All dogs who visit us must be in great current health as defined by the following criteria:

1) No active or unresolved GI issues, including chronically loose stool. A dog's digestive baseline matters in a pack setting — if your dog's stool is consistently loose, please work with your vet to address it before they share our environment.

2) Must be independently mobile.

3) No continence issues.

4) Must be appropriately groomed: coat clean, unmatted, and seasonally trimmed; vision unobscured; sanitary areas clean and unobstructed; shedding coats brushed.

5) Not recovering from surgery or managing a terminal illness. These situations require a different model of care.

Your dog should transfer directly from your care to ours at the start of your travel, and directly from our care to yours at the end. We do not receive or deliver dogs to or from anyone other than you — no extended family members, friends, neighbors, or other caregivers.

In the event of an emergency at our home, we will deliver your dog to your designated emergency contact.

All dogs staying with us must have a designated emergency contact in the DC metro area — someone who could guarantee receipt of your dog if an emergency called us away from home unexpectedly. A death in the family, a loss of climate control during extreme heat or cold: these things are rare but not impossible.

If you don't have a person who can serve in this role, a commercial boarding facility in the DC metro area may be designated — but only if your dog has been pre-socialized there.

KIBBLE + FREEZE-DRIED: Pack your dog's dry food in an airtight, gallon-sized bag or container. For longer stays, multiple gallon-sized bags may be needed — but no single container may exceed a gallon. You may pack a bulk supply from which we measure meals here, or pre-measure individual meals into sandwich bags. We cannot accept food in its original store packaging.

COOKED + RAW: For commercial cooked or raw food (Farmer's Dog, Ollie, Nom Nom, etc.), please include a dishwasher-safe container for storing thawed portions. For home-cooked food, please arrive with food already prepared and stored in dishwasher-safe containers — with any portion requiring freezing packed separately. Raw food must be packed in glass containers.

CANNED: Please pack an airtight lid with your dog's cans.

Note: Food not packed to the above specifications is subject to a $25 surcharge.

By boarding with us, you authorize us to seek medical attention for your dog at our discretion — at our vet, your vet, or an emergency or urgent care facility. You also assume responsibility for all associated medical costs.

In the days leading up to a visit, please keep us informed of any health issues. When vet care is needed, it is almost always traceable to a condition or circumstance that preceded a dog's arrival.

A $75-per-hour service charge applies for time spent obtaining veterinary care for pre-existing conditions or circumstances arising before your dog's arrival.

Clients who refer a new dog to us receive $100 toward future boarding — earned once the referred dog has passed a socialization and completed a first boarding visit within four months. We'll notify you when the credit is yours. There is no limit to the number of referral credits you may earn.

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.

We maintain scheduled transport when our driveway hill is passable, roads between us are clear to the asphalt, and your street has clear pavement, safe parking, and room for two-way traffic.

When any of these conditions aren't met, we have options: we can arrange a time for you to bring your dog to the bottom of our driveway, Tony can transport on the next day conditions allow, or if your street is the only barrier, Tony can meet you at a nearby cleared location.

For our driveway we'll keep you updated. For roads between us, we follow Montgomery County and DC school closure decisions as our guide — if schools are closed, we likely cancel transport. For your street, we'll need your eyes on it.

A few things to keep in mind: pack extra food in case your dog's stay extends, consider an earlier arrival if a storm is forecast, and arrange a backup caregiver if needed. Extended stays due to weather are billed at our regular rate.