FAQ

Bring the food they’re used to eating. We don’t want any upset tummies. You are also welcome to bring any snacks you may want us to give. Just let us know how much to feed and when you want snacks to be given. You can also bring toys, but no rawhide or rope chew toys, please. All of our guests have cots to sleep on but you’re welcome to bring their beds or a tee shirt with your scent on it.

No, we furnish stainless steel or plastic bowls. We have a commercial-grade dishwasher to sanitize the bowls and they are changed out several times a day. We don’t want your bowls to get lost in our kitchen.

We have excellent protocols in place to make sure your dog gets the correct medication at the correct time. And there’s never any additional charges when your little buddies are staying with us.

Dogs are a lot like little kids. They act completely different when Mom or Dad isn’t around. We often see those scared little dogs strut right into the kennel with us and act like they’re right at home once you’re gone.    For added peace of mind, bring your little buddy in for a free evaluation. We’ll see how they do with other dogs and we’ll find the right temperament of dogs to play with. We’ll introduce them to kennels so their first night isn’t so scary. We recommend about 2 hours for an evaluation.

No, all breeds are welcome here. Some of the breeds with the worst reputations are the sweetest dogs we’ve met. Regardless of the breed, we do need to be able to handle your pet. Being people-friendly means we can love and hug on them!

Yes. We don’t let unaltered dogs mix with our altered guests but they can be run as singles. We have nine outdoor yards for any dogs that need to be run as a family or by themselves. They still go outside, run around, and go potty. Being around the other dogs keeps them mentally stimulated so at night they’re glad to go to their kennel and go soundly to sleep.

Yes. We do not allow any dogs through the doors to our facility without being up-to-date on shots. This includes the Bordetella vaccine being no more than 6 months old. There are several vaccines that are good for a year but the manufacturers of the vaccines recommend all high-traffic dog facilities be required every 6 months. We do everything possible to keep your furry ones safe.

We wish we could say yes. The truth is the Bordetella vaccine is a lot like a flu shot. It doesn’t guard against all strains of upper respiratory infections. It only guards against the four or five most common, which is why we are so diligent in guarding against it. We are the strictest around on the frequency of the vaccine, we have installed Oasis air purifiers to radiate the air and kill all airborne infections, and we use a strong kennel-grade disinfectant several times a day.

Is there always water available when they stay with you?

There is water available to every dog all the time. We have several buckets of water in the play yards that are changed out every 20 minutes. There is never a dog in a kennel without a bowl of water, and that includes grooming dogs.

If your dog comes home and seems thirsty, it does not mean they were deprived of water. Water is a comfort to dogs so when they get home, it feels so good to be in their own surrounding they may eat or drink even if it's not necessary. They’ll also be extremely tired. It just feels so good to be home!

What you saw was a family of dogs. Because we have the largest kennels in the area (6’x6’ or 8’x8’), we tend to have families of 3 or 4 dogs. However, your dog will always have their own kennel. There is never a time when dogs outside of the family share kennels.

Dogs are like little kids on the playground. Sometimes they get excited or a little rambunctious and injuries occur. The dogs rarely know they’ve been injured because they're having so much fun and can easily shake it off.

All of the staff involved with keeping your pet safe are Dog CPA certified. There are procedures in place to inspect, clean, and disinfect any wounds that may occur. We model our procedures after children’s daycare and will notify you no matter how small the injury. Your dog’s health and safety is always our priority.

It's not a good idea. We never want your dog’s toys to be ruined or chewed on by another dog, which can often lead to dogs getting into fights. It only takes one fur baby to show dominance over a toy and everyone has to get into the act.

We find that dogs have a natural way of playing. They re content to chase, run, or just roll around on our synthetic grass. All yards have fresh water, pools, lawn toys, shade canopies, and lots of attention from our professional yard techs. They have a blast, and of course, they are always supervised. At night, the halls of our kennels are filled with happy, loud snores. 

Here’s a glimpse at a typical day at Canine Courtyard:

●       Rise and shine! All dogs go outside starting around 6:45. The kennels are vacuumed and mopped with our kennel-grade disinfectant. The bowls are picked up and sanitized in our commercial-grade dishwasher. All of the beds are disinfected and wiped down along with the walls of the kennel. This takes about an hour and a half and the kennels are spotless.

●       Bowls are filled with fresh water and food and all the dogs are called in for breakfast. As a safety precaution, we require all the dogs to wait at least an hour after eating to give their tummies time to settle before going out to potty or play.

●       After the waiting time, all of the dogs are ready go back outside and play the rest of the day. This is not an endurance test. Many of the dogs need to come in for breaks or a long nap. We closely monitor all the dogs and rotate the dogs with the lower activity needs through out the day.

●       All of the dogs come back in for dinner. We have the same hour-long waiting period after dinner. All of the dogs go back outside to go potty and get the last bit of energy out.

●       Time for bed! When the dogs come back inside, we play lullaby music and dim the lights. The only noise you hear from the dogs is snoring. Dogs love a routine.

After a day or two, there are very few messes in the kennels. The dogs know when they’ll be back outside. They also love to play all day and tucker themselves out.  When they come back into our air-conditioned kennels with cool tile floors and the lullaby music playing softly, it’s lights out.  Even the dogs that need a little less activity are tired from just watching the goings-on all day. Everyone gets a good night’s sleep.