Doggie Daycare or Doggie Prison?

[Star and Goldie]

I'm sure that searching for daycare for our four legged babies is just like searching for the perfect day care for our children.  What I'm learning though is that I don't know what I'm looking for in a doggie day care.  I thought I did but my search is turning up with only what I think are bad results.

I found a place online that is near my house and would be great location wise. The website didn't raise any red flags to me so I went today to check it out.  My heart broke for those dogs in there and as I was leaving I had to ask myself "is this normal"? It wasn't what I had in mind, but maybe it is what I could expect of doggie daycares.

It just looked like a giant building of kennels. I felt like I was walking through a humane society shelter where each dog was just screaming for someone to take them home. Each dog was closed in a kennel. They had only one toy, if any. It had a doggie door in the back to allow them to go in and out. None of the outside part was grass. It was either cement or rocks. So I thought, how is that going to set back potty training? I don't want her to think it's ok to go on cement and start peeing and pooping all over my patio slab!

Next she took me to the back of the building and pointed to a closed door calling it their 'play room'. She described it nice talking about toys, couches, tv's the works. When I asked to see it guess what it was... a TINY hodge podge room of crates, grooming stations, electrical cords EVERYWHERE, one tiny filthy couch, a small 15" tv on top of a computer desk covered with papers... just a mess. It was like this room was a mixture of an office, a groomers and a place to store dogs. Definitely didn't give off the community play area fun time vibe!

She said there were 'runs' in the back outside where they can play when the weather is nice but when I said "so it looks like they basically just spend all day in a kennel" she looked at me like I was crazy for thinking that was a bad thing.

Here is the website for the place I looked at. Can someone tell me if anything would have stood out as a red flag just from the website so I can be more cautious in continuing my search?

pendletonpens.com

Also, am I being crazy? Am I expecting to much? My thought is if Goldie is going to be crated all day why would I pay$20 a day for her to be crated in a place that is sooooo loud (think walking through a shelter loud) when she could just be crated in the comfort of her own home. She'd probably rather listen to Disney Junior all day then that nonsense.

Is this normal for doggie daycares?

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

PERFECT.

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

here is another one in Anderson that you can check out:  http://littlerascalspetmotel.com/boarding.htm#Doggie_Daycare

 

here is a website that I use to help me locate places in my area (it is for boarding facilities but many boarding places also have daycares).  Then I look at the individual websites make my list of places to go and physically check out.  http://www.dogboarding.com/indiana-anderson

[Star and Goldie]

Thanks Amy! That dog boarding link, unfortunately, didn't help me out to much since I live in an odd location. I actually live in a town called Pendleton but have an Anderson address (on the city limit) and I work in Fishers which is in the opposite direction of Anderson. I used the link searching Pendleton and Fishers but didn't get too many trustworthy results. I am going to see if that Little Rascals is somewhere close and check out their place so I'm glad you shared that :)

[Jennifer and Jack]

No that is not the norm... I saw one place like that by my mom's house and we hauled it out of there... Jack's primary daycare had them with appropriate size dogs in separate gated areas to play. They had clean baby swimming pools, shaded tarps to play with. No toys were allowed to avoid fights but the dogs go a few hours of play time, then came in and were crated with another dog or two in a small area inside with water and beds to rest on.

One of the other day cares we went to Camp Bow Wow kept them out all day and they only went in their crates during lunch and nap time... THey had access to outside and inside all day as they chose. You were able to watch on video to see what they were doing...... THey were always with a group of dogs which was hard because if Jack wanted to rest he had no place to escape too and was almost pounced on by puppies.

The third place again.. not free access to outside but always in a big room separated by size.. they got to play all day, never crated..... I would keep searching..

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

I think it was Jane, Guinness and Murphy, who has posted videos and pictures of Doggie Daycare.  Ask her to link them to you.  Hers is typical of what I think of when I think of Doggie Day Care

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Star,

I really think you have the right idea, to socialize your puppy.  I know you are going to find a place that does just that and she has a blast too.

Good Luck. Glad you are so vigilant and thorough.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Our Daycare is nothing like this.  It's two huge rooms filled with playground equipment and there's a large fenced outside area as well.  The dogs are crated for "rest time" between 12:00 and 2:00 so the staff can clean and disinfect the floors mid-day.  I think they actually need the "down time".  There is a web cam so the owners can watch their dogs.  I would stay far away from the one you described. 

[Lonnie & Libby Lu]

Jane, your Daycare sounds very nice and on top of things.  I like the idea of the web cam to keep an eye on your dog.  It just takes time to find the right one.

[Ginny Nightingale]

It does sound like a boarding facility--and maybe people are now looking for the label of doggie daycare (since our dogs are more like our children than ever before...) and the owners are just using that label inappropriately--this is a bad sign. We have only a few of these daycares in our rural area and I am not sure if they will stay in business--people don't spend too much on their dogs around here--very rural. But I passed a place yesterday that had agility equipment in one large fenced area and another large fenced area with toys--just 15 minutes from my house (relatively close since everything is at least 10 minutes from my house!) I think I will go down and check it out just in case I ever need it. Keep looking! You will find good daycares I am sure!

[Julie and Charlie]

Yes, daycare should be a place to burn off energy, not build it up.

Charlie and I are very lucky to have his daycare- the staff are lovely, just happen to subscribe to my training philosophy, the place is CLEAN (Charlie comes home smelling like dog because he's playing with them all day, not because the floors are dirty), and they have a few kennels that they used for boarding* and mid-day quiet time. I asked once how they kept the dogs from playing during quiet time. Apparently, they split up the play groups that have formed during the day, turn the lights down low....

My only quarrel with them is that they only have a small outside area for dogs. But I guess I'm ok with that as long as he's having fun. Sure beats the mud I've seen in some photos.

*On the boarding note, they have a real human overnight staff person who sleeps there. Dogs/owners have a choice of a kennel, a communal sleeping room, or being in the bedroom with the staff member. When he boards, I am so glad that he gets great attention.