37-32 61st Street, Woodside, NY 11377
What we will not claim
Ten sentences you will see advertised by other kennels, quoted in their own words, each followed by what is actually true here and what we do instead.
Ten sentences a boarding kennel can advertise, quoted in the words a website actually uses, and the plainer thing that is true at this lodge in their place.
A boarding kennel sits next to a permit, an inspection and a set of vaccination rules that belong to the City rather than to any one business, and a website can borrow the weight of all three with a single confident sentence. The pages below are what this lodge prints instead of borrowing it: the sentence as it is usually advertised, in full, and the plainer answer that stands in its place. Some of the ten make the lodge look less finished than a glossier website would. That is the point of publishing them.
What you will see advertised
“Fully licensed and City-inspected. DOHMH permit #XXXXX, displayed for your peace of mind.”
A boarding kennel in New York City needs a permit from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and the building has to pass an inspection before it opens. That is true, it is checkable, and you should check it.
What you will see advertised
“Fully vaccinated facility — your dog cannot catch kennel cough here.”
We require bordetella within the previous six months, because the City requires it. It reduces how often dogs get kennel cough and how badly. It does not stop it.
What you will see advertised
“24-hour veterinary supervision and on-site medical care.”
There is no veterinarian in this building. There is no veterinary nurse. Nobody here diagnoses anything, and nobody here decides what your animal should be given.
What you will see advertised
“Your dog will have the time of their life! A holiday for them while you are on yours.”
Some dogs pull towards the door on the second visit. Some dogs spend three days flat and quiet and then decide it is fine. Some never really enjoy it and simply tolerate it well.
What you will see advertised
“Watch your pet live, 24/7, from anywhere in the world!”
You get a photograph of your animal every day. You do not get a live camera, and that is a decision rather than an omission.
What you will see advertised
“For everyone's safety we do not accept pit bulls, rottweilers, German shepherds or wolf hybrids.”
Every breed is welcome here, subject to the assessment every dog does. We have never published a list of breeds we will not take and we are not going to.
What you will see advertised
“Our proprietary behavioural assessment guarantees a safe play group, every time.”
The assessment is three quarters of an hour, on one morning, in a building your animal has never been in, with people it has never met. It is genuinely useful and it is that small.
What you will see advertised
“Your data is 100% secure with us. Bank-level encryption. Guaranteed.”
You upload a vaccination record when you book. It is a document from your veterinarian with your name on it, and it is worth saying plainly what happens to it.
What you will see advertised
“All pets welcome, no questions asked, same-day drop-off available!”
There is a short list, it is about circumstances rather than breeds, and every item on it is something we would rather you read now than find out at the desk.
What you will see advertised
“All our requirements are legally mandated for your pet's protection.”
Some of what we ask for is the law and some of it is us. Mixing the two up makes a house rule sound like a statute, which is a way of ending an argument you should be allowed to have.
The calendar shows every night, for every suite class, with how many are left and what that night costs. Nothing is paid on this website: you pay when you collect.