Kennel Requirements

Requirments for Boarding or Attending Day Care

In addition to our health requirements, dogs must pass an evaluation in order to participate in our social environment. Please plan ahead - evaluations are mandatory.

Unfortunately we cannot accept the following breeds or any of the lesser known breeds that were breed for fighting or aggression: Akita, American Staffordshire Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier, ChowChow, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Rottweiler.

Evaluations are done Mondays through Thursdays. We offer 3 options for evaluating your dog:

1) Day Care: Your dog spends a day with us. Dogs arrive no later than 10:30am and are picked up between 4:00pm & 6:00pm. We devote an entire day to your dog in order to determine if he/she will be a good fit for our environment and routines.

2) Overnight: Your dog arrives by 10:30am and spends the entire day plus one night with us. If you are planning to board your dog during a holiday or other peak time, an Overnight Evaluation is mandatory.

3) Accelerated: Your dog is with us from 9:15am - 12:00pm. Dogs participating in an Accelerated Evaluation arrive at 9:15am and go home at 12:00pm. During this time, your dog works one-on-one with a Senior Dog Handler and our daily activities are “reenacted” to fit into this 3-hour time slot.

Our evaluation options make boarding more comfortable for your dog. Your dog will be excited to return to our familiar, positive environment. Our canine guests happily consider Cotati Dog Boarding their “home away from home”!

Here is an overview of our Evaluation Process:

Dogs are introduced to other dogs one at a time, then two at a time, until they are integrated into a play group. Many dogs are immediately at home in the group environment. It may take other dogs more exposure to “warm up”, and by the end of the evaluation, we have a good idea of whether or not this environment is best for them. Each dog is an individual and every dog is different.

Some of the things we consider during the Evaluation:

• Is the dog comfortable while other dogs investigate? Dogs must be agreeable to being checked out by other canines.

• Is the dog comfortable with new people and easy to handle by our staff? Our staff is comprised of both men and women of various ages and ethnicity's. Every dog must be friendly with every member of our staff.

• How does the dog react to our routines and various types of stimuli? Dogs will be moving around in groups to different play yards and community spaces throughout the day. Dogs will be joining play groups and others will be departing. We also have livestock nearby as well as additional people maintaining our grounds. This is new to many dogs, and it is important for them to accept this type of activity without excessive barking or exhibiting other stressful behavior.

In order to maintain a safe and fun environment for everyone, all dogs must be friendly towards other dogs and humans. We cannot accept dogs who exhibit aggressive, unsafe or excessively disruptive behavior towards other dogs or our staff. We do not work with aggressive dogs. Please see a professional trainer if your dog is aggressive towards people or other dogs.

For the safety of our canine guests and our human staff, we cannot accept breeds or breed types that have a genetic predisposition for canine aggression or human aggression/aversion. We do not work with aggressive dogs. Please see a professional trainer if your dog is aggressive towards people or other dogs.

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PLEASE NOTE COTATI DOG BOARDING HEALTH REQUIREMENTS:

All dogs MUST have proof of current vaccinations prior to entering our facility: DHLPP, rabies, and bordetella. We prefer that your vet fax these documents directly to us in advance of your dog’s visit. Dogs should be on a monthly topical flea prevention program, such as Advantage or Frontline.

All dogs age seven months and older MUST be spayed or neutered prior to entering our facility.

SAFETY:

We appreciate your dog being on a leash in our parking area and lobby. In consideration of our boarding guests, please do not walk your dog near the fenced play yards. Our facility is surrounded by private property - please refrain from exploring the grounds outside the parking area.

Thank you!