Massachusetts requirements
What are the requirements for dog daycare in Massachusetts?
People searching this question usually want two lists in one: what the law demands and what the daycare demands. They are different lists, set by different people. This page separates them, then shows how the check-in works at Dogtown so you arrive with the right paperwork the first time.
The short version
The state asks for rabies, the town asks for a license, and the daycare asks for the rest
Three layers set the rules. The Commonwealth requires dogs to be vaccinated against rabies, the only vaccine state law demands. Your city or town requires a license, and issuing it depends on a current rabies certificate, which is how the state rule gets enforced in practice. Everything else, DHPP, Bordetella, an evaluation, an age minimum, is set by each daycare for its own building. There is no statewide list of daycare admission requirements for dogs.
Dogtown's list is short and it is the same for daycare, the Academy, overnight stays and at-home walks. Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella on the vet's record. A current city or town dog license. The free evaluation, which is a temperament test and a few supervised hours in a group. Grooming, for dogs and cats, needs none of it.
| Requirement | Who sets it | What Dogtown checks |
|---|---|---|
| Rabies vaccination | Massachusetts state law | Current certificate on file |
| Dog license | Your city or town | A current license from Gloucester, Rockport, Essex, Manchester or your home town |
| DHPP (distemper combination) | Dogtown policy | Current on the vet's record |
| Bordetella (kennel cough) | Dogtown policy | Current on the vet's record |
| Temperament evaluation | Dogtown policy | Free, weekdays 6:30 to 9:30 AM, by appointment |
| Facility standards | Ollie's Law and MDAR | Applies to Dogtown, not to your dog |
Ollie's Law
Ollie's Law regulates the kennel, not your dog, and its regulations are still being written
Ollie's Law, formally An Act to Increase Kennel Safety, was signed on September 20, 2024 and took effect on December 19, 2024. It is the state's first framework for how daycares and boarding kennels must operate, and it hands the detail to the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, whose regulations are due in 2026. At the time of writing those regulations are not final, so any facility claiming to be certified under them is ahead of the law.
For an owner, the practical meaning is this: the law adds nothing to your dog's paperwork. It adds obligations to the business, on staffing, group sizes and injury reporting among other things, once the rules are published. Ask any daycare how it plans to meet them. Dogtown's answer is on our Ollie's Law page, and the MDAR page linked below carries the current version.
- Signed September 20, 2024; in effect December 19, 2024
- MDAR writes the detailed daycare and kennel regulations, due in 2026
- It sets standards for facilities, not admission requirements for dogs
- Read the current status on the MDAR page, not on a daycare's brochure
How it works at Dogtown
Four documents and one weekday morning: the check-in in six steps
Everything is checked once, at the evaluation, and stays on file until a vaccine or a license comes up for renewal. Bring the vet's vaccination record showing Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella, and the license tag or certificate from your town. Gloucester issues licenses through the City Clerk at 9 Dale Ave: $20 for a spayed or neutered dog plus a one-dollar fee, a current rabies certificate required, and a $20 penalty after April 30.
Rockport, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea each license through their own town hall; Manchester's year runs April 1 to March 31 at $20, or $25 for a dog that is not neutered. If you are moving in from out of state, license in your new town before the evaluation, because the license is the item people most often forget. Afterward, the Pup Van can bring your dog in for $10 each way from any of the four towns.
- 01
Ask your vet for a record showing Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella dates
- 02
License your dog with your town clerk, using the rabies certificate
- 03
Send the new customer form on this site
- 04
Book a free evaluation for a weekday morning between 6:30 and 9:30
- 05
Arrive with the record and the license; the check takes minutes
- 06
Once your dog passes, book online or in the app
What it means for your dog
Puppies wait for the rabies shot, movers re-license, seniors follow the vet's booster schedule
A puppy cannot be licensed until it has had its rabies shot, so the license and the daycare start line arrive together, at whatever age your vet gives the vaccine. Until then, puppy classes and careful home socialization are the work. A dog moving to Cape Ann needs a license from its new town even if the old one is still valid; Gloucester, Rockport, Essex and Manchester each issue their own, and Dogtown wants the current one.
For a senior, the questions are about boosters. The state cares about rabies being current; Dogtown asks the same of DHPP and Bordetella. How often those are given is a decision for your vet, who may use a three-year rabies vaccine or a different DHPP interval, and the AVMA's vaccination guidance explains why schedules differ between dogs. Bring whatever your vet signs and we will file it.
- Puppies: rabies shot, then license, then the evaluation, in that order
- New arrivals: a license from your new Cape Ann town before the first day
- Seniors: your vet sets the booster intervals; we file what the vet signs
At Dogtown
What the paperwork opens
One evaluation and one set of records covers daycare, the Academy, overnight stays and walks; grooming needs none of it.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Does Massachusetts require Bordetella for daycare?
Is a dog license really required for daycare?
Does Ollie's Law mean daycares are now licensed by the state?
Can I just show a vaccine record on my phone?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
- Ollie's Law information, MDAR
- AVMA: vaccinations
- 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
Bring the paperwork once.
Send the new customer form, book a free weekday evaluation and arrive with the vet's record and the license. Everything stays on file from there.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
