Holiday overnight stays
Holiday dog boarding on Cape Ann: Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year
Holiday weeks on Cape Ann empty out fast: half of Gloucester drives to family off the island, and the rest have family driving in. Either way the dog needs somewhere safe. This page explains how holiday overnight stays work at Dogtown, what they cost, and how early to book.
Who it fits
Holiday overnight stays suit dogs whose homes stop being quiet
The first group is the family leaving Cape Ann. A Thanksgiving in Connecticut, a Christmas week at the in-laws in Vermont, a New Year flight out of Logan: the dog cannot always come, and a rental that says no pets settles it. Your dog spends those nights in a suite at Dogtown, joins a playgroup during the day and comes home when you do.
The second group never leaves Gloucester. The house fills with cousins, the table is covered in food, the front door opens two hundred times and someone always leaves the gate ajar. A dog who guards the kitchen, jumps on grandparents or bolts when the midnight noise starts is happier out of it. Two or three nights with us keeps the dog safe and the weekend calm.
It is not the right choice for a dog who has never spent time in a group, or one whose evaluation is still ahead. The evaluation runs on weekday mornings and needs a spot in a playgroup for a few hours, so a dog who turns up the week before Christmas with no paperwork cannot be squeezed in. Start the paperwork in the fall.
- Families driving off Cape Ann for the holidays with a dog who cannot come
- Households hosting a full house of relatives, food and open doors
- Dogs who have already passed the free evaluation, or can do it before the rush
The stay
What a holiday overnight stay looks like from drop-off to pick-up
You drop off inside a regular window: weekdays 6:30 to 9:30 AM, 12 to 1 PM or 4 to 6:30 PM, Saturday 8 to 10 AM, 12 to 1 PM or 4 to 6 PM. Bring pre-portioned food, any medications and one comfort item; we supply the bedding. On the holiday itself and the days around it, confirm the drop-off and pick-up windows with the front desk when you book, because they can differ from a normal week.
By day your dog joins the same matched playgroup it would on a daycare day: 7 to 10 dogs sorted by size and temperament, a handler on the floor, the turf yard and pools when the weather allows and the indoor floors when a December nor'easter shuts the coast down. Enrichment add-ons (a frozen Kong at $6, a lick mat at $5, the sniff room at $7) can be added to any day of the stay.
At night the group disperses and each dog settles into its own suite with 24/7 monitoring. Christmas Eve looks the same as any Tuesday: dinner from the food you packed, a last trip outside, lights down. The Deluxe bundle swaps the standard bed for an orthopedic memory-foam one, which older dogs appreciate after a full day on the turf.
- 01
Book the free evaluation for a weekday morning in October or early November, before the holiday calendar fills
- 02
Reserve the nights online, in the Dogtown app or by phone, and add a Classic or Deluxe bundle if you want one
- 03
Pack pre-portioned meals for every day, any medications and a single comfort item
- 04
Drop off inside the window, or book the Pup Van for $10 each way in Rockport, Gloucester, Essex or Manchester-by-the-Sea
- 05
Read the report card in the app each evening, then collect your dog inside the pick-up window when you are home
Price
$78 a night over the holidays, with two bundles on top
The suite rate does not change for the season: $78 a night, the same as a quiet weekend in March. The Dogtown Classic adds $10 a night for a homemade pupsicle or puppy cup each day and 10 percent off any grooming you book onto the stay. The Dogtown Deluxe adds $15 a night for a gourmet stuffed Kong or Toppl, a daily treadmill or enrichment session, the upgraded memory-foam bed and 15 percent off grooming.
A bath before pick-up is the most common holiday add-on: your dog comes home clean to a house full of guests. Bath-only is $55 for a dog up to 25 pounds, $65 for 26 to 50 pounds, $75 for 51 to 90 pounds and $85 over 90 pounds, with the bundle discount taken off. Unlimited daycare members hold priority on holiday overnight reservations, which matters most for Christmas week.
| Option | Per night | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| Overnight suite | $78 | Suite, daytime playgroup, 24/7 monitoring |
| Dogtown Classic | +$10 | Daily pupsicle or puppy cup, 10 percent off grooming |
| Dogtown Deluxe | +$15 | Stuffed Kong or Toppl, daily treadmill or enrichment, memory-foam bed, 15 percent off grooming |
| Bath before pick-up | $55 to $95 by size | Warm bath, blow-dry and brush-out |
Why Dogtown
Why Cape Ann dogs spend the holidays at Dogtown
Holiday weeks bring in dogs who do not know each other, which is exactly when small groups matter. Every guest has been through the same evaluation, so the handlers already know who plays rough, who wants a quiet corner and who needs to be kept away from the pools. Groups stay at 7 to 10 dogs no matter how full the calendar gets.
Certified staff run the floors and the overnight monitoring, and the report card in the Dogtown app arrives even on Christmas Day. If your dog needs a groom before the drive home, the studio is under the same roof, so there is no second stop on Eastern Ave with a car full of luggage. Massachusetts kennel rules are tightening under Ollie's Law, with MDAR's regulations due in 2026, and we would rather be ahead of them.
- Playgroups held at 7 to 10 dogs even in the busiest week of the year
- Every guest has passed the same evaluation, so the handlers know the mix
- Grooming studio under the same roof for a bath before the drive home
Getting here
Getting to Eastern Ave in holiday traffic, or letting the Pup Van do it
Dogtown is at 210 Eastern Ave in Gloucester, on the Rockport side of downtown, so it sits on the way out for most of Cape Ann. Drop off on the morning you leave and pick up on the way back in. The Sunday windows are 8 to 10 AM and 4 to 6 PM and are for overnight guests only, which suits the crowd driving home after a long weekend.
The Pup Van runs to Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea for $10 each way; outside those towns, ask us for pricing. It earns its fee on the day itself, when Route 128 traffic at the bridge stacks up. If you are taking the Rockport line to Boston to catch a flight, remember that leashed dogs are only allowed off-peak at staff discretion, never between 7 and 10 AM or 4 and 7 PM, so a van pick-up the day before is the simpler plan.
At Dogtown
The services behind a holiday stay
Overnight suites, the grooming studio and the Pup Van, all at 210 Eastern Ave.
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.
How far ahead should I book Thanksgiving or Christmas nights?
Are you open on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day?
Does the price go up over the holidays?
Can my dog have a bath before we pick up on the way home?
What should I pack for a holiday overnight stay?
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
Hold the holiday nights now.
Book the free evaluation for a weekday morning this fall, then reserve Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year nights online or in the Dogtown app. $78 a night, Classic +$10, Deluxe +$15.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
