FAQs
FAQ’S
Facility Questions
Each of our Bark-A-Bout staff cares deeply for the pets that come through our doors.
We each pledge to do everything within our power to keep your pet happy and healthy during their time with us.
Each day we routinely:
- Wipe down all surfaces including kennel suites with veterinary-approved disinfectant
(doors, walls, gates, toys, bedding, floor, etc). - Staff must wash hands with anti-bacterial soap frequently throughout the day.
- All water/food bowls are stainless steel (doesn’t harbor bacteria like other products).
- Food and water bowls are washed daily with veterinary approved products.
- Clean, circulating air flow; Bark-A-Bout has a medical-grade air filtration system.
- We diffuse therapeutic essential oils that combat airborne pathogens.
Just like little kids on the playground, sometimes accidents happen. During an unexpected emergency or sickness, we will always act in the best interest of your dog. After a brief evaluation of your pet, the pet owner and/or emergency contact on file may be contacted for discussion regarding treatment. Depending on the severity of the medical issue, your pet may require a trip to the vet. In this case, for hotel guests, we offer timely transportation of your pet to the nearest available veterinary office for a small fee. During your pet’s treatment, we will be seeking consistent communication with you or your emergency contact. Please keep your emergency contact information updated within your Customer Portal. Under Bark-A-Bout’s Pet Care Promise Plan, your pet’s health is covered for any unexpected injury or illness while in our care and for five(5) days following their pick-up. Ask a fur’endly Bark-A-Bout receptionist about plan details and coverage.
For pets whose medical issue may not be urgent, the owner will be advised upon pick-up, and a course of treatment may be sent home with your pet. Please feel free to speak to our staff anytime regarding the care of your pet. We understand that safety and security is paramount to the health and peace-of-mind of our clients. Our team is comprised of only the most passionate, devoted and dedicated caretakers who are enthusiastic about nurturing animals.
Appointments & Cancellations
Daycare 2.0 Reservations: Daycare 2.0 reservations are made on a first-come, first-served basis. Unleash’d Members may set a routine recurring daycare schedule, and book daycare reservations more than a week out. As a courtesy to our staff and customers looking to book their dog for daycare, if your dog will not be attending daycare for an appointment you have already set up, please cancel your pet’s reservation as soon as possible. A Minimum 24-hour’s Notice Is Required For All Daycare 2.0 Cancellations! Any Daycare 2.0 cancellation made inside the 24-hour window will be charged for the full cost of the reservation. Outstanding account balances must be paid in full upon arrival at the next visit.
Enrichment Daycare Reservations: Enrichment Daycare reservations are approved only through a fur’endly front desk receptionist, and require enrollment into the Enrichment Daycare Program and an active Unleash’d Membership. An active credit card must be kept on file. On the day of your dog’s recurring scheduled visit, a full-day of Enrichment Daycare will always be charged to the credit card on file, (or a pre-paid day removed) whether your dog attends or not. (Excludes holidays when Bark-A-Bout is closed). To cancel enrollment or have a scheduled payment waived, a “Schedule Change Notice” form must be submitted at least (3) days before a missed or called-off day. With proper notice, Bark-A-Bout will waive payment for up to (7) scheduled days per year.
Hotel Reservations: For Hotel stays booked during peak season or holidays, we strongly encourage you to reserve your pet’s stay weeks or even months ahead. During peak seasons, hotel guests are required to put down a $55 deposit, and a peak season surcharge may apply. Only cancellations made two weeks or more ahead of time will be refunded this $55 peak-season deposit. For any cancellation made inside the two weeks window, the $55 deposit becomes non-refundable and will be applied towards your pet’s hotel stay. Outside of peak-season/holidays, no deposit is required, and there is no cancellation fee.
Grooming Appointments: Grooming reservations are made on a first-come, first-served basis. As a courtesy to our talented groomers, we ask that if you must cancel your dog’s grooming appointment, please provide Bark-A-Bout with at least 24 hours notice. Failure to provide a 24 hour notice will be subject to a $20.00 non-refundable deposit when scheduling your next grooming appointment.
Grooming No-Shows: Grooming clients who do not show up for their grooming appointment and fail to call us and cancel will be considered a NO SHOW, and subject to the same $20 non-refundable future scheduling deposit stated above.
For all swim classes or swim lessons with our swim instructor: For group swimming classes and private swim lessons, a $25 deposit is required upon booking. Cancellations must be made at least 48 hours in advance or this $25 deposit will be forfeited.
Indoor swimming pool rentals: Swimming pool rental reservations are made on a first-come, first served basis. No deposit is required, so feel free to cancel anytime.
Dog Training: Full payment is due at the time of Training class registration. Due to tight restrictions on class size, full refunds will only be issued for cancellations made more than 24 hours prior to the start of class. For cancellations made within the 24-hour window prior to the start of class, $50 will be deducted from your refund. Once class starts, no refunds will be issued.
Late pick-ups can only be arranged as far out as 30 minutes past business closing time, and late fees apply. At 30 minutes past closing time, pets in our care will be hotelled for the evening, and can be picked up the following morning when we open for business. Details about Late Pick-Ups are listed here for Daycare and Hotel. If you realize you are running late for a pick-up, please call us immediately to make accommodations for your pet and and try to avoid late pick-up fees. (586)566-8900. For your convenience, Bark-A-Bout’s pet hotel is open 365 days a year.
For First Timers
Yes! Your dog’s health and safety is always our top priority! We can administer pills, ointments, eye drops, ear drops for a small fee. Please bring your pet’s medication in its original container from your pet’s vet, and give us a thorough explanation and instructions regarding your pet’s medical condition. Unfortunately, we no longer accept new hotel guests that require insulin shots. Please be sure to keep all medical information updated within your Customer Portal. Approve the food enticements you will allow us to administer to entice your pet to take their medication, shall they choose to become picky. For dogs we offer: chicken broth, hot dogs, cheese, peanut butter and pumpkin.
Yes. All dogs must enter Bark-A-Bout on a ‘regular’ leash. For the safety of all humans and pets, NO retractable flexi leashes are permitted at Bark-A-Bout. At our entrance you will see a stand that has slip leads hanging. Feel free to borrow one of these leads to escort your dog through our lobby. Once your dog is checked in, we will return the slip lead to its stand.
*Training collars and leashes are permitted and will be placed with pet’s belongings during their stay.
We are fully committed to making Bark-A-Bout your pet’s “home away from home” where every visit is a tail-wagging unleash’d adventure. No one knows your dog better than you do. Our trained staff is eager to meet your dog and gather as much intel about their playstyle and demeanor prior to adding them into a playgroup. Once we are fully equipped with the important information you provide us in your pet’s Customer Portal, in addition to the insights we gain during our first our Meet~N~Greet Temperament Evaluation, we will be able to appropriately match your dog to suitable play group based on their play style and demeanor.
Sometimes dogs act like 4th grade boys. They tousle and bounce around just like kids on the playground. And sometimes they will end up with a scrape or two. The important key is to ensure that if rough play begins to escalate or if any dog shows signs of feeling uncomfortable at any point during playtime, our well-trained handlers recognize this body language and immediately intervene to separate this type of rough play. To the average pet owner, what looks like a worrisome brawl might simply be two dogs enjoying play. For dogs that bring excessive energy to the playgroup, accommodations will be made for time-outs. For the safety and well-being of all dogs in playgroup, Bark-A-Bout reserves the right to remove any dog from playgroup either temporarily or permanently.
Always feel free to reach out to our fur’endly receptionists or your dog’s handler to ask any questions you may have, and to learn the steps our staff takes to ensure your dog’s ongoing safety.
Humping can be caused by various reasons, such as: heightened excitement levels, or a rude way of saying “I am the leader”. Or it could be a play gesture which becomes a habit over time. Regardless of the reason, our handlers are trained to separate dogs engaging in humping gestures. If the behavior becomes a frequent nuisance to others in playgroup, a small lightweight backpack will be placed on the humper and it usually stops their behavior.
Bark-A-Bout is well-equipped to deal with all the messiness of eliminations. However, as a pet owner you may be concerned about what this means for your dog’s house training. We dedicate so much time teaching our dogs that going indoors is BAD and going outdoors is GOOD. To us, it looks so obvious – if there’s a ceiling, floor and walls, it’s considered “indoors”. If there’s grass and sky we consider that “outdoors”. Of course your dog notices these differences but the primary sense for a dog is not sight, but rather, “smell”! With so many differing scents and pheromones a dog comes across within our facility, to a dog, our resort more closely emulates the outdoors. Dogs don’t have any problems distinguishing between our bark park turf and your living room carpet.
Your dog’s health, safety and comfort is our top priority. All this playing can make a dog pretty thirsty. That’s why fresh, clean water is provided at all times, both indoors, outdoors and while resting in the comfort of their suite. We adhere to very strict cleaning standards to ensure all water is clean and free of debris, and available at all times throughout each pet’s stay.
Grooming
Daycare
During Dog Daycare 2.0, Bark-A-Bout becomes your dog’s personal playground with over 24,000 square feet of indoor-outdoor play space designed just for your dog’s exploration in a fun and secure social environment. Your dog will socialize with a small, hand-selected group of like-minded dogs in a fun and safe environment supervised by trained, qualified Pet Care Handlers certified in Off-Leash Play, Enrichment, Pet First Aid & CPR.
Bark-A-Bout’s now offers Macomb County’s FIRST Full-Day Enrichment Daycare Program where your dog can enjoy a comprehensive daycare experience tailored to their unique learning style! Bark-A-Bout’s Enrichment Coach crafts your dog a custom full-day curriculum consisting of five power-packed enrichment sessions (1 cognitive, 1 sensory, 1 physical and 2 social sessions) where mind-engaging activities and purposeful play awakens your dog’s five senses and canine instincts. These enrichment sessions will boost your dog’s confidence while strengthening their focus and concentration skills. Your dog will return home tired, content and well-behaved. Click here to learn more and enroll!
Each dog’s personality and energy level is unique and individual. Not every dog likes to wrestle, and some older dogs may prefer to relax and lounge around or hang out with our handlers. As each of our handlers get to know your dog’s play style, your dog will selectively be placed in playgroups that best suit their personality and energy level. Socialization and exercise is important for a healthy, well-adjusted dog, so our handlers guide playtime by cycling through periods of active group play and interaction (like fetch and follow-the-leader), followed by periods of relaxation and supervision.
Regardless of your dog’s energy level, we pride ourselves on giving your pet a positive, healthy experience at our resort. For the new first-timers or for the dogs that haven’t visited in some time, after all the fun and excitement at our resort it is not uncommon to return home tired and ready for a good nap.
Dog daycare/hotel is NOT appropriate for every dog at every stage of their life.
Bark-A-Bout prides ourselves on fun, safe, active mental stimulation and socialization in addition to physical exercise and movement. However, we do not advise dog daycare or hotel for dogs that have serious health complications, compromised immune systems or are nearing their end of life. Similar to humans who go through big changes like getting married, moving, having a baby, etc, these big changes are happy and exciting, but alterations in sleep pattern and daily routine alone can cause additional stress on the immune system. Even simple changes of environment and daily routine alone can impose too much stress on a tired or weak dog. If you are looking to board an aging dog or dog that has a weakened immune system, instead, we suggest finding an entrusted family member or friend to dog-sit at your home who can adhere to your dog’s daily routine and therefore minimize any additional unnecessary stress on their system.
For all dogs enjoying our facility, we suggest adding a daily all-natural immune boosting supplement to their balanced diet. Bark-A-Bout’s Pet Boutique offers an array of immune boosting support supplements in treat form, powders and pill capsules. For additional all-natural immune boosting suggestions, please call Dr. Sheppard’s Alternative Animal Care Office at: (586) 884-0882.
Please use your best judgment to decide if your dog is physically fit for the changes surrounding placing your dog in a new environment. If you are having doubts in any way that your aging dog might not be a good fit for our facility, please call up Bark-A-Bout and speak to our fur’endly staff (586)566-8900.
Hotel
Dog daycare/hotel is NOT appropriate for every dog at every stage of their life.
Bark-A-Bout prides ourselves on fun, safe, active mental stimulation and socialization in addition to physical exercise and movement. However, we do not advise dog daycare or hotel for dogs that have serious health complications, compromised immune systems or are nearing their end of life. Similar to humans who go through big changes like getting married, moving, having a baby, etc, these big changes are happy and exciting, but alterations in sleep pattern and daily routine alone can cause additional stress on the immune system. Even simple changes of environment and daily routine alone can impose too much stress on a tired or weak dog. If you are looking to board an aging dog or dog that has a weakened immune system, instead, we suggest finding an entrusted family member or friend to dog-sit at your home who can adhere to your dog’s daily routine and therefore minimize any additional unnecessary stress on their system.
For all dogs enjoying our facility, we suggest adding a daily all-natural immune boosting supplement to their balanced diet. Bark-A-Bout’s Pet Boutique offers an array of immune boosting support supplements in treat form, powders and pill capsules. For additional all-natural immune boosting suggestions, please call Dr. Sheppard’s Alternative Animal Care Office at (586) 884-0882.
Please use your best judgment to decide if your dog is physically fit for the changes surrounding placing your dog in a new environment. If you are having doubts in any way that your aging dog might not be a good fit for our facility, please call up Bark-A-Bout and speak to our fur’endly staff at (586)566-8900.
How should I prepare my pet for a stay at your resort?
Please login to your Customer Portal and account for ALL food that is being sent with your pet and approve any tasty additives that we may add into your pet’s food, shall they become picky. Keeping your pet on their regular diet is important for their digestive system. Any disruption in their diet may contribute to digestive upset.
Dry kibble, wet food, treats, raw diets, or pre-portioned home-made meals are all allowed. Meals will be left out for your pet(s) to graze on until their next scheduled meal. At the time of their next scheduled meal any uneaten food from the prior meal will be thrown out and replaced with a new pre-portioned fresh meal. During your pet’s stay if we calculate that your pet may run low on their food or run out during their hotel stay, we will reach out to you or your emergency contact. At that time you can decide to have someone deliver more food for your pet, or you can choose to have your dog fed Bark-A-Bout’s dry kibble for a small fee. Though we do offer this as an option, we encourage you to try and keep your pet on their regular diet. We always suggest packing a few extra pre-portioned meals for this reason.
No need to bring serving dishes or dog bowls unless your dog requires a special bowl such as: slow feeders, raised feeders, paper plates, etc.
