- Home
- Guides
Guides
Dogtown guides: dog and cat care on Cape Ann.
Straight answers from the team on Eastern Ave: real prices, the beach and trail rules town by town, what each breed needs on this coast, how to do the everyday things at home, and the questions families ask before they book.
Start here
Inside Dogtown: 10,000 square feet on Eastern Ave
Room by room: indoor play floors, the turf yard with pools, the grooming studio, cat room, overnight suites and sensory garden.
ReadHouse rulesDogtown policies: vaccinations, evaluation, cancellations
Vaccines, the city license, the free evaluation, the windows, FIRST15, and what the front desk confirms at booking.
ReadWeddingsWedding concierge: your dog at your Cape Ann wedding
Your dog at your Cape Ann wedding, our team handling the details. Price on request; groom, daycare and suites at fixed prices.
ReadCat groomingCat lion cut in Gloucester: when shaving is the kind option
Full Service cat groom at $120: a full shave, bath, trims and nails in a quiet studio; Minimal Trims at $45 for mats alone.
ReadCat groomingCat de-matting: removing mats calmly, in a quiet studio
Mats clipped out beneath the coat in a quiet cat studio: Minimal Trims at $45, or the $120 Full Service groom for a felted coat.
ReadCat groomingCat nail trims in Gloucester: $20, quick and calm
A $20 cat nail trim in a quiet Gloucester studio, paw by paw with minimal restraint, or included in the $95 bath and $120 groom.
ReadCat groomingCat baths in Gloucester: the Full Bath at $95, minimal trims at $45
The $95 Full Bath with brush-out, careful drying and nails, or $45 Minimal Trims without water, in a quiet Gloucester cat studio.
ReadAt-home walkingMidday dog walks in Gloucester: 20, 30 or 60 minutes from your door
Solo 20, 30 or 60 minute walks from your door at $25, $35 and $55, by Dogtown staff, with a photo and note after each.
ReadAt-home walkingPuppy potty-break visits: 20-minute walks for young pups
Solo 20-minute potty-break visits at $25, or $225 for ten, for young pups home alone, by Dogtown staff, with a photo after each.
ReadWalking pricesDog walking packages: 10-packs and 30-packs that save
10-packs at $225, $315 and $495 and 30-packs at $637, $892 and $1,402 on solo 20, 30 and 60 minute walks: 10 to 15 percent off.
ReadPuppy daycarePuppy daycare in Gloucester, MA: small playgroups and gentle starts
Half days from $33 in playgroups of 7 to 10 matched by size and age, after a free weekday evaluation.
ReadSmall dog daycareSmall dog daycare in Gloucester: playgroups matched by size
Playgroups of 7 to 10 matched by size and play style, $42 a full day and $33 a half day, free evaluation first.
ReadYour situation
A new puppy on Cape Ann: the first six months, week by week
Weeks 8 to 26 in order: license, a class from 12 weeks, the evaluation when the vaccines finish, a half day at $33.
ReadLife stageAdolescent dogs: the six-to-eighteen-month stretch and what helps
Six to eighteen months: hold the daycare routine, add an Academy day at $89 when the dog needs a job, then taper.
ReadLife stageSenior dogs on Cape Ann: slower walks, softer beds, the same routine
Shorten the routine, do not end it: half days at $33, solo walks at $25, slower grooms and a memory-foam bed when you travel.
ReadSituationA new rescue dog: the first month, the decompression rule and daycare timing
Weeks one and two need nothing from us; a solo walk in week three, then the evaluation and a half day at $33 once the dog settles.
ReadSituationThe two-dog household: daycare, walks and grooming for a pair
Each dog evaluated on its own and placed by size and temperament; a pair usually needs fewer daycare days than two singles.
ReadSituationA new baby and the dog: the plan from the third trimester on
Build the daycare habit in the third trimester, book the suite for the delivery days, add walks for the first fortnight.
ReadSituationWorking from home with a dog: the daycare days that keep both of you sane
One or two set daycare days a week, not five: a half day at $33 for the worst meeting day, a full day at $42 for the office.
ReadSituationCommuting to Boston with a dog at home: the Rockport line and the long day
The dog cannot ride the peak train; a midday walk at $35 or a daycare day at $42 covers the eleven hours it is alone.
ReadSituationSummer residents with dogs: Rockport, Gloucester and Manchester from June to September
Set it up in May, settle it in June, run it through August: the beach bans, the evaluation gate and a standing daycare pattern.
ReadSituationDaycare and grooming after surgery: the timeline your vet will sign off on
The vet's written clearance opens each phase: a solo walk at $25, then a bath from $55, then a half day at $33 before full days.
ReadSituationDogs with skin allergies: baths, shampoos and the daycare day
The vet sets the plan; baths from $55 on that schedule, the $8 medicated wash on a vet's say, and daycare that knows the diet.
ReadShort-nosed summerFlat-faced breeds in a Cape Ann summer: Frenchies, pugs and Bostons
Frenchies, pugs and Bostons in July: early half days, indoor blocks, pools and the beach bans that shape a Cape Ann summer.
ReadA different mapDeaf or blind dogs at daycare: how the day is adapted
How our handlers adapt a daycare day for a deaf or blind dog, and why the free evaluation decides whether a group fits.
ReadBoxes and a leashMoving house with a dog: the two weeks around the move
A day-by-day plan for the two weeks around a move: daycare while you pack, a suite on moving day and walks from the new door.
ReadShifts and tidesIrregular schedules: daycare for nurses, fishermen and shift workers
How nurses, fishermen and shift workers on Cape Ann use daycare windows, overnight suites and packs to give a dog a shape.
ReadThe honest answerDogs with a bite history: what Dogtown can and cannot offer
The evaluation decides, a playgroup is not promised, and a behavior consultation with our training team is the route.
ReadDriveway to vanA dog who hates the car: from the driveway to the Pup Van
Nausea or fear, a stage-by-stage plan from the driveway to the first ride, and why the Pup Van is often the fastest fix.
ReadTemporary, not casualFostering on Cape Ann: what foster dogs need from daycare and grooming
A bath on day one, a walker in week two, the evaluation in week three: how foster dogs use Dogtown, with no special program.
ReadStarting againAfter a bad daycare experience: starting again, slowly
A break, small good outings, the full story at the evaluation, then a half day with a report card: the slow way back.
ReadFirst winterYour dog's first winter on Cape Ann: coats, salt, snow days and boredom
Coats, salt, the odd-and-even beach rule, snow days and a bored young dog: a month-by-month plan for a first Cape Ann winter.
ReadFirst summerYour dog's first summer on Cape Ann: beach bans, heat and the pool
Beach bans from May 1, hot pavement, ticks, the July 3 fireworks and the splash pools: a first Cape Ann summer, month by month.
ReadNovember to JanuaryThe holidays with a dog: guests, tables, travel and the boarding calendar
Guests, the table, travel and the overnight-stay calendar: the holidays with a dog, planned in the order the problems arrive.
ReadNext step
Ready for a tail-wagging day?
Book online in a few taps, send the customer inquiry, or come see the facility for yourself. Every dog starts with a free evaluation. No evaluation needed for grooming.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
