Terms of service

The Doggie Depot Vision:

We are committed to reducing loneliness and the anxiety that dogs experience when separated from their humans, which has a very real impact on their overall health and behavior.  We will always strive to create and maintain a caring, comfortable, and stimulating  day care and boarding environment for our pet clients in an effort to ensure their health, safety, and trust.

The Doggie Depot Mission:

We'll provide a clean, comfortable, and safe facility where dog owners can bring their pets to spend the day being cared for and monitored while their owners work, go to school, run errands, or go out of town. Our dog clients will be able to exercise and expend energy, socialize and develop relationships outside their home environments, and there will be optional services to augment the standard day care experience.

About our staff:

The Doggie Depot takes pride in the staff that interacts with our four legged friends. We are committed to the care and safety of your dog and employ staff that embrace our philosophy while respecting our clients.  Our staff will be offered professional learning to support the needs of our business and clients.

The Doggie Depot Play Care Hours:

Monday-Friday 7:00 am- 6:00 pm

Play care will be closed for the following holidays:  New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

The Doggie Depot may close play care service due to inclement weather.  This will be posted on our social media platforms and website.

The Doggie Depot Stay Care Hours:

Stay Care  will be offered twenty four hours a day.  Stay Care pricing includes play care during normal business hours Monday through Friday. Weekend and holiday stay care will include a minimum of six (6) hours of play care time.

Basic requirements for attendance:

  • Six months or older
  • Vaccination protocol - current with proof from vet on file at The Doggie Depot
    • Rabies
    • Deworming - Roundworm, hookworm, etc.
    • Distemper
    • Hepatitis
    • Parainfluenza
    • Parvovirus
    • Leptospirosis
    • Bordetella Bronchiseptica (kennel cough)
    • Canine influenza vaccine *recommended*
    •  Frontline, Advantix, or a similar flea-and parasite-control product *recommended*
  • Complete a Behavior Assessment and Reactivity Checklist (B.A.R.C) screening with a Doggie Depot staff member
  • Enrollment Application
  • Feeding and medication form
  • Owner and dog contact information on file
  • Owner agreement
  • Pay in advance for attendance and any add-on services
  • Other items as needed to assure the safety of all clients and staff

The Doggie Depot Screening Process:

Please note, The Doggie Depot’s mission is to create and maintain a clean, comfortable, and secure daycare and boarding environment for our clients in an effort to ensure their health, safety, and trust.  In keeping with  our mission,  The Doggie Depot reserves the right to decline services to any dog for any reason,  including failure to pass our screening process.

All potential Depot dogs must go through a screening process to be allowed to attend play care or stay care.  The Depot staff uses the Behavior Assessment & Reactivity Checklist (www.boundangels.org)  The staff will also use the information provided by the client on the Enrollment Application to determine if a dog is a good fit for the environment at The Doggie Depot. 

If a dog is accepted to attend The Doggie Depot and then begins to behave differently than when initially observed during the screening process, the Depot staff has the right to call the client or client’s emergency contact to pick up the dog immediately.  The behavior will be noted, discussed with the owners and a decision will be made if the dog can remain at The Doggie Depot.  This is for the safety of all staff and other dogs at The Depot.

The Doggie Depot Price Structure:

**All services must be prepaid

Play care

Half day (4 hours or less) $18.00

Full day: $28.00

5 day Depot Ticket: $125.00 ($25.00/day)

10 day Depot Ticket: $230.00 ($23.00/day)

20 day Depot Ticket: $420.00 ($21.00/day) 

**All Tickets are non-refundable and EXPIRE 90 days from the date of purchase.  If we do not see your dog in a year, your dog will need to be re-screened.       

Stay Care

$35.00/night - standard rate

$40.00/night - holiday rate**

**New Year’s - Dec 30-31, Jan 1-2 night

    Easter - Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon night

    Memorial Day - Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon night

    July 4th - July 2, 3, 4, 5 night

    Labor Day - Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon night

    Thanksgiving -  Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat night

    Christmas:  Dec 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 night

Our stay care includes full access to our play care hours (7a-6p),  Monday through Friday.  Our overnight weekend and holiday guests will receive a minimum of 6 hours of play care time each day.   Our stay care rates are structured like “people hotel rates” and charges begin on arrival day, regardless of time .  Dogs picked up after 1:00 pm on their scheduled day of pick up will be charged an additional nightly rate. 

**For stay care there is a 25% deposit; the deposit will be applied to the balance due.  A 72 hour notice is required for the cancellation of stay care services.  If notice is not received, the deposit is forfeited.

**Stay care requires a reservation.  Please email thedoggiedepot23@gmail.com or call 217-234-1226 to make your reservation.

Late pick up charges:

To respect our staff’s time, there will be a late charge if a client arrives late to pick up their dog beyond business closing time.  

Beginning at 6:01 pm, a charge of $10 will be assessed for every five minutes that a client is late.

Drop off/Pick Up Procedure:

All clients must see a Doggie Depot staff member when dropping off and picking up their dog(s). If there is not a staff member in the Main Hall when you arrive, please wait with your dog, someone will be right with  you.   

Some mornings a staff member may be outside to receive dogs if staffing allows.  Clients will need to come inside to pick up their dog from a staff member.

**Please note, for the safety of our clients, staff members and our other dogs, clients are only allowed in The Main Hall of The Doggie Depot.  Their four legged family members will be taken to the appropriate room for the day or retrieved from the play area they are currently having fun in during pick up.  All of our doors have glass panels so our clients may see their dog(s) in our play care rooms. 

Leash and Collar Policy:

All furry clients will need to be dropped off on a leash, as well as depart on a leash.  We are an off leash care facility, but for the safety of other clients, we ask when a dog is not in the play care areas they are leashed.  This includes the parking lot.

The Depot also requests a well-fitted collar (with a flat buckle) or harness, and ID tags. This will enable us to easily bring your dog in and out of the daycare. Pinch and chain collars are allowed, but we will remove them in the daycare setting for safety reasons.

Important Health & Safety Notice:

Dogs with contagious illnesses or parasites are not allowed at The Doggie Depot.  We are happy to provide care for dogs with special medical or health needs when applicable and if we feel it is within the scope of our staff’s ability.  However, for the safety and health of other dogs at The Doggie Depot, we cannot accommodate dogs with contagious diseases, parasites, or injuries that we feel are safety concerns.

Common illnesses and parasites  in dogs include, but are not limited to: Bordetella (kennel cough), conjunctivitis, fleas, and intestinal parasites/worms. Symptoms of illness can include: coughing, retching, vomiting, diarrhea, discharge from the eyes, nose, mouth, persistent scratching and/or biting of their skin, and/or visible parasites in the stool.

If a dog shows signs of illness while in our care, we will isolate them from the other dogs and the owner will be asked to retrieve the dog as soon as possible. The dog is welcome to come back to the Depot only after a veterinarian declares him or her to be free of illness and/or parasites.

If a dog arrives at the Depot showing signs of an illness, or if a dog is actively being treated for a contagious illness, parasites, or injury, the dog is not allowed to stay. This is for the comfort, health, and safety of your dog and the other dogs at The Doggie Depot.  We do not want these diseases or parasites to infect our other clients!  Please call our office at 217-234-1226 for more information about this policy.

If a dog becomes seriously ill or injured, the Depot staff will contact the owner and then transport the dog to a local veterinarian for immediate care.  Depending on the severity, the staff may choose to transport to an emergency veterinarian.  

Vet’s Name, address, phone

Age, Health, and Vaccination Requirements

The Doggie Depot is open for dogs who are six  months and older.  They  will spend the day in our play care rooms as well as our play yards.  We welcome dogs of varying temperaments and activity levels. Our staff will work with your dog to assist them with their  adjustment to our play care setting. To ensure the safety and wellbeing of your dog, we require that all dogs are spayed/neutered, as these dogs tend to acclimate the best to a pack environment.

We require all dogs to be up-to-date on their rabies, deworming, distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza, parvovirus and Bordetella bronchiseptica (kennel cough) vaccines. We also recommend the canine influenza vaccine, but it is not required.  We recommend that all dogs use Frontline, Advantix, or a similar flea- and parasite-control product.  We ask our clients to please not apply these products on the day your dog attends play care or comes for stay care, as doing so could be unsafe for the staff and our other dogs. 

We will ask you to provide a copy of your dog’s vaccination records BEFORE your scheduled screening or by their first day of play care or stay care. NOTE:  WE WILL NOT ALLOW DOGS INTO THE FACILITY WITHOUT PROOF OF PROPER VACCINATIONS!

Please provide us with updated records as the old ones expire.  Vaccination updates will be required on a yearly basis.

Please let us know if your dog has any health issues that would impact his or her time in play care or stay care. Examples include: injuries, recent surgery/stitches, skin conditions, illness, history of seizures, allergies, etc.  We will do our best to accommodate any special health needs your dog may have.

As always, our goal is to keep all of the dogs at The Doggie Depot healthy and safe.   Please do not bring your dog to play or stay care if he or she is showing signs of illness.  Symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, rashes, coughing, or discharge from the eyes or nose may indicate an illness that could be contagious to other dogs.  If your dog shows signs of illness while in our care, we will remove him or her from the other dogs to a quiet area, and then alert you or your emergency contact.

Your dog’s health and safety at The Doggie Depot  is part of our mission.   However, our environment is a social setting and like a playground for dogs instead of kids.  Things happen on a playground, including injuries and sickness.  In the course of playtime with other dogs throughout the day, minor injuries such as scrapes or bumps may occur.  In the event that your dog becomes sick or injured during the day, our staff will assist him or her immediately to ensure his or her safety.  We will then contact you, or your emergency contact, to alert you of the situation.

Behavior Requirements:

At The Doggie Depot, our furry friends are made up of many different types of dogs.  Each of them have their own individual “doganality” like humans have personalities.  The majority of dogs that come to play care and stay care are playful, happy, and friendly, and we also welcome shy or nervous dogs, as long as they are able to acclimate to the daily routines during their introductory period. Every dog is given a chance to adjust to their new friends, and our caring staff will be able to determine if your dog will be happy at The Doggie Depot. 

WE DO NOT ALLOW AGGRESSIVE OR DANGEROUS DOGS.  The Doggie Depot reserves the right to determine what is aggressive and/or dangerous as those terms relate to our specific environment.  We do not allow aggressive play, excessive barking, or dominant behavior. Our staff works diligently to maintain a calm environment in our play care rooms and play yards. We understand that many dogs may be over-excited on their first day, and we will work with your dog to teach them our expectations.  Many clients have noted that their dogs’ behavioral problems at home are eased after experiencing the calm energy of their friends at The Doggie Depot.

Important Safety Information:

We ask that clients do not knock on the windows of the play care rooms or come through the gates in the play yard.  The safety of our dogs depends on consistent routines and staff interactions.  Sudden noises or the appearance of “strangers” may disrupt this routine.  For the safety and comfort of all clients’ dogs, we ask that all clients wait for a staff member to greet them in the Main Hall to drop off their dog or retrieve their dog at pick up.

Abandoned Dogs:

Dogs considered abandoned (dogs left without proper arrangements and payments for such arrangements) will be placed with local authorities.  All clients of The Doggie Depot understand and agree that if you abandon your dog, you may be unable to retrieve possession of your dog and will have no recourse against The Doggie Depot.

Cleaning Procedures:

The Doggie Depot takes pride in keeping a clean facility for our furry friends to enjoy.  There is a cleaning procedure checklist for each area of our facility that will be completed on a daily basis.

Outside cleaning and maintenance:

  • Depot staff will routinely monitor our play yard for feces and garbage to be immediately collected and disposed
  • Play yards will be checked on a daily basis with a magnetic wand to minimize the risk  of harmful metal objects that are hard to see

Inside cleaning and maintenance:

  • Play care rooms are monitored and kept clean throughout the day.  This will include mopping and sanitizing as needed with a thorough cleaning when play care hours are over
  • No glass or other  items that can shatter/break are allowed in the play care rooms and all liquids must be in a secure container
  • Stay care crates will be monitored and cleaned as needed daily with a thorough sanitizing process on check out day 

General Cleaning:

  • The Depot staff will maintain cleaning in all areas of our facility as needed to ensure a clean, safe and healthy environment for all of our furry friends

Client Parking

Please park in the parking lot at the corner of Moultrie and First Street.  Please be respectful to our neighbors by not parking along the southside of Moultrie or the eastside of First Street.  Please be aware when parking there will be other clients bringing their dogs to play or stay care, so please drive safely and slowly around our facility.  Wednesday is The Depot’s garbage pick up day, so please do not block the dumpster.

Walking at The Doggie Depot

If you need to walk your dog , please use the grassy areas around our parking lot. Please do not walk your dog in our neighbors’ yards.  We are happy to be here and want to keep our neighbors happy. “If your dog poops, you scoop!” Thank you for helping to keep our neighborhood clean! Waste bags are available in The Main Hall for your convenience.

Release of photos:

Photos and videos of the dogs, staff and perhaps clients may be used on the website, social media, lobby displays or other marketing materials.  You consent to The Doggie Depot’s use of your or your dog’s image, likeness and name in such marketing materials.  All photos and videos are the property of The Doggie Depot. 

Play Care General Information:

First Day of Play Care

We know our clients have a  lot of questions on their dog’s first day of stay care. Please read this material carefully. If you have any questions please feel free to ask our staff. Your dog’s first day at The Doggie Depot can be overwhelming for them and you! Please feel free to call us during the day if you are concerned about how they are doing.

The Doggie Depot staff asks that on your four legged family members first day you arrive early, between 7:00-7:15.  This will give your dog a chance to meet all of their new friends a few at a time as they arrive and an opportunity to acclimate to the play care and play yard areas.  Clients may stay and watch their dogs but they will be asked to remain in the main hall utilizing the window in the door for a bit, but just like dropping a child off at preschool in kindergarten on their first day, sometimes it is just best to let them do it all on their own.

Play Care Behavior

Just like you have to teach and enforce sociable behaviors at school for children, we have to teach and enforce sociable behaviors in order to have a fun, safe, well run play care environment. Dogs play hard, and even get into “disagreements” with one another. That is normal and to be expected. What our staff won’t allow is aggression, or behaviors that could lead to a full blown fights. So, we have a set of guidelines for the dogs, to allow them to be dogs, yet not allowing them to harm one another or any person. Our training methods are firm but fair. We redirect, use voice commands and or water bottles. Some of the commands that your dog will learn at daycare are: Sit, down, off, wait, stay, leave it and quiet. Please understand that there are risks and benefits associated with group socialization. While the socialization and play is closely and carefully monitored by staff to prevent injury, it is still possible that during the course of normal play your dog may receive minor nicks and scratches from roughhousing with other dogs. Any injury will be pointed out by staff at pick up.

Feeding and Medicine Administration
If your dog requires feeding during the day, please bring the food in a container labeled with your dog’s name and feeding instructions. We will either put them in another room to eat or put them in a crate so their furry friends are not tempted to eat their lunch. We are also able to administer most medications throughout the day.  All medicines must be able to be administered with food (cheese, peanut butter, hot dog, or kibble)  Please discuss these needs with a Depot staff member. 

Stay Care General Information:

How Does Stay Care Work:
We love to have overnight friends!  We want your dog to be active and interactive, and we have the space they need to do that!  This will allow you to travel and know that your furry family member is well taken care of having their “vacation” at The Depot.  

Our friends will sleep in crates that The Depot provides.  If you would like to bring any comfort items for their stay, please do, just make sure it is labeled.  If you prefer to bring your own crate, great!  Please just let us know when making your reservation.  All crates will be cleaned and sanitized daily with dog friendly cleaning supplies. 

All stay care friends will join play care friends Monday through Friday.  The weekend schedule is below.

Stay Care Schedule:
Drop off for our friends who will be joining us for a sleep over can be dropped off anytime during regular business hours Monday through Friday.  Weekend drop offs will need to happen between 8 am and 10am.  On weekdays, we ask for drop offs to happen  as early as possible.  Our afternoons are busy with play care friends getting picked up to head home.  This also allows your dog to get some socialization with their other friends.  

Monday-Friday Daily Schedule

6:30 am- Breakfast and morning potty

7:00 am- Join play care friends for a day of fun (will be fed and administered medication if requested)

5:45-6:30 pm- Dinner 

9:30-10:00 pm-Final potty break and put to bed


Saturday and Sunday Schedule

6:30am-7:00 am - Breakfast and morning potty

7:00am-5:00pm-at least 6 hours of play care with other overnight friends

5:00pm-6:00pm Dinner

9:30pm-10:00 pm- Final potty break and put to bed

NOTE:  Weekend drop off and pick up times:  8-10 am

NOTE:  Weekday pick up times:  9-11 am (after 11 am a play care charge of $28 is assessed or a ticket stamp)

 

What to bring to stay care 

  • Food for the entire stay 
    • Please bring food in a sealable container or plastic container with lid
    • This is to avoid digestion issues
    • We encourage you to bring extra food in the event your travel plans change
  • Comfort items for their crate (if needed and mark with last name)
  • Medications (if needed)

**The Doggie Depot will supply food and water bowls.

**Personal dog toys are allowed but will only be given to the dogs in their crates.

Stay Care Policy

All of our friends who choose to stay overnight must be able to be put into play groups with other dogs; therefore, they must go through our screening process prior to their stay care reservation.   We encourage them to spend a day at play care to assure they are able to acclimate to other dogs to keep them, other dogs, and our staff safe.

Some dogs may get along well with other dogs (1-2 dogs at a time) but may not be comfortable playing with a large group of dogs.  We will work with your dog to get him or her used to their new group of friends if needed, but if they show any signs of aggression toward other dogs or employees we will keep them separate from others and ask that you not bring them back again. 

If your dog seems to be stressed in a large group of dogs, they might not be the social type; therefore, our environment may not be a good fit for your dog. If this is the case we will let you know and help you find other options for them. Remember we have your dog’s best interest in mind while they are here.  

If we have not had your dog as a guest for over a year, they will need to be re-screened and are encouraged to attend one day of play care.

We know that dogs will bark, but if your dog barks non stop for no reason, then they will not be allowed to stay overnight with us again.  You must also understand that there are risks and benefits associated with group socialization of dogs. However, we feel the benefits outweigh the risks. While the socialization and play are closely and carefully monitored by staff, it is still possible that during the normal course of play dogs may receive minor nicks and scratches from their interaction with other dogs.

SCHEDULING

If you are a current client of The Doggie Depot for play care, you can make a reservation at any time.  Please just talk to a Depot staff member or call us at 217-234-1226 .

If you are a new client, you must first schedule your dog for their screening and are encouraged to have your dog attend a day at play care before reserving a night for stay care. This procedure is designed to assure you that your pup will do well in our setting, which is important because our stay care friends spend their days with our play care dogs.