SOCIAL + BEHAVIORAL PREREQS

1. Is referred by an existing client.  

2. Has lived with you for at least six months before joining our pack. This gives you — and us — the clearest picture of who they are.

3. Has zero separation anxiety, zero social anxiety with dogs, zero social anxiety with people, and zero forms of aggression or resource guarding.

Our home has a natural daily rhythm that includes moments when Tony and Dennis are in another room, outside, or away from the home. In addition, at night the pack sleeps downstairs together — while we sleep upstairs. This is the arrangement that works for us. During the socialization overnight, your dog must demonstrate comfort with all of the above. We cannot accommodate a dog who "settles down eventually" — as one dog's anxiety changes the experience of our home for every other dog in it.

4. Can always read the room and has a play style that other dogs reliably welcome.

5. Is fully house-trained (will exclusively potty outdoors) and does not mark inside.

6. Is not destructive — with themselves, other dogs, or a home. Will not ingest foreign objects.

7. Transitions easily and immediately — not eventually — from the happiness of their own home to the happiness of new environments.

PHYSICAL + LOGISTICAL PREREQS

1. 59 pounds or less (for dogs joining after 2022).

2. Spayed/neutered.

3. Up-to-date on the following four vaccinations: Canine Flu, Bordetella, Rabies, and Distemper/Parvo. Because of our woodland setting we also recommend (but do not require) the lepto vax. A note on Canine Flu: if your dog hasn't yet had the vax, the initial series requires two shots given three weeks apart — with full vax strength reached two weeks after the second shot. Plan for five weeks from first shot to socialization eligibility. It's the one vaccine that can significantly affect your timeline with joining our pack, so confirm with your vet your dog’s vax status before moving forward. 

4. Meets our additional health criteria here.

5. Rides comfortably in a car. We provide transport for most clients — but cannot transport a dog with car anxiety or motion sickness. If that's your dog, we're still happy to work with you as long as you handle drop-off and pick-up. Arrival and departure logistics are here.

If your dog meets the prereqs above, please complete our client info form here. Take your time with it — your responses help us make sure we are the right fit for your dog.

Once we receive your client info form, Tony will follow up with a welcome email, scheduling options for your dog's socialization overnight, and a request for updated vax records — including confirmation of all four required vaccines: Canine Flu, Bordetella, Rabies, and Distemper/Parvo.

The socialization overnight gives your dog time to settle into our home and pack — and gives us time to observe how they engage with both. We move through multiple phases of the pack's day together, which tells us what we need to know.

Scheduling follows our standard arrival and departure model. For most socializations, Tony picks up on Sunday (11am-12pm) with return on Monday (11am-12pm).

COST

1 dog = $195. For homes with more than one dog, add $100 for each additional dog.

Socialization overnights are prepaid. If the socialization is successful, a credit of $195 is applied to your dog’s first regular stay. This first stay must be at least two nights and occur within four months of the socialization.

Credit does not apply for re-socializations.

After a successful socialization, your dog's first regular boarding visit should occur within four months. This first visit must be at least two nights. Waiting longer — or boarding for only one night — resets the process.

Once your dog has boarded with us, we ask that they stay at least four nights per year, either in a single visit or spread across visits. This is the minimum that preserves your dog's comfort with our pack — and our pack's comfort with your dog.

If either threshold lapses, your dog will need to restart our join process.