Overnight stays
How far in advance should I book holiday boarding?
Every year the same phone call happens in the third week of November. This page is our attempt to make it happen in September instead: what fills, why, what has to be done before the nights can even be booked, and how to hold your dates without guessing.
The short version
The day the trip is real is the day to book the suite
There is no magic number of weeks, and we would be inventing one if we gave it. What we can say is how the calendar behaves. Suites fill in the order people book them, holiday weeks fill fastest, and the cost of booking early is nothing, while the cost of booking late is a scramble. So the rule is simple: when the flight is bought, the rental is paid or the family says yes to Thanksgiving in Vermont, book the nights the same day.
If your dog is new to Dogtown, the nights cannot be booked until the free evaluation is done, and evaluations happen only on weekday mornings between 6:30 and 9:30 AM. That is the step that actually runs people out of time. Do it as soon as you know you will travel, even if the trip is months away.
- Book the nights the day the travel is fixed
- New dog: evaluation first, weekday mornings only
- Holiday weeks and summer weekends fill first
- Unlimited members: priority on holiday reservations
The calendar
The Cape Ann holidays that fill the suites
Gloucester is a summer town and a holiday town, and the overnight calendar follows it. Late June brings St. Peter's Fiesta, the July 3 fireworks fill the harbor front, and Labor Day weekend belongs to the Schooner Festival. Families leave for the mountains or the Cape on those weekends and the dogs come to Eastern Ave. Then the winter run: Thanksgiving week, Christmas through New Year, and the February and April school vacation weeks.
The pattern for a nor'easter week is different. Stays that are already booked run as normal, with play on the indoor floors, but people who were meant to fly out of Logan get stuck and stays get extended or delayed at short notice. That is a reason to book the nights you know about and to tell us early if the forecast is changing your plans.
| Period | What is happening on Cape Ann | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Late June to July 4 | St. Peter's Fiesta, fireworks on July 3 | Book when the summer plans are made |
| Labor Day weekend | Schooner Festival, last beach weekend | Book with the rental |
| Thanksgiving week | Travel out of Logan and down Route 128 | Book when the family plans are set |
| Christmas to New Year | The longest stays of the year | Book as early as the travel |
| February and April vacation weeks | School vacation travel | Book with the trip |
| Nor'easter weeks | Cancelled flights, extended stays | Tell us as soon as plans change |
How it works at Dogtown
Four things have to be true before a holiday stay is confirmed
Licensing is the quiet one. Gloucester dog licenses come from the City Clerk at 9 Dale Ave, cost $20 for a spayed or neutered dog plus a one-dollar fee, need a current rabies certificate, and are late after April 30 with a $20 penalty. Manchester-by-the-Sea licenses run April 1 to March 31. A lapsed license or an overdue Bordetella booster in mid-December is a fixable problem, but only if it is discovered in November.
If you hold the unlimited daycare membership at $700 a month, priority holiday overnight-stay reservations are a listed benefit. Ask the front desk how to use it for the dates you want, and do it before the November rush rather than during it, because priority helps most when there is still something to choose from. The membership also brings 15 percent off grooming, which matters for the going-home bath.
- 01
Your dog has completed the free evaluation, or has one booked for a weekday morning
- 02
Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella are current and a city dog license is on file
- 03
The nights are booked, with drop-off and pick-up windows chosen
- 04
Any bundle, enrichment or groom before pick-up is added to the booking
- 05
You have told us about medications, diet or behavior that affects the stay
What it means for your dog
A holiday stay should not be a first stay
The dogs who struggle over Thanksgiving are almost always the ones for whom the holiday stay is the first stay. Everything is new at once: the building, the group, the suite, and a house full of other dogs' scents. Book the evaluation in the early fall, add two or three daycare days in October, and try a single night before the long one.
Puppies need the vaccination series your vet advises before the evaluation, and that can take longer than you think for a fall puppy. Adults who already know Dogtown are the easy case. Seniors on medication or a special diet need the front desk to know the details in advance, and holiday weeks are the worst time to be explaining a pill schedule at the door.
- Puppies: finish the vaccines, evaluate, then a daycare day or two before a night
- Adults new to Dogtown: evaluation in early fall, one trial night before the holiday
- Seniors: medications and diet written down and sent ahead
- Regulars: book the nights and add a groom for the trip home
Late
If the holiday is close and nothing is booked, call today
Sometimes the trip is two weeks away and the evaluation has not happened. Call the front desk. Weekday morning evaluation slots may still be open, and a stay may be too; what we cannot do is hold a suite we have not been asked for. Be ready with your dates, the vaccination records and the license, and ask about a bundle and a groom at the same time so nothing is added at the last minute.
If the suites are full, ask what is close: fewer nights with a friend covering the rest, or a Pup Van run at $10 each way in Gloucester, Rockport, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea that makes a different window workable. We would rather tell you no than squeeze a dog into a group that is not right for it.
At Dogtown
Book the stay, add the groom
Holiday guests often go home with a bath or a full groom on the last day. Both are added when you book the nights.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Does Dogtown have a booking deadline for holiday stays?
Can I book a holiday stay before my dog has been evaluated?
What does a holiday stay cost?
Do unlimited daycare members really get priority for holidays?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
- Discover Gloucester festivals
- Gloucester Schooner Festival
- Gloucester dog licensing
- Manchester-by-the-Sea dog licenses
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
Book the evaluation before the holidays do.
Weekday mornings, 6:30 to 9:30 AM, free. Get it done in the fall and the holiday nights are a booking, not a scramble.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
