Overnight cost
Dog boarding cost on the North Shore: $78 a night, and what changes it
Boarding is the search word, overnight stay is what we call it, and the price question is the same either way. This page lays out the nightly rate, the two bundles, the add-ons people actually book, and how the North Shore calendar, from Fiesta week to Thanksgiving, decides whether a suite is easy to get.
Line by line
$78 a night is the whole rate; bundles and add-ons are the only extras
The suite rate covers what most people assume costs more. By day your dog joins a matched playgroup of 7 to 10 dogs on the turf and the indoor floors, as a daycare dog does. By night it settles into a suite with bedding we provide, and staff monitor the building around the clock. There is no separate charge for the daycare hours, the food you bring or the report cards in the app.
Bundles are per night and optional. The Classic at +$10 suits a dog who lives for a frozen treat. The Deluxe at +$15 is the one we point seniors and heavy players toward, for the orthopedic memory-foam bed and the daily treadmill or enrichment block. Single enrichment add-ons, $5 to $10 each, can also be booked onto any night.
| Item | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Overnight suite | $78 a night | Daycare playgroups by day, 24/7 monitoring at night |
| Dogtown Classic bundle | +$10 a night | Daily pupsicle or puppy cup, 10 percent off grooming |
| Dogtown Deluxe bundle | +$15 a night | Kong or Toppl, treadmill or enrichment, memory-foam bed, 15 percent off grooming |
| Bath before pick-up | $55 to $95 | By size; extra large with long hair $95 |
| Full-service groom before pick-up | $75 to $120 | By size; coat assessed at check-in |
| Single enrichment add-on | $5 to $10 | Kong, pupsicle, puzzle, lick mat, treadmill, sniff room |
| Pup Van | $10 each way | Rockport, Gloucester, Essex, Manchester-by-the-Sea |
What changes the price
Length of stay, the bundle and a groom at the end move the bill, not the season
Length is simple arithmetic: every night is $78, and we do not publish a different rate for holidays or for long stays, so a week in August costs the same as a week in November. That predictability matters when you are comparing quotes. Elsewhere on the North Shore prices vary with the calendar, so ask any facility what a Thanksgiving night costs, and what it includes, before you set it beside ours.
The bundle is a per-night decision, so on a long stay the Deluxe is worth pricing against the single add-ons you would actually use. A dog who only wants the pupsicle is a Classic dog or a $6 add-on dog; a dog who needs the treadmill every day and the better bed is a Deluxe dog, and buying those separately costs more than the bundle.
A groom before pick-up is the extra most families add, because a dog who has spent a week in playgroups comes home cleaner. Baths run $55 for a dog up to 25 pounds, $65 for 26 to 50, $75 for 51 to 90, $85 over 90 and $95 for an extra-large long coat; full service is $75, $85, $110 and $120 by the same sizes. Both bundles discount that groom, 10 percent on the Classic and 15 percent on the Deluxe.
- $78 a night, every night, with no published holiday rate
- Classic +$10 or Deluxe +$15 a night, chosen per stay
- Bath $55 to $95 or full service $75 to $120 before pick-up
Which to choose
Plain suite for short stays, Deluxe for seniors and athletes, Classic for the treat dog
A one- or two-night stay for a settled adult dog: the plain suite. Your dog will spend the daylight hours in a group and sleep hard; a frozen treat is a nice touch but not a need. Bring pre-portioned meals and any medication with written instructions, and skip the bundle. If you want one small extra, a single $6 pupsicle on the first afternoon does the job.
A week or longer, a senior, or a dog who plays flat out: the Deluxe. The memory-foam bed is the difference for a stiff ten-year-old Lab, and the daily treadmill or enrichment block gives a Vizsla or a Border Collie somewhere to put the energy a playgroup alone does not burn. The 15 percent off a groom before pick-up rounds off a long stay.
A food-motivated dog on a middle-length stay: the Classic. Ten dollars a night for a daily pupsicle or puppy cup gives a dog something to look forward to at the same time every afternoon, which is what nervous first-time boarders need most. If your dog is new to Dogtown, book the free weekday-morning evaluation first, ideally a couple of weeks ahead so a daycare day can come before the first night.
- 01
Two to three weeks out: book the free evaluation (weekdays 6:30 to 9:30 AM) if your dog is new
- 02
After the evaluation: try one daycare day so the first night is not the first visit
- 03
One week out: reserve the nights, choose plain, Classic or Deluxe, and add any groom
- 04
Drop-off: any window, including Sunday 8 to 10 AM or 4 to 6 PM for overnight guests
Cape Ann factors
Fiesta week, the July 3 fireworks and Thanksgiving fill North Shore suites first
The busy dates here are local as much as national. St. Peter's Fiesta in late June, the Gloucester fireworks on July 3 and the Schooner Festival over Labor Day weekend bring crowds and noise to the harbor, and plenty of Gloucester families book a suite for the fireworks night, because a dog is calmer in a monitored building away from the waterfront than in a house with the windows rattling. Thanksgiving and Christmas fill next. Unlimited daycare members get priority on holiday overnight reservations.
The drive is part of the cost. The Pup Van collects and returns overnight guests for $10 each way in Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea, which matters on Sundays, when the building is open for overnight pick-up and drop-off only, between 8 and 10 AM and 4 and 6 PM. Outside those four towns, ask us for a quote.
Massachusetts is also tightening the rules. Ollie's Law, signed in September 2024, directs MDAR to write daycare and boarding regulations, due in 2026. Round-the-clock monitoring and matched groups are already how Dogtown runs, and the law is a good reason to ask any facility on the North Shore how many staff are in the building overnight, and how dogs are grouped.
- Book early for Fiesta week, July 3, Labor Day weekend, Thanksgiving and Christmas
- Sunday overnight windows: 8 to 10 AM and 4 to 6 PM
- Pup Van $10 each way from the four Cape Ann towns
At Dogtown
The stay behind the nightly rate
Suites with daycare by day, the Classic and Deluxe bundles, a groom before pick-up and enrichment on any night.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
What does a week of dog boarding cost at Dogtown?
Is there a holiday surcharge for boarding over Thanksgiving or Christmas?
Does the $78 include daycare during the stay?
Can my dog be groomed before I pick up, and what does it cost?
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
Price the stay, then book the evaluation.
New guests start with a free weekday-morning evaluation. Then reserve the nights, choose plain, Classic or Deluxe, and add a groom for the last morning.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
