Tuesday, March 31st, 2020 was our Doberman puppy’s first visit to doggie daycare. We took Atlas to the local doggie daycare for his first meet and greet session.
With all his vaccination taken care of, we decided to enroll Atlas in doggie daycare at Dogtopia of South Bay. It is a nice-to-have option if we will be visiting friends for prolonged hours. We initially took Atlas for a meet and greet session on March 31st, 2020. The staff at the daycare assessed Atlas’ temperament, behavior and observed how well he played with other dogs. They do this to create a doggie profile so they can place him in the appropriate open play area with dogs of his size and temperament.
The initial visit and daycare was free of charge and we were happy with the outcome and the facility.
Our original plan was to take Atlas back to the doggie daycare a week later, but the owner voluntarily closed the center for two weeks out of caution due to the COVID-19 situation.
Today was the first day the doggie daycare re-opened, with a modified schedule. We dropped Atlas off at the doggie daycare center again so he can continue to socialize with his pals.
Atlas receives his much needed socialization with other dogs. But since he hasn’t really been in a room full of other dogs, getting him acclimated may take some time. I noticed that he gravitates toward the humans in the open play area before he opens up and begins playing with the other dogs.
Not only does Atlas receives his socialization, he also gets his day’s worth of mental and physical stimulation. So much that he couldn’t stay awake in the short drive back home from the doggie daycare!
How Much Does Doggie Daycare Cost?
The answer to that question really depends on where you live and the daycare center itself. For the daycare where we are sending Atlas, Dogtopia of South Bay, they have half-day, full day and weekends and are priced as follow (at the time of this writing):
Full Day, $38
Half Day, Saturday, Sunday, $28
Meet & Greet Evaluation, $15
Their overnight boarding are priced according to how “fancy” the dog’s kennel is, taking holidays into consideration:
Standard, $58 per night
Suite, $68 per night
Holiday Standard, $62 per night
Holiday Suite, $72 per night
I can see us taking Atlas back to Dogtopia of South Bay more frequently, if only just for the socialization aspect alone. He definitely needs to be around other dogs more often. And since it is a full daycare and boarding facility, we can drop Atlas off for the entire day while enjoying a short day trip. Atlas’ first visit to doggie daycare has been a great success.