Are dog daycares safe?

Start with what can actually go wrong. Dogs play with their mouths, paws and bodies, so small scrapes happen in any group. Respiratory illness travels wherever dogs share air, and the AVMA names daycare facilities among the settings of particular risk for kennel cough, which is why vaccines are required. These are the everyday risks, and a good daycare reduces them openly rather than pretending they do not exist.

The serious risks come from management. A small dog placed with dogs twice its size, a group too big for the people watching it, or a scuffle nobody sees starting are where real injuries come from. Massachusetts took that seriously enough to pass Ollie's Law, in effect since December 19, 2024, which requires commercial boarding and training kennels, a category that includes daycares, to report injuries to animals or people to their licensing authority.

Temperament testing happens once; matching and supervision happen all day. At Dogtown the free evaluation places each dog in a playgroup of 7 to 10 by size, play style and temperament, and that placement shapes a dog's day more than any other decision. A well-matched group needs less stepping in, because the dogs in it want the same kind of game and read each other well. Every full day also builds in rest breaks and water stations.

Supervision is the other half. Colorado's pet care facility rules, which spell it out, require a person who can see each shared play area directly and say a camera or a window does not count. That is a sensible standard to hold any daycare to while Massachusetts writes its own regulations under Ollie's Law. Overnight guests at Dogtown join the same daytime groups and are monitored 24/7 at night in their suites.

Safety also depends on the dog. A social adult who plays well and settles afterward is the dog daycare suits best. A puppy can start once its vaccines and city license are on file and it has passed the evaluation, and a half day at $33 is a gentler first booking than a full day. A senior may be safest in a calmer group for shorter days. The evaluation is where our team sees which of these your dog is.

Some dogs are safer without a group, at least for now. A dog-selective dog, a frightened dog or a dog with big feelings about other dogs is not helped by being placed in a room of them. For those dogs, Adventure Academy, a socialization path built for dog-selective pups and dogs hoping to join the daycare pack, or solo at-home walks led by Dogtown staff, are the safer starting points.