December calendar
Cape Ann dog calendar: December (holiday boarding, parades, salt)
December is the holiday month and the salt month at once: the beaches are open and empty, the town squares fill for tree lightings and parades, and the overnight suites fill for Christmas week.
Beaches this month
Beaches this month: open, empty and cold
Every Cape Ann beach in the rotation stays open to dogs through December, at the time of writing: Good Harbor on even dates and Wingaersheek on odd, Plum Cove and Cressy any day, Rockport's four beaches on leash or voice control, the Essex beaches, Singing Beach for licensed dogs and Crane Beach on a leash. The lots are empty and the sand is firm.
It is also the month the beach turns cold enough to matter. Wet sand freezes at the water line by the end of the month, the creek at Good Harbor ices at its edges, and a wet dog in a wind off the water needs the towel before the car, not after.
- Every beach open; even Good Harbor, odd Wingaersheek
- Towel before the car, always
- Weekend daylight walks, weekday headlamp walks
Rules and deadlines
Rules and deadlines: nothing due, and a holiday puppy starts the clock
No license fee falls due in December in Gloucester, Rockport, Essex or Manchester-by-the-Sea, at the time of writing, but a puppy arriving for the holidays starts the clock: a Gloucester dog is licensed by the City Clerk at 9 Dale Ave with a rabies certificate, due each year by April 30.
For a holiday puppy who will come to Dogtown, the order is vaccinations, license, the new customer form, then the free evaluation on a weekday morning between 6:30 and 9:30 AM. Tiny Tails Puppy School takes pups from 8 to 16 weeks, so a December puppy is a January student.
- 01
Reserve Christmas and New Year suites and confirm the pick-up day
- 02
Book the pre-guest groom early in the month
- 03
Rinse salt from paws after every downtown walk
- 04
Check the collar tag and microchip before the party season
- 05
For a holiday puppy: vaccines, license, new customer form, evaluation
Weather and hazards
Weather and hazards: salt, ice and the hazards inside the house
Salt is back. The first freeze brings de-icer to Main Street, the Eastern Ave sidewalks and every parking lot, and the AVMA's cold-weather guidance is to wipe or rinse paws after every walk and keep dogs from licking them. Granite steps and the Boulevard glaze after a thaw and refreeze.
The house is the other hazard in December: chocolate, xylitol in sugar-free treats, fatty table scraps, tinsel, lilies and poinsettias, and a front door that opens for guests all evening. The ASPCA's poison control line is the number to have on the fridge.
- Rinse paws after every salted walk
- Chocolate, xylitol and fatty scraps out of reach
- The ASPCA poison control number on the fridge
At Dogtown this month
Events and at Dogtown this month: tree lightings and Christmas week
Cape Ann's December calendar is parades, tree lightings and shop-window nights in Gloucester and Rockport; the towns and Discover Gloucester post the year's dates. A calm dog on a short leash does well at a tree lighting in the cold; a crowd-shy one does not, and a daycare day at $42 covers the afternoon.
Christmas and New Year fill the overnight suites at $78 a night, with playgroups by day and 24/7 monitoring at night. The Dogtown Deluxe bundle adds a stuffed Kong or Toppl, daily treadmill or enrichment play and an orthopedic memory-foam bed for $15 a night, and a full service groom from $75 before pick-up sends the dog home ready for the photographs.
At Dogtown
Christmas week at Dogtown
A suite with the Deluxe bundle, and a groom before pick-up for the family photographs.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
When should I book Christmas boarding at Dogtown?
Is Dogtown open on Christmas Day and New Year's Day?
Which Cape Ann beaches are open to dogs in December?
Can my dog come to the Gloucester or Rockport tree lighting?
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
Reserve Christmas week now.
Overnight stays begin with a free evaluation on a weekday morning between 6:30 and 9:30 AM. Grooming before pick-up can be added when you book.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
