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Nor'easters with a dog: storm prep, closures and the days after

Storm season

Nor'easters with a dog: storm prep, closures and the days after

Cape Ann takes nor'easters on the chin: the wind comes off the water with nothing to slow it, the Boulevard floods at the high tide, and a foot of snow can turn to a glaze by the next morning. A dog still needs to go out four times a day. This page is the plan for the two days before, the storm itself and the week after.

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Brindle dog exploring the snowy outdoor yard at Dogtown

Last reviewed September 26, 2026 · by the Dogtown team

The storm

A nor'easter is a two-day event and a week of consequences

The National Weather Service office that covers Cape Ann issues watches a day or two out and warnings as the storm firms up. The local pattern is familiar: a northeast wind that builds through the afternoon, rain that turns to snow or snow that turns to rain on a degree or two, and coastal flood advisories for the harbor roads at high tide. The plowing order matters to a dog owner: main roads first, side streets in Lanesville and Rocky Neck later, sidewalks last, so the salt and ice days are the days after.

For a dog, the storm itself is mostly noise and a broken routine. The AVMA's cold weather guidance is that pets belong indoors during severe weather, that short-coated, small, old and very young dogs chill fastest, and that a dog that comes in wet needs drying, including between the toes. It also warns that antifreeze spilled in a driveway is deadly in small amounts and tastes sweet; the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center takes those calls at any hour.

Watches come a day or two ahead, warnings as the storm firms up; read NWS Boston, not a screenshot
Northeast wind, a rain-snow line that moves with a degree, and flood advisories for the harbor roads
Main roads are plowed first and sidewalks last, so the days after are the salt and ice days
Antifreeze in a driveway puddle is a poisoning risk the AVMA and the ASPCA both flag

Before the wind

Stock several days of food and medication, and walk before the front arrives

The AVMA's advice for winter storms and power outages matches its advice for any emergency: enough food, water and medication for several days, a crate or carrier the dog will settle in, a copy of the vaccination records and a current photo in case you are separated. Add a towel by the door, a bag of pet-safe de-icer for your own steps and a flashlight you can hold with a leash in the other hand. Check that the collar tag has a working number and the microchip registration is current; a gate blown open in a gale is how dogs go missing in storms.

Time the walks to the forecast. The long walk happens the afternoon before the wind builds, while the ground is still bare; the storm-day walks are short, on your own street, on a leash and away from the water. Rocky Neck, the Boulevard and the Back Shore in Rockport are not places to be with a dog at high tide in a northeast gale. If you have a fenced yard, walk the fence line before dark on the first night, because a loose panel and a bored dog find each other.

01
Two days out: read the NWS Boston forecast and book a Dogtown day for the day before if the dog needs to burn energy
02
The day before: a long walk, several days of food and medication in the house, and the tag and chip checked
03
Storm morning: check the Dogtown app and your own vet's messages before anyone drives
04
During: short leash walks on your street, towel at the door, dry between the toes, stay off the harbor roads
05
After: walk on the plowed side streets, wipe salt off paws after every walk, and check the yard fence

A chocolate lab walking on the dogPACER treadmill during a supervised session at Dogtown

How Dogtown fits

Hours and closures are announced in the app and at the front desk

We do not publish a storm policy in advance, because no two nor'easters close the same roads. What we do is simple: any change to that day's hours or drop-off windows, or a full closure, goes out through the Dogtown app and is confirmed by the front desk at 978 491-5922. Overnight guests are monitored around the clock, storm or no storm.

The storm's other gift is a dog with cabin fever. On the first clear day, the indoor play floors and the turf yard take the edge off a dog who spent two days on your street; a full day is $42 and a half day $33. A supervised treadmill session on the dogPACER is $10 and the sniff room is $7, both bookable onto the day in the app. Ask the front desk whether the Pup Van is running; when it is, it collects in Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea for $10 each way.

The days after

Ice under snow, salt on every sidewalk and a dog that wants its trail back

The week after a nor'easter is when most winter paw trouble starts. Sidewalks in Gloucester and Rockport get salted, and the AVMA warns that salt and chemical de-icers irritate and crack pads and can poison a dog that licks them off. Wipe or rinse every paw after every sidewalk walk and check between the toes for packed ice; the salt, ice and granite page has the full routine. Wooded trails are worse than they look: Ravenswood and Dogtown Common hold a glaze under the snow for weeks, and the granite slabs that make those trails fun are the first surfaces to ice.

If the dog must have a long walk, the beach is the best footing once the surge has gone down and the tide is out. Gloucester's beaches allow dogs from October 1 to April 30 at the time of writing, Good Harbor on even-numbered days and Wingaersheek on odd, and Rockport's beaches take dogs outside the June 1 to September 15 ban. Walk the wrack line with care after a blow: rope, hooks, dead fish and lumber come ashore, and a dog that swallows any of them needs your vet, not a wait-and-see.

Salt and de-icer on every Gloucester and Rockport sidewalk: wipe paws after each walk, per the AVMA
Trails hold ice under snow for weeks; granite ices first
The off-season beach is the best footing once the surge drops, on the dated schedule
Storm wrack brings hooks, rope and dead fish ashore; leash the first beach walk after a blow

The pages for the salt, the dark and the snow-day questions

This page is the storm; the salt, ice and granite page is the paws, and the winter dog walks page is where the footing holds from December to March. The how-to on bathroom breaks in a nor'easter is for the puppy or the senior who will not go out in a gale, and the how-to on walking safely in the dark covers the 4:30 PM sunsets that make storm weeks harder. The answer page on what happens at Dogtown in a snow emergency gives the short version: the app and the front desk are the source.

If the power is out and the dog is unwell, or has got into something in a dark garage, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center answers around the clock, and Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital in Woburn is a 24-hour emergency hospital roughly an hour away in normal conditions. In a storm that hour is longer, so call before you set out. Your own vet's phone message will say whether they are open.

At Dogtown

The day after the storm, indoors and out

Indoor play floors, the turf yard once it is cleared, and a treadmill session for the dog who spent two days on your street.

Husky standing on the turf play yard at Dogtown, looking at the camera

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Asked and answered

Questions people ask about this

Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.

Does Dogtown close for nor'easters?

Sometimes, and it depends on the storm and the roads rather than a fixed rule. Any change to the day's hours or drop-off windows, or a full closure, is announced through the Dogtown app and confirmed by the front desk at 978 491-5922. Check the app before you leave the house on a storm morning. Overnight guests are monitored around the clock regardless.

What should I stock for my dog before a nor'easter?

Follow the AVMA's emergency list: several days of food, water and any medication, a crate or carrier, the vaccination records and a recent photo. Add towels by the door, a pet-safe de-icer for your steps, a flashlight and a spare leash. Check the collar tag and microchip details too; a fence panel blown loose in a gale is the classic way a dog gets lost in a storm.

Is it safe to walk my dog during a nor'easter?

Short leash walks on your own street are usually fine for a healthy adult dog; long walks, the harbor roads at high tide and the woods in high wind are not. The AVMA notes that small, thin-coated, old and very young dogs chill fastest, so keep those outings brief and dry the dog, including between the toes, when you come in. If the wind is dangerous for you, it is dangerous for the dog.

Can the Pup Van pick up my dog on a snow day?

Ask the front desk on the morning; it depends on the roads in your town. When it runs, the van collects and returns dogs in Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea for $10 each way, and outside those towns we quote on request. The day after a storm is often the day a dog most needs the yard, so the call is worth making.