Requirements for Boarding/Daycare

Necessary Records/Requirements for all Pets

*All pets must be free of contagious diseases or parasites

Vaccinations: 

All pets must be current on the following vaccinations

  • Rabies

  • Distemper/Parvo Combination (FVRCP for Cats)

  • Bordetella aka Kennel Cough Vaccine (required for dogs only)

  • It is the pet owner's responsibility to provide the proper vaccination paperwork. It is not Bark & Stay's responsibility to obtain said paperwork before your reservation with us.

  • Vaccination documentation must come from a veterinarian clinic. We cannot accept vaccination paperwork from breeders, shelters, rescues, etc. Must have expiration dates; we don’t know when they expire without them.

  • These vaccinations are not a suggestion. They are required. We reserve the right to refuse your pet(s) at any time if they are not current on all required shots.

  • For your convenience, you may have your vet email proof of current vaccination records and/or proof of alteration to us at BarkandStay@barkandstay.com

  • For a list of what kinds of records we can and cannot accept; click here.

Spay/Neuter

  • Paperwork showing proof of alteration (neuter/spay) is required for any dog to participate in group playtime. If you do not have paperwork showing proof of alteration, your vet should be able to provide you with documentation.

  • Pets 6 months or older must be spayed/neutered to participate in group playtime (applicable for dogs only). However, they do not need to be fixed to stay at our facility.

Important to note:

  • We do not have breed restrictions, however we do not accept aggressive pets of any breed.

  • We do not accept female pets that are in heat.

We do not accept pets that require a high level of medial care/monitoring. Examples include, but are not limited to-

  • Pets that have had recent surgery (including neuter/spay operations)

  • Pets with broken/fractured bones

  • Pregnant pets

  • Elderly pets near the end of their lifespan

  • If you have a pet that requires extra medical attention, please contact us to see if they are eligible to board with us. In most cases we would suggest boarding your pet with a local veterinarian as they are properly equipped to care for pets that require high-maintenance medical attention.

Forms required:

Dog Forms *One for each
Cat Forms

What To Bring When Boarding

*All dogs are required to be brought in on a leash (Owners are required to alert staff if your pet uses a pinch collar). All cats must be dropped off in a cat carrier. 

Food

  • Feel free to bring food from home. We will feed your pet according to your instructions.

  • If bringing food from home, we ask that it be portioned per meal, per dog (we recommend portioning meals into individual baggies)

  • Please alert staff to any specific dietary needs that your pet may have.

  • We provide all dishes for food and water (including an automatic watering system for continuous fresh water), so we ask that you do not bring any dishes from home.

  • If you do not want to bring your own food, Bark & Stay can provide a high quality adult maintenance dog food for $4 per day, per dog.

Medication

  • Please alert staff to any specific health issues and needs your pet may have.

  • We need to know the reason for the medication and any specific instructions such as dosage and when/how to administer the medication.

  •  We will gladly administer most medication at no extra cost. The only medications that we charge for are injections at a fee of $2 per day.

  • Please keep medication in original bottles/packaging, do not put them in food bags

We Provide Bedding

  • Bark and Stay provides clean, comfortable bedding for each pet.

  • We provide Kuranda dog beds (1 per kennel)

  • We ask that you do not bring bedding, blankets, and/or toys from home due to safety concerns.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • The simplest answer is they don’t use them. There are so many distractions they don’t play with toys. Usually they end up in the outside yard where they could get wet or soiled.

    The main issue is that bedding and some toys are choking hazards or could cause an obstruction. It’s a common vet visit for many owners, even at home. Even if your dog doesn’t normally chew, sometimes they act differently while boarded.

  • We are regulated by the Iowa Department of Aggriculture. They have specific requirements that we are to follow such as only accepting vaccination records signed off by a vet. Some rescues will have a vet administer rabies but not distemper/parvo. All you have to do is take your pet for it’s first visit and your vet will look them over and reissue vaccination records. If records don’t have an expiration date on them, we don’t know how long they are good for. Not all vaccines last a year.

  • Yes, we do not have the storage space to safely store big bags of dog food. Nor can we lift them.

  • Yes! We are more than happy to give your pet their medications. We just ask that you keep them in their original packaging and alert them to us. In case of emergency we need to identify what it is accurately. Not all dogs eat their meds the same way as they do at home so we have tricks. Such as squeeze cheese, peanut butter, pill pockets, or sometimes a small amount of wet food.

    We also administer injections for $2/day.

  • You are welcome to drop them off anytime during our open hours, regardless of what time your reservation says.

  • It works much like a hotel. We charge by overnight stays for boarding. for your first dog it’s $25/night. If you have an additional dog in the same kennel, it is $20 for them. For cats its $20/1st cat, $15/additional in same condo.

    Also like a hotel, there is a half-day late charge if picked up after 3pm.

  • Playtime is once a day per pet. It can be up to an hour, depending on the weather, sizes of groups and temperaments. Oftentimes the dogs play hard and decide they want to go back in themselves. We pay attention to their queues and needs above all else.