Dog boarding on the North Shore, MA

From Beverly, Danvers, Peabody and Salem the drive is Route 128 north to its end, about 25 to 35 minutes outside rush hour by our estimate. If you are flying from Logan, remember that Gloucester lies the opposite way from the airport, about 60 minutes north outside rush hour by our estimate, so the drop-off belongs on the evening before the flight rather than the morning of it. The weekday evening window runs 4 to 6:30 PM, and Saturday's runs 4 to 6 PM.

From Ipswich, Route 133 through Essex joins Route 128 in West Gloucester, about 30 minutes in all. Whatever the town, the dogs who settle best here are the ones who enjoy other dogs, because the day is spent in a playgroup of 7 to 10 matched by size and temperament. A dog who finds groups stressful may be happier with a sitter at home, and the free evaluation is where that tends to show, which is one more reason to do it early.

Every dog new to Dogtown completes a free evaluation before its first overnight stay: a temperament test, then a few supervised hours in a group, Monday to Friday between 6:30 and 9:30 AM by appointment. It cannot happen on a Saturday or on the morning of a flight. Leave it until the week of the trip and you are squeezing a weekday morning into the busiest week of your year, so book it when you book the tickets, with Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella records and your town's dog license ready.

If your dog has never slept away from home, a daycare day or two before the stay is worth the drive. It lets your dog learn the building, the handlers and its group while you are still a phone call away, so the first night is not also the first day. For the stay itself, pack pre-portioned food and one small comfort item such as a blanket; we provide the bedding, enrichment is a paid add-on or part of a bundle, and if your dog takes medication ask the front desk before you book. Go through the medication schedule with the front desk at drop-off.

Drop-off and pick-up for a stay use the same windows as daycare: weekdays 6:30 to 9:30 AM, 12 to 1 PM and 4 to 6:30 PM, and Saturdays 8 to 10 AM, 12 to 1 PM and 4 to 6 PM. Sunday is closed for daycare but open to overnight guests from 8 to 10 AM and 4 to 6 PM, which suits a family landing at Logan on a Sunday afternoon and driving straight up Route 128 to collect the dog on the way home.

The Pup Van covers Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea at $10 each way; from Beverly, Danvers, Peabody, Salem or Ipswich, ask us for pricing. Bringing a dog on the Rockport line works only off-peak: the MBTA keeps larger dogs that do not fit in a carrier off its trains on weekdays from 7 to 9 AM and 4 to 7 PM, and asks riders to avoid bringing pets during holidays and large events, which rules out most travel weekends.