Stay and groom
Overnight stays with a groom before pick-up
After three days on the turf and in the pools, a dog smells like three days on the turf and in the pools. Booking the groom onto the stay means one drop-off, one pick-up, and a dog that gets into the car clean. This page covers how the stay-and-groom combination works at Dogtown in Gloucester, what it costs by size, and how to time it.
Who it fits
Who books a groom onto an overnight stay
Almost everyone who can. The family coming back from a week away wants a clean dog in a clean house. The doodle owner whose dog is due a cut anyway saves a separate trip down Eastern Ave. The person who boards a double-coated dog in May, when the winter coat is letting go all over the suite, comes home to a Shed Release instead of a car full of fur.
It also suits dogs who find the grooming table hard. A dog that has spent two days here with a handler it knows and walks into the studio from the play floor is in a different frame of mind from one hauled out of the car for a cold appointment. For a nervous dog the $20 handling surcharge buys the extra time, and the stay itself does some of the settling.
It suits fewer dogs when the stay is a single night and the dog is exhausted. A full groom on a dog that has played hard for eight hours is not kind; a bath and a blow-dry is fine, a long haircut can wait a day or two. The groomers will tell you which they recommend for your dog's coat and mood.
- Anyone coming home from a trip to a clean house
- Doodles, spaniels and terriers due a haircut anyway
- Double-coated dogs staying during the spring or fall shed
How it works
How a groom fits into the last day of an overnight stay
Add the groom when you book the nights. The front desk schedules it for the final day, usually the morning, so the dog goes from breakfast to the studio to a quiet rest rather than back into the group to get muddy again. If you are collecting in the 4 to 6:30 PM window, the groom can run in the afternoon and the dog waits for you fresh.
In the studio the groomer does a coat check first. Bath-only means warm water, a blow-dry and a brush-out. Full service adds a breed-specific or custom haircut; bring a photo if you have a look in mind. Add-ons are chosen at booking or at the check: nail clipping $16, teeth brushing $10, a face trim $10, a sanitary trim $10, antiseptic or fungal shampoo $8, whitening $8, Shed Release $10, dematting $15 per 20 minutes, anal glands $40.
The final price is confirmed at check-in after the coat assessment, which matters for a dog that has been swimming in the pools all week: a coat that felt fine on Monday can mat by Thursday. If you book the next grooming appointment at pick-up you save $5 on it, which is the simplest way to keep a coat between stays.
- 01
Reserve the nights and add a bath or full service to the same booking
- 02
Tell the front desk your pick-up window so the groom is timed for the last day
- 03
Choose add-ons at booking: nails, teeth, face trim, Shed Release, dematting
- 04
Coat check on the day, with the final price confirmed before work starts
- 05
Collect a clean dog inside the window and rebook the next groom for $5 off
Price
What a stay plus a groom costs, by size
The suite is $78 a night regardless of what you add. Bath-only is $55 for a dog up to 25 pounds, $65 for 26 to 50 pounds, $75 for 51 to 90 pounds, $85 for over 90 pounds and $95 for an extra-large long-haired dog. Full service, which includes the bath and a haircut, is $75, $85, $110 and $120 by the same weight bands.
The bundles are where the combination pays. The Dogtown Classic at $10 a night gives a daily pupsicle or puppy cup and 10 percent off grooming; the Deluxe at $15 a night gives a stuffed Kong or Toppl, daily treadmill or enrichment play, the memory-foam bed and 15 percent off grooming. Ask the front desk to run the numbers for your dog's size.
| Size | Bath-only | Full service |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 25 lb | $55 | $75 |
| 26 to 50 lb | $65 | $85 |
| 51 to 90 lb | $75 | $110 |
| Over 90 lb | $85 | $120 |
| Extra large, long hair | $95 | Confirmed at the coat check |
Why Dogtown
Why groom at the place your dog is already staying
The studio is under the same roof as the suites and the play floors at 210 Eastern Ave, so the groom is a walk down a corridor. The groomers see the overnight guests around the building all week and know which dog is bold and which needs the slow approach. And a dog that has been in a matched group of 7 to 10 dogs all day is loose and tired when it reaches the table, which makes for a better cut.
For Cape Ann dogs the timing usually writes itself. At the time of writing Gloucester's beaches take dogs from October 1 to April 30, Good Harbor on even-numbered days and Wingaersheek on odd, with Good Harbor closing to dogs from April 1 for the plovers, so winter stays come with salt, sand and seaweed in the coat and a bath at the end is not optional. Summer stays bring pool water; either way the sand stays here.
- Studio, suites and play floors in one building
- Groomers who have seen your dog all week
- Coat check and final price before the work starts
- Rebook at pick-up and save $5 on the next groom
Getting here
Timing the pick-up around the groom, and the Pup Van
Pick-up windows are weekdays 6:30 to 9:30 AM, 12 to 1 PM and 4 to 6:30 PM; Saturday 8 to 10 AM, 12 to 1 PM and 4 to 6 PM; Sunday, for overnight guests, 8 to 10 AM and 4 to 6 PM. If you want a groom before a Sunday pick-up, ask the front desk when the studio can fit it.
The Pup Van, $10 each way in Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea, will bring a clean dog to your door, which is worth it after a long drive home up Route 128. Outside those towns, ask for pricing. If you commute on the Rockport line, the van also solves the problem of collecting a dog when the MBTA keeps dogs off peak trains between 4 and 7 PM.
At Dogtown
The stay, the studio and the ride home
Overnight suites, Dogtown Grooming and the Pup Van, booked together in one reservation.
Pick-up & drop-off
The Pup Van comes to you.
Pup Van pick-up and drop-off is available for $10 each way in the Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea area. Not in the area? Ask us for pricing.
- Rockport
- Gloucester
- Essex
- Manchester-by-the-Sea
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Do I need an evaluation for the grooming part?
How much does a bath cost with an overnight stay?
Can my dog be groomed on the morning of a Sunday pick-up?
What if my dog's coat is matted after a week of swimming?
Is the grooming discount from the bundles worth it?
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
Come home to a clean dog.
Book the nights, add a bath or a full service, and collect a dog that is ready for the couch. Suite $78 a night, baths from $55, full service from $75, no evaluation needed for the groom.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
