Daycare cost
Dog daycare cost in Gloucester, MA: $33 to $42 a day, and the packs
Cost is the first question most people ask us, and it deserves a plain answer rather than a call-back. Below is every daycare price we publish, what moves the total, and how to choose between single days, packs and the membership by how many days a week your dog will actually come.
Line by line
Every daycare price at Dogtown, from $33 to $700
There are two session lengths and three ways to pay for them. A single full day is $42 and a single half day is $33. Buy five or ten at once and the per-session price drops: the half-day 5-pack is $150 ($30 a session), the half-day 10-pack is $290 ($29), the full-day 5-pack is $200 ($40) and the full-day 10-pack is $380 ($38). The third route is the unlimited membership at $700 a month, Monday through Saturday.
Nothing in the table is a base rate with hidden extras. Playgroup time, the turf yard with its pools and platforms, the indoor play floors when the weather turns, water and rest breaks, and the report card in the app are all inside the number. The only additional charges are the ones you choose to add: an enrichment session, a groom during the day, or a ride on the Pup Van.
| Option | Price | Per session | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full day, single | $42 | $42 | Occasional days, trying it out |
| Half day, single | $33 | $33 | Puppies, seniors, a morning covered |
| Half-day 5-pack | $150 | $30 | One or two half days a week |
| Half-day 10-pack | $290 | $29 | Regular half days |
| Full-day 5-pack | $200 | $40 | One full day a week |
| Full-day 10-pack | $380 | $38 | Two or three full days a week |
| Unlimited membership | $700 a month | Falls with every visit | Five days a week |
What moves the total
Session length, packs and add-ons are the only things that change the price
Length is the biggest lever. The half day saves nine dollars a visit against the full day, which comes to ninety dollars across a 10-pack, so a dog who is spent by lunchtime should be on half days rather than paying for hours asleep on a cot. Packs are the second lever: three to four dollars off every session once you commit to five or ten.
Add-ons are optional and priced per visit: a frozen Kong or a homemade pupsicle is $6, a puzzle game $7, a lick mat $5, a supervised treadmill session $10 and the sniff room $7. A bath during the daycare day starts at $55 by size and a full-service groom at $75. The Pup Van collects and returns your dog for $10 each way across Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea. First-time customers save 15 percent on that first daycare visit with the coupon code FIRST15.
The membership changes the math in a different way. It is a flat $700 a month, and it bundles two enrichment sessions a month, 15 percent off grooming, priority holiday overnight-stay reservations and a birthday enrichment session. Those extras have value only if you would have bought them anyway, so count them honestly when you weigh it against the 10-pack.
- Half day $33 or full day $42; packs cut each session by three to four dollars
- Pup Van $10 each way in the four Cape Ann towns
- Membership $700 a month includes two enrichment sessions and 15 percent off grooming
Which to choose
Count the days your dog will really come, then buy that
One day a week, or a dog you are still getting to know: pay per visit. A single day costs a little more, but nothing is locked up and you can move between half and full days as you learn how your dog comes out of the building. Once the pattern is steady, the 5-pack is the natural next step, because the saving starts on the first session.
Two or three days a week: buy the 10-pack that matches the length you use most. Ten full days at $380 is $38 a day, which is where most Dogtown regulars sit. Households that split the week, full days when someone commutes and half days when someone works from the kitchen table, buy one of each pack and draw down whichever fits that morning.
Five days a week: run the membership math. At the 10-pack rate, nineteen full days in a month cost more than the $700 membership, and a Monday-to-Friday dog in a typical month is over that line. A dog who comes four days a week usually is not, so packs remain the cheaper route until the fifth day becomes routine.
- 01
Book the free evaluation for a weekday morning between 6:30 and 9:30 AM
- 02
Choose half or full days from what you see at pick-up, not from the price gap
- 03
Move to the 5-pack, then the 10-pack, once the weekly pattern is steady
- 04
Reprice against the membership when your dog passes four days a week
Cape Ann factors
Summer beach bans, the Rockport line and nor'easters shape the daycare bill here
Summer is when Cape Ann dogs need us most. Gloucester's public beaches allow dogs only from October 1 to April 30 at the time of writing, and Rockport keeps dogs off its beaches from June 1 to September 15, so the free morning run on the sand disappears when the pavement is hottest. Many families add a second daycare day from June through September and drop back to one in October when Good Harbor reopens to dogs on even-numbered days.
Commuters set the other pattern. The MBTA allows leashed dogs on the Rockport line only off-peak, never between 7 and 10 AM or 4 and 7 PM, so a dog cannot simply ride to work. A full day at $42 with a 6:30 AM drop-off, or the Pup Van at $10 each way, is what makes a Boston commute workable from Rockport, Gloucester, Essex or Manchester-by-the-Sea.
Winter brings nor'easters. Snow days are the one cost you cannot plan for; check the app on storm mornings, and ask the front desk how closures are handled before you buy a large pack. On the days after a storm the turf is cleared and the indoor floors carry the groups, and a half day is often all a cooped-up dog needs.
- Gloucester beaches: dogs October 1 to April 30; Rockport: no dogs June 1 to September 15
- Rockport line: leashed dogs off-peak only, never 7 to 10 AM or 4 to 7 PM
- Pup Van $10 each way covers the early train from the four towns
At Dogtown
The daycare these prices buy
Matched playgroups, the turf yard and the report card at 210 Eastern Ave, plus the Pup Van and the enrichment menu.
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.
Is $42 a day the whole price, or are there fees on top?
How much does a month of dog daycare cost in Gloucester?
Does the half-day price change between morning and afternoon?
Do packs and the membership cover Saturdays?
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
Start with a free evaluation, not a bill.
Book a weekday morning between 6:30 and 9:30 AM, bring the vaccination records and the city license, and your dog's first day at $42 or $33 follows. Use FIRST15 for 15 percent off that first visit.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
