Notes from June
The week the summer residents arrive
You can tell the week by the plates in the lot. Cars from New York, Connecticut and Boston line Eastern Ave, and behind each one is a dog who just lost the beach for the summer. This note is for the families who arrive with them.
The week
June 1 closes Rockport's beaches, and a summer dog needs a plan
Gloucester's beaches close to dogs on May 1 and stay closed through September 30. Rockport's ban runs June 1 to September 15, and Essex closes its beaches and Centennial Grove to dogs in June, July and August. A dog spending the summer in a Bearskin Neck rental or a Manchester cottage has nowhere on the sand to run.
That is the gap the daycare day fills. A full day is $42 and a half day $33, in a playgroup of 7 to 10 dogs matched by size and temperament, on a turf yard with pools and platforms and on the indoor floors when the sun is high. The 5- and 10-packs suit a stay of a few weeks.
- Gloucester beaches closed May 1 to September 30
- Rockport June 1 to September 15, Essex June through August
- Full day $42, half day $33, packs for a multi-week stay
The evaluation
Book the free evaluation before you arrive, not after
Every dog new to Dogtown completes a free evaluation before daycare, Academy, an overnight stay or a walk. It runs weekdays between 6:30 and 9:30 AM by appointment: a temperament test, then a few supervised hours in a group so our handlers see which circle fits. In June those morning slots go quickly, so book from home.
Have the Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella records ready, plus a current dog license. If your license is from your home town or another state, tell the front desk when you book so we can confirm what we need on file. Send the new customer form first; it starts your dog's record before you arrive.
- 01
Send the new customer form from home
- 02
Book a weekday evaluation between 6:30 and 9:30 AM for your first week
- 03
Bring vaccine records and the current license to the evaluation
- 04
Use FIRST15 for 15 percent off the first daycare visit
The van
The Pup Van makes a Rockport or Manchester rental a daycare address
Summer rentals rarely come with a second car, and Route 127 in July is slow. For $10 each way, the Pup Van picks up and returns dogs across Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea. Add it when you book a daycare day, and the dog leaves from the rental's door while you head for the train or the boat.
The Rockport line does not help with a dog: the MBTA allows leashed dogs only off-peak at staff discretion, never between 7 and 10 AM or 4 and 7 PM. The van has no peak ban. For addresses outside the four towns, ask the front desk for pricing.
- $10 each way in the four Pup Van towns
- Added at booking, in the app or by phone
- No peak-hour rule, unlike the Rockport line
The heat
Pools, shade and half days carry a summer dog through July
A dog who arrives from a cooler city meets Cape Ann humidity and hot pavement in the same week. Our handlers run the pools every rotation on hot days, keep water at every station and move groups indoors when the turf heats up. A homemade pupsicle at $6 is the summer's most-booked add-on.
Half days at $33 suit a dog who fades in heat, and a bath from $55 before the drive home gets the chlorine and the sand out of the coat. Most summer dogs leave before the beaches reopen on October 1, but the ones who stay through the Schooner Festival on Labor Day weekend get the best week of the year.
At Dogtown
Summer on Eastern Ave
Daycare days with the pools, and the van that collects from a Rockport or Manchester rental.
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.
Can a summer resident's dog use Dogtown for just a few weeks?
Does my out-of-state dog license count?
Where can my dog swim on Cape Ann in summer?
Will the van collect from a summer rental in Rockport or Manchester?
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
Arriving for the summer? Book the evaluation first.
Send the new customer form from home and book a weekday morning slot for your first week on Cape Ann. FIRST15 takes 15 percent off the first daycare visit.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
