FAQ

FAQ for Your Dog

We realize that many new canine clients may have questions and concerns about coming to a cageless facility.  We offer these answers to frequently asked questions to help reassure those dogs that they will enjoy their visits to Dogs By Day & Nite .

May I escape and run wild through the streets if I want?

No.  Not only are you continually monitored by humans to keep you from escaping, but the facility has a series of multiple “airlock” gates, designed to make your escape impossible.  Just relax and enjoy being here!

Will other dogs attack me?

No.  We test all dogs to make certain they are nice enough to play with you here before we let them come.

May I attack other dogs?

No.  Humans are here to prevent you from getting into conflict with other dogs, so you should never feel the need to attack another dog.

Will there be dogs my size and age there?

Yes.  Dogs of all types and sizes come to play and relax at Dogs By Day & Nite .  You will find someone to be your friend and the humans are there to be your friends, too.

But somebody has to be the leader; do I have to be the leader?

No.  The humans will be the leaders of pack and take charge of everything; all you have to do is relax and enjoy yourself.

Will there be unneutered and unspayed dogs there? They scare me!

No.  We know that you feel threatened by unaltered dogs and would want to attack them if they came in, so we don’t allow any unneutered or unspayed dog into Dogs By Day & Nite , for their safety and for yours.

May I bring my own toys and bowls and stuff?

No.  Those things are neat and we know you like them.  But here we have something better; plenty of dog friends to play with.  You won’t need any of your toys; that would just make your worry about your stuff and might make your aggressive against another dog to protect your stuff.

Can I run around naked, like wolves do?

No.  You must be wearing a flat collar or a Martingale collar with your dog ID tag on it.

I usually wear a pinch or choke collar because I’m so strong: can I wear that instead?

No.  We don’t want you to accidentally hurt yourself while you are playing and pinch and choke collars can be dangerous.  Your Mommy and Daddy can bring you here wearing that collar, but, because we’ll take that collar off you when you enter the Playroom, you need to also be wearing a safe collar (like a flat collar of a Martingale) with your dog ID tag on it.

I’m so good I follow Mommy or Daddy without a leash; can I come in without one?

No.  For your own safety, you need to come in on a leash and to have that leash always held by a human while you’re in the Reception Area.  Otherwise you might try to follow Mommy and Daddy when they leave and you might get excited and confused and get hurt trying to do that.  Plus, we need the leash to get you safely back to the Playroom where all the fun is!

Do I have to eat food I’m not used to?

No.  If you are here at mealtime, your mommy or daddy will supply us with your regular food so that you will be happy to eat and won’t get an upset stomach.

I’m used to drinking whenever I want; can I drink when I want to?

Yes.  There is always plenty of clean water available for you in bowls.

I’m used to eating whenever I want, can I eat whenever I want to?

No.  We can’t just leave bowls of food around for you; that would lead to fights among you and your friends.  We feed breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the appropriate times of day, and you can eat then.  You’ll be busy playing and napping the rest of the time!

Do I have to eat in the Playroom, where all the other dogs may try to steal my food?

No.  We have a separate Dining Room for you to be fed in.  Our humans watch over you during mealtimes making sure there are no problems so you can relax and enjoy your meal.

Can I play if I want to?

Yes.  There are always other friendly dogs here for you to romp with.  Human handlers will make certain that your play is fun but safe.

Can I rest if I want to?

Yes.  If you want to sack out while other dogs are playing there are always beds and blankets to lie down on.  We place those where you can keep your back to the wall when you sleep, because we know how important that is to dogs.

Won’t the barking wake me up?

No.  The human handlers teach you and your friends not to bark when you are playing together in the Playroom.  You dogs bark mostly to communicate with humans not with one another anyway; our humans are trained to understand your body language so you don’t feel the need to bark to talk to us.

Can I go to the bathroom inside?

Yes.  Connected to the Playroom, we have a “Relief Room” for you to “go” in whenever you need to.  You’ll like “going” in there because that’s where are the other dogs go. 

Will it be all nasty and smelly in the Relief Room?

No.  The Relief Room is designed for ease of cleaning and is sterilized frequently. Sorry if it’s not as nasty and smelly as you would like!

What if I forget and “go” somewhere else?

Don’t worry.  The humans will clean it up, remind you where the Relief Room is, and won’t tattle on you to Mommy or Daddy.

Will that make me forget my housetraining at home?

No.  You and your dog friends are much smarter than you realize!  You figure out right away that different places have different rules, so you’ll remember your housetraining when you are at home, no matter how often you visit us.

At home, I like to lie in the sun because it makes me feel good; can I do that there?

Yes.  The Playroom where you spend the day has six large skylights under which sun-loving dogs like you often lie.

Do I have to sleep alone at night? I hate that…

No.  In the evening, you and any other dogs that stay the night leave the Playroom and move up into the Dog Lounge, where one of the humans will sleep with you.  It’s like a big sleep-over with the rest of the pack!

Can people help me if I hurt myself when I’m there?

Yes.  Humans are here to make sure you don’t hurt yourself, but if you do they are trained to help you with canine first aid and CPR.  They also have the information to contact your Mommy or Daddy and will take you to the veterinary clinic or hospital so you can feel better as soon as possible.

Can I go for a walk while I’m there?

Yes.  Our Powerwalk Program lets you join a small manageable group of your canine friends in taking one of our handlers for a 20 minute walk around the neighborhood along safe, predetermined routes.  But to join the Powerwalkers, you have to be healthy, be here at 9AM, and be wearing your own special Martingale collar (that will keep you safe on the Powerwalk).  Ask Mommy or Daddy to talk our humans about your joining the Powerwalk Program.

I’m not sure I’d enjoy that; do I have to go on the Powerwalks?

No.  Have your Mommy or Daddy let us know that you’d rather not go on the Powerwalks, and you may stay inside, playing or resting as you wish.

FAQ for You, the Owner

Because dog daycare isn’t quite like any other business, we realize that many new customers have questions about our procedures.  We offer these answers to help welcome you (and your dog!) to the Dogs By Day & Nite family.

When can I drop off or pick up my dog?

Dogs may be dropped off or picked up between 7AM and 11PM on weekdays, and between 8AM and 11PM on weekends.  Please do not attempt to drop off or pick up your dog when we are closed.  If you drop your dog off for daycare, but fail to pick up your dog before closing, you’ll be charged for an overnight stay ($48) plus the walk-in fee ($12) for not having a reservation for an overnight stay. 

What are your basic rates?

It’s $4 an hour for daycare; for overnights it’s $48 for a 24-hour period. During an overnight stay, any hours over what’s divisible evenly by 24-hour periods are charged at the daycare rate. For holidays a different rate schedule applies: each night of a holiday weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) is $60 for a 24-hour period..  If we have to supply your dog with food during its stay, it’s $2 per feeding; if you bring the food, there’s no charge for feeding.  If we have to administer medication to your dog (other than putting pills in its food), it’s $2 per administration.

Do I have to make an appointment for my dog to stay for daycare?

No, space for daycare is available to clients in good standing on a first-come first-stay basis.  We sometimes reach capacity in the mid-afternoon, so the earlier you bring your dog in the less likely it is that we will be full.

Do I have to make an appointment for my dog to stay overnight?

Yes, reservations are required for an overnight stay.  Reservations must be made at least 24 hours in advance and require a $30 non-refundable deposit (if it’s a holiday weekend, $60).  If you have an unexpectedly need for an overnight stay, we accept walks-in by current clients as room allows. There is a $12 free for being a walk-in.

How far in advance can I make a reservation for a holiday stay?

Reservations can be made no farther than six months in advance of any date; a $60 deposit is required to make a reservation for any holiday overnight stay.

What forms of payment to you take?

We prefer Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express.  We don’t take cash. We can take checks, but charge a $25 returned check fee if a check bounces.

What do I need to bring when I drop off my dog for daycare?

Your dog must be on collar and leash.  If your dog needs to be fed while it’s here, please bring its meal in a bag or container appropriately labeled with the dog’s full name, how much it gets per meal, and which meals it gets fed.  For your dog to be fed, it will need to arrive before the feeding time preparations begin (that’s 11AM for lunch and 5PM for dinner).

Can I bring my dog’s personal bowl and bed?

As a rule, dogs are very sensitive about personal possessions, which can therefore lead easily to conflicts and fights.  So, for safety reasons, we can’t use bowls, beds, or toys from home.  Here we have bowls and beds aplenty for all our clients, who have one another to play with instead of toys!

Can I pay for my dog’s daycare in advance?

Yes, in fact, we much prefer it.  That’s why we have a convenient system of package deals for buying daycare hours.  When your dog becomes a “package dog”, we open a log for his hours on our computer system, where we keep a running record of the hours you buy and the time he uses.  We’ll let you know when you’re running low and need to buy another package.  The current package deals are as follows:

'The Puppy Dog'	10 hours	$40
“The Lap Dog'	25 hours	$95 (a $5 savings)
'The Hound Dog'	50 hours	$185 (a $15 savings)
'The Alpha Dog'	75 hours	$275 (a $25 savings)
'The Big Bad Wolf'	100 hours	$360 (a $40 savings)

Are there any other daycare discounts besides the package deals?

Yes.  If you own more than one dog and buy packages for each, there is a 10 percent discount for each dog. 

Does my dog have to buy package hours to stay with you?

It is expected that all dogs who stay with us for daycare will have a package log, for the sake of your own convenience and efficient check-out for all our customers.  It helps us prevent a backlog of owners waiting to get their dogs at the end of the working day.  Please note that daycare package hours are not applicable to overnight stays.

Is there an easier way to keep from running out of daycare package hours?

Yes.  Most of our regular daycare customers participate in our “Carefree Client Program”.  It’s a permission slip that you sign at the Front Desk that allows us to charge your credit charge for another package whenever your dog is running out of hours.  That way, you don’t have to stand around and fuss with purchasing more hours in person, when you’re eager after a long day’s work to pick up your dog and get home soon.

Can I get money back for unused package hours?

No, package hours are not refundable, but they are transferable.  If for some reason you will be unable to use your remaining package hours you may transfer them to a friend’s dog who is a current client in good standing or you can donate them to charity (we collect such hours and donate them to PETS DC, the charity for the pets of people with AIDS).

Can I pay for my dog’s overnight stay in advance?

Not really.  Since the final cost of dog’s stay with us depends on the exact time you drop off and pick up, we don’t know precisely how much the stay is until it ends.  However, if you need for someone else to pick up your dog after an overnight stay, you can leave your credit card number with our Front Desk, instructing them to charge the stay to that number when the dog is picked up.  When you drop off your dog, you’ll also need to let the Front Desk know who will be picking it up; we can’t just give your dog away to anyone, you know!

What do I need to do to keep my dog’s records current?

Every time you take your dog to get shots at the vet, make sure we get a copy either from the vet by fax (our fax number is 202-986-6303) or from you when you visit with your dog.  If we don’t have hard copy of veterinary evidence that your dog is up to date in its vaccinations we won’t be able to let it into the facility to be with the rest of the dogs.

Why do you need my current credit card number?

If anything should happen to your dog that we would need to take it to the hospital we need to have a valid credit card number for the hospital to charge the visit to.  We also need the current expiration date, so check with us every year to update us on the credit card information. 

Why do you need my current e-mail address?

E-mail is the idea way for us to keep in contact with you about many issues.  Every month we send out at least one e-mail linking to our popular newsletter, The Howler. Our “staff photographers” snap digital photos of the dogs at play here almost every day, and having your e-mail address also allows us to mail you any digital photos of your dog.  Plus, if we have any simple questions about your dog’s current records, it’s easier and less intrusive for us to e-mail you then to bother you with a phone call at work or at home.  And in case of an emergency or an unexpected need to close the facility for a day or so, we could let clients know that efficiently through e-mail, rather than have them show up to a closed facility.