Dogtown for Andover, MA dog owners: daycare, boarding, grooming and training

Here is the plain arithmetic. A daycare day from Andover is two round trips of nearly two hours each, by our estimate, which is more time in the car than many dogs would want before and after a day of play. Closer daycares exist for exactly that reason, and for a routine play day we would point you to one. The trip to Eastern Ave earns its time when there is a specific job: a dog to train, a cat to groom, or a structured day that a playgroup cannot give.

Board and train is the clearest example. The dog stays with us for one or two weeks, training happens every day inside the routine of the building, and you drive only to drop off, to collect and for the go-home lessons. Cat grooming is the second: one appointment in a quiet studio, booked online with no evaluation, from $45 to $120. The third is an occasional Dogtown Academy day at $89, useful as a tune-up between training blocks.

The highway route takes I-93 south to its interchange with I-95 and Route 128 in Reading, then 128 north through Wakefield and Lynnfield. In Peabody, I-95 splits off toward New Hampshire; keep to Route 128 through Beverly and Manchester-by-the-Sea until it ends in Gloucester, then follow Eastern Avenue to number 210. Outside rush hour, call it about 55 minutes, by our estimate.

Route 133 leaves Andover through Shawsheen Village into North Andover, then runs east through West Boxford, Georgetown, Rowley, Ipswich and Essex before meeting Route 128 in Gloucester. It is the slower road, with several town centers, but it avoids the busiest miles of the highway. Andover is outside the Pup Van towns; ask us about pick-up. The van's $10 fare is reserved for the four Cape Ann towns on its route.

The Trustees' Charles W. Ward Reservation in Andover covers 704 acres with almost 15 miles of trail, and dogs are welcome on leash. Holt Hill, at 420 feet the highest point in Essex County, carries the Solstice Stones, and a short boardwalk crosses the quaking bog at Pine Hole Pond. It is open daily from 7 AM to sunset; members park free and nonmembers pay a parking fee at 65 Prospect Road.

In fall, check the calendar before you go. The Trustees allow authorized seasonal bow hunting on the reservation from the first Monday in October through December, Monday to Saturday, from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset. Sunday is the one day of the week with no hunting. Bring the go-home lesson cues with you: a loose leash on the climb, a sit at each trail junction and a settle at the top while other walkers pass.