Doggy Daycare Near Me: How Much Does It Really Cost?

Okay, so the other day, I was thinking about getting a puppy. Super exciting, right? But then, reality hit. I work long hours, and I felt super guilty about leaving a little furball home alone all day. So, I started looking into doggy daycare. I had NO idea where to even begin, so I just Googled "how much is doggy daycare near me." Seriously, that's all I typed in.

First, I scrolled through a bunch of websites. Some were fancy, some were, uh, not so fancy. It was kind of overwhelming! I saw a place called "Pawsome Paradise" – cheesy, I know, but the pictures looked good. Another one was "Happy Tails Ranch," which sounded promising.

Prices, Prices, Prices...

The prices, though, were all over the place.

• Some places charged by the hour.
• Others had half-day and full-day rates.
• There were even a few that offered weekly or monthly packages!

I grabbed a pen and paper and started jotting down notes. I made a list of the places that seemed decent and wrote down their different price options. It was a bit of a mess, honestly.

I noticed that some places would include add on's, that seemed like they should be standard, but I wrote it down anyway.

Reading the Fine Print (Ugh)

Then came the fun part...reading the fine print. Some places had extra fees for things like, administering medication, or if your dog needed "special attention." I guess that means if your dog is a little...extra? One place even had a "late pick-up fee," which, knowing me, I'd probably end up paying. Also, I observed the fine print, stating that they require an evaluation before taking a dog.

After about an hour of this, I was starting to feel like I was getting nowhere. I was about to throw in the towel.

Taking a Break.

So, I step away for a while, regroup, refresh, and then go back to do some more looking. I narrow my list down some.

Making Some Calls...

After my list was a bit less scary, I started calling around. The first place I called, the lady was super nice, but they were booked solid for like, the next two months. The second place, the guy sounded like he hated dogs. Not a good sign. But the third place? The woman I spoke to was amazing! She answered all my questions, and she was genuinely enthusiastic about dogs.

She walked me through their prices, which were pretty reasonable, and explained that they had a big outdoor play area, and the dogs were always supervised. She also said that to make an evaluation for my dog, all I had to do was book the time and bring her in. She made the process very easy.

So, I booked the evaluation appointment, I feel pretty good about this place. I'll let you know how the evaluation goes!