does anyone wish that...

....doggie daycare was actually affordable?

There are more and more places around here that have wonderful doggie daycare facilities, where the dogs are not in cages. But they charge something like $25 a day! For pete's sake!!

I guess it's for the rich and trendy? Do you think they will ever make it affordable for regular people?

We do have one vet here who only charges $7/day and lets the dogs roam around at the vet's office. Obviously they can't take too many dogs, though.

 

HMMMM.... $7 a day to let my dog roam around a vets office filled with sick dogs....I'm thinking it's not worth my $7.00!!!

 

there is a place that just opened up here that is agility, dog park and day care and you pay I think $40 a month, I dont know if things like day care are extra but its ounds pretty cool. $25 that is outragous to me

 

These are the local PetCo prices for "day camp". The first price is with the PALS card and the second price is "retail" (why anyone would pay more rather than fill out a little card is beyond me).

and here are the rates for another local place: http://www.puppysplaypen.com/services/rates.htm

Crazy. I pay $15/night (per dog) when I board my dogs. They are in large kennels in a heated/air-conditioned building and they get to go out in play groups in fenced enclosures. They must love it, because they are VERY excited to see the kennel person when she comes to pick them up.

I never thought of Maisey's angle about the sick dogs at the vet. I doubt the daycare dogs are exposed to them much - they aren't in the exam rooms or anything. I suppose they could pick something up, but I do trust my dogs' immune systems. Of course, I can't do any kind of doggie daycare with mine even if I could afford it because they don't get yearly vaccinations.

 

Do any of these day cares throw in basic obedience...? I dont mean a course of training just teaching them to 'go potty' (if needed) or not to jump up on people, maybe 'here'?

 

there is a free publication in our area called Critter Exchange (http://www.critterexchange.com) they had an article regarding doggie daycares awhile ago and I'm not sure I'd trust them, but then again I'm a paranoid type. Not certifiably paranoid but enough to be cautious
Some of the doggie daycares (note the use of the word some) don't take a dog's particular instincts into consideration when allowing them to all do what they want to do in the yard.
Such as the 2 Siberian Huskies who decided to pack up on a much smaller dog. Instinct
or the Rottie who decided to have a field day with an annoying Parson Terrier aka JRT
In the case of the 2 huskies vs. the other smaller dog they were unable to break them up cause the 2 people watching over the dogs didn't have the training necessary to deal with breaking up 2 large dogs intent on killing a smaller one. They did, however, use some brain and got a hose and watered the dogs down. Stopped them long enough they could save the smaller dog.
I'd want to know EXACTLY how any doggie daycare views "playtime" between various dog breeds and sizes before I'd send my dog there.

 

Yeah, I don't really trust them, either. I just wish there were more alternatives. I bet I could make a ton of money if I did doggie daycare in my home, but I don't have the facilities to do it safely for more than a couple of dogs.

 

Yeah, I wish there was something like that. And I wish they would call me at work and say Zoey has thrown up and I have to pick her up right now! So I can be all "Sorry guys, but the day care just called. I have to go."