schedule a reservation, if space is available, in a limited Saturday and/or Sunday daycare program from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. No pets will be accepted into Saturday daycare after 9:00 a.m. when play begins.

Reservations:Reservations are always required for pets to participate in daycare. There are no “walk-ins.” A pet may be included in the Rover Oaks Doggie Daycare program in one of three ways:

(A) Standing Reservation: Pets with Standing Reservations have reservations for a specific day (or days) of the week.  The pet attends daycare on the same day (or days) of each consecutive week on an ongoing basis.  By special arrangement a limited number of bi-weekly standing reservations may be available. A requirement for clients who request a Standing Reservation is the purchase of a "daycare pass" which will be kept on file at the front desk.  Daycare passes are available for $290 or $1,160.  The $290 pass offers 10 visits + 1 free visit, totaling 11 “punches” on the card. (Each time your dog comes to daycare, the card is punched.) The $1,160 pass offers 40 visits + 5 free visits, totaling 45 punches.

(B) Daily Call-In:   Occasionally, a pet with a Standing Reservation is not able to come to daycare on its designated day, which leaves an "open slot” for that one day.  Owners of approved pets (with or without standing reservations) may call Rover Oaks at 6:30 a.m. Monday through Friday and leave a message inquiring about daycare availability for that day.  If a space is available, Rover Oaks will contact the owner by 7:00 a.m.  A daycare pass is not required for Daily Call-ins, and the cost is $29.00 per day.   (Note: Pets who are brought to Rover Oaks without first receiving a confirmation call from our staff will be boarded in the kennel and not allowed in daycare that day.)

(C) Daycare While Boarding:   Pets who are approved for Doggie Daycare may make a reservation to participate in daycare when they are boarding overnight, if space is available. Boarding pets typically participate for 3 hours, and the cost is $18.00 per day.

Regarding Standing Reservations: By scheduling a standing reservation, owners ensure that their pet will be able to attend Doggie Daycare each week. Here are our policies regarding standing reservations:

• Standing reservations are only available for customers who pre-purchase a daycare pass. Daycare passes make payment convenient, and they offer free days in Doggie Daycare based on the quantity of days purchased.
  
• Standing reservations are specific to the individual day of the week that is scheduled. Standing reservations cannot rotate from one day to another (e.g., Tuesday on week #1 and Wednesday on week #2), and owners cannot schedule a standing reservation less frequently than once every other week. Owners may be allowed to “permanently” change the specific day of their reservation if a slot is available on a different day.
  
• Standing reservations and/or daycare passes cannot be shared among pets of different families.
  
• Owners are required to call the Rover Oaks front desk in advance to let us know if their pet must miss its scheduled day in daycare. If 3 appointments are missed without advance notice, or if a pet frequently misses its scheduled reservation with advance notice, the owner will have two options: (a) release their standing reservation to another customer or (b) keep their standing reservation and agree to pay for each scheduled day in Doggie Daycare, regardless of whether or not the pet attends .

Social Time: Pets will enjoy approximately 5-6 hours of social play in Doggie Daycare each day, depending upon when they arrive and depart. When pets are not actively playing, they are allowed to rest. Pets who make a reservation to participate in Doggie Daycare while they are boarding overnight will typically enjoy 3 hours of social play each day and receive a discounted fee for their participation. Daycare hours for boarding pets are limited for health and safety reasons due to the scheduling of feeding times and the rest time required before/after play periods.

Feeding: We do not recommend that pets eat anything substantial during the day due to the high level of physical activity during Doggie Daycare, and we do not offer feedings for daycare pets. Pet owners should realize that the risk of life-threatening “bloat” (i.e., Gastric Dilation and Volvulus) increases when dogs participate in vigorous activity within 1 hour after feeding…. especially for large or deep-chested breeds.Owners who feed their pets in the morning before Doggie Daycare should feed their pets before 6:00 a.m.

Flea & Tick Preventative: Since fleas and ticks are easily transmitted from pet to pet, and since daycare pets at Rover Oaks enjoy frolicking and rolling in our grassy Dog Park, Rover Oaks requires owners to treat their pets religiously with a veterinarian-approved flea and tick preventative. In addition, we strongly encourage regular administration of a heartworm preventative due to the highly active nature of Doggie Daycare.

Dirty Dogs: One of the benefits of Doggie Daycare at Rover Oaks is playing in our large Dog Park. As a result, some pets will get dirty (especially on rainy days) while romping and rolling in the grass and wading pool. Our daycare staff will do their very best to clean up dirty pets before they are picked up by the owners. However, owners should understand that the primary role of our daycare staff is to supervise their pets, and time is not available to provide a thorough bath before sending pets home. As an alternative, pet owners may contact the front desk to schedule a “Daycare Bath” in the Grooming Salon. Baths begin around 3:00 p.m. and are usually completed by 5:30 p.m. Owners should understand that their pet could become dirty once again if allowed to return to Doggie Daycare after a bath.

Other Important Notes:

• When dropping off your pet for Doggie Daycare, do not open the inside gate into the Pet Pavilion. A staff member will meet you at the gate to accept your pet. If no one is in the Pet Pavilion or adjacent Dog Park, please take your pet to the main lobby.
  
• All treats and toys are provided by Rover Oaks unless your pet has a specific food allergy. Please let us know if your pet would be allergic to the “house” treats that we offer all daycare dogs.
  
• Owners can arrange to have friends or relatives pick up their dog, but owners must inform our daycare staff in advance before we will allow any other person to take home a pet which is not theirs.
  
• In order to maintain the facilities and Dog Park in good condition, Rover Oaks reserves the right to temporarily limit or suspend daycare activity from time to time.