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Cancelling or moving
What is the board and train cancellation policy?
Plans change: a trip moves, a puppy picks up a cough, a vaccine runs out. This page explains how training programs usually set these terms, the dates worth writing down the day you book, and how to give notice so that a change costs as little as possible.
Four questions
The terms are confirmed at booking, and four questions cover almost all of them
A board and train reserves two scarce things for your dog: a trainer's time for a week or two and a suite for every night. A cancellation close to the start leaves both hard to fill, which is why training programs commonly take a deposit and tie refunds to notice. That is the general pattern, not a statement of Dogtown's terms. Ours are confirmed when you book, so read them at home, ask about anything unclear and keep a copy with your booking.
Four questions cover most of what a cancellation clause decides. How much is the deposit, and when is it due? Up to what date can you cancel and get some or all of it back? Can it move to new dates instead? And what happens if your dog is unwell or a vaccine lapses before the start? Ask also how notice must be given, because a phone call and a written message are not always treated the same way.
- The deposit: how much, and when it is due
- The cut-off date for a full or partial refund
- Whether the deposit can move to new dates
- What applies if your dog is ill
- How notice must be given
Avoidable causes
Many cancellations start with something you can check before you pay
Vaccines come first. Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella must be on file and current, so check each expiry date against the last night of the stay, not the first. The dog license comes second. In Gloucester, licenses are due by April 30 and run to the next April 30, at $20 for a spayed or neutered dog and $25 for an intact one, each plus a $2 processing fee, with a $20 late fee from May 1 at the time of writing; other towns set their own dates.
Illness is the third cause, and the hardest to plan for. The AKC notes that kennel cough spreads most easily in crowded or enclosed places such as kennels, grooming salons, daycares and dog parks, that vaccination lowers the risk without removing it, and that a coughing dog should avoid other dogs while it has signs and for at least two weeks after the cough stops. A cough in the week before a stay means an early call to your vet and to our front desk; Dogtown confirms its own return rule.
- Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella current through the last night
- A current dog license from your city or town
- No cough, vomiting or diarrhea in the days before drop-off
- Your own dates free for the go-home lesson or lessons
The calendar
On the day you book, write six dates on your calendar
Most disagreements over deposits come down to a date nobody wrote down. Put these six on your calendar the day you book, next to the terms you were given. Together they turn a vague worry about cancelling into a clear picture: until when you can change your mind, what has to happen before drop-off, and which appointments you cannot miss.
The free evaluation earns its own line, because it runs only on weekday mornings between 6:30 and 9:30 by appointment and must happen before the stay. So does the go-home lesson: if it falls on a day you cannot attend, it is far better moved early than at the last minute. Keep the list where everyone in the household can see it, and check it again a week before drop-off.
- 01
The date you paid the deposit, and the amount
- 02
The last date to cancel or move under your terms
- 03
The free evaluation, on a weekday morning
- 04
The earliest vaccine expiry, checked against the last night
- 05
Your dog license renewal date: April 30 in Gloucester
- 06
The go-home lesson date, or both Advanced lessons
Giving notice
If you need to cancel or move dates, tell us in writing as early as you can
Early notice helps everyone, your dog included, because the trainer's week and the go-home lesson can be rearranged rather than lost. Message the front desk through the Dogtown app or email info@dogtowndaycare.com so there is a written record, and call 978 491-5922 during opening hours if the start is close. Say whether you want to cancel or move, and suggest new dates if you have them.
If the reason is illness, keep your dog home rather than bringing it in to show us, call your vet and let the desk know. If the reason is a trip that moved, ask whether an ordinary overnight stay, at $78 a night, could cover the new dates while the training is rebooked for a calmer week. Families in Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea can add the Pup Van, $10 each way, to overnight stays and daycare.
At Dogtown
If your dates change
Board and train is booked through Dogtown's training team, and an ordinary overnight stay can cover a trip while training is rebooked.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Is the board and train deposit refundable?
What if my dog gets kennel cough just before the stay?
Does the $10 grooming cancellation fee apply to board and train?
Can I move my dates instead of cancelling?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
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
Ask for the terms in writing
Send the training form, then ask at the consult for the deposit and cancellation terms before you pay anything.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
