FAQ

• Temperament evaluation passed.  No dog that is aggressive in any way will be allowed.
• Must be current on all vaccinations
  • Rabies – One year
  • DHLPP – Both one and three year vaccinations accepted
  • Bordetella – Required within the past year
• Must be on a Flea Preventative (Frontline, Advantage, etc)
• Must be at least 3 months old. Puppies must have 2 Dhlpp and a Bordatella vaccine
• Dogs must have had no communicable diseases within the last 30 days.
• Dogs must be friendly, social, and healthy
• Dogs over 6 months of age must be spayed or neutered, unless discussed/approved in advance of boarding **
• We ask that you wait a minimum of 72 hours between the time that your dog gets vaccinated and the time they come into the facility.

** Surging hormones from non-altered dogs may overly excite other doggie guests & contribute to aggressive play, excessive mounting, snapping and other inappropriate behaviors.  

Bordetella (commonly called “kennel cough”): The bordetella virus causes an extremely contagious upper respiratory infection. Puppies should be given two doses of the Bordetella vaccine, about a month apart. Annual boosters are recommended if your dog regularly interacts with large groups of unknown dogs (boarding facilities, groomers, dog parks, etc.).  Bark Place Texas requires vaccination every 12 months.  Please note: Many veterinarians administer this vaccine only by request, and like the human flu vaccine, vaccination may not provide 100% protection from a particular strain of the virus.  Please contact us if you have any questions regarding this vaccine or administration.

Canine influenza is one of many respiratory diseases included in what is currently known as the CIRD (Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease) complex. Other more commonly recognized respiratory infections in this category include Bordetella bronchiseptica (kennel cough) and canine distemper virus.  Currently, there are two strains of canine influenza that are of concern, H3N8 and H3N2. Unfortunately, even with preventative efforts, dogs can fall ill with canine influenza. CIV has no seasonality, so owners should always look out for symptoms, especially if their dog spends lots of time with other canines at places like doggie daycares.  

The play groups are supervised and the safety of each and every camper is our #1 priority. Our counselors make sure play doesn’t get out of hand or too rowdy.

With this in mind, we do not accept aggressive dogs and we are very selective about intact males.

However, dogs play with their paws and teeth, so small scratches and nicks can happen.  If a serious situation were to occur, the injured pet will be transported to the nearest veterinarian and you will be contacted.

Voice commands, squirts from a water bottle, and redirecting behavior are the most common methods of preventing problems.  Time-outs can be used to give an over-energetic pooch time to cool off and calm down. Negative reinforcement is never used at Bark Place Texas.

Bark Place Texas uses veterinarian grade cleaning products.

Your dog can choose to play inside or outside while playing at Bark Place Texas. Our indoor play area is climate controlled so it never gets too hot or too cold for your pooch. Lying in our doggy lounge with the air conditioning is a favorite past-time for a few of our older guests! Our outside play yard has some large trees which provide lots of shade. We frequently get the pools and sprinklers out for our pups to splash around in as well when the weather is warm.

You need to bring your pups medications and regular food.  Food can be packaged in individual ziplock bags for each meal for short stays, or can be brought in the bag/container with clear, written instructions.  We can provide a generally well accepted dry kibble option if you are unable to bring your own. We encourage you to bring your dogs own blankets or toys, as the familiar feel and smell will help adapt to his temporary environment. The only items we ask that you do not bring are rawhides, greenies, or other items which could be a choking hazard, items that cannot fit in a standard washing machine, and food dishes. We will not give these items to your dogs while they are boarding.

Bark Place Texas’ normal drop off times are after 12 pm and no later than 6:30 pm.  Pick up times are normally before 11 am.  These times provide adequate time for our staff to prepare for the day, close for the evening and leave on time.  Management of Bark Place Texas resides on property with the facility and may be able to accommodate special requests for boarding pick up/drop off times within reason, with no additional charge.  Please contact us for information.  However, we do require that you schedule your times in advance and please show up on time (or call when you will be late).  We do not have regular staff in the office, so this gives us the opportunity to be prepared for your pet’s arrival/departure0

Here at Bark Place Texas, we don’t believe there is any such thing as a “bad breed’.  Each and every new camper must go through a personal assessment before they are allowed to be introduced into any group play.  During these introductions, we carefully monitor their behavioral cues and their body language. In particular, we are looking for dogs that are happy to meet new play pals, big dogs that can play with small dogs, and small dogs that can play with large dogs, and every size in between.  We assess the particular mannerisms of each dog, and watch carefully for any traits that may cause problems in group playtime.  For smaller dogs who are uncomfortable with larger dogs or groups, or older dogs that just want to relax, we can separate playgroups accordingly.

Here at Bark Place Texas, we designed our play yards with escape artists in mind.  We are dog owners ourselves.  Our fencing is designed with this in mind.  We have 5′ no-climb fencing mounted to posts spaced 7′ apart, with an additional foot of wire barrier along the top of the fence-line creating at least a 6′ vertical fence barrier.  We have distributed rock along the bottom of the fencing to discourage digging.  We follow very strict gate protocols and train our employees accordingly.  When we take your pup on an extra leashed walk, we fit them with appropriately sized harnesses to avoid slipping out of the collar.  Additionally, the entire 12.5 acre property is fenced with either barbed wire or cattle panels.  ***Please note that if your dog regularly escapes your yard at home and can jump or dig even under these circumstances, we recommend a more secure boarding option with an indoor/outdoor kennel option.  We are in the country, so we do not want to risk losing your dog out here.

No, you cannot. First and foremost, this would not be safe for the dogs. Introducing a novel stimulus to the pack (i.e. you) heightens arousal and could cause a fight. Our staff has gone to considerable lengths to get each and every camper comfortable with them, and bringing in strangers is unfair to the dogs and could introduce a bite risk. Plus some of our boarders are uncomfortable with people they do not know or certain attributes that we have (men vs. women, glasses, or a beard, for example). It is very important to us that this is a safe place where our campers can come to play and relax. In addition, the dogs act very differently when a novel stimulus is introduced than they do most of the day so it wouldn’t be a true picture of what goes on. Finally, our insurance would not allow this for obvious liability reasons.

We are happy to administer any required medications while your pooch is staying with us.

Here at Bark Place, we have an open environment, with smaller kennels as we do not kennel our dogs all day.  We have limited ability to isolate dogs.  We can occasionally accept a dog that would just prefer to be left alone, but if you have a dog that actively pursues other dogs, we recommend a more secure kennel option.

We request that any dog over six months of age be spayed or neutered.  However, with advance notice, we may be able to accommodate un-spayed females.  It is VERY important you give us your dog’s spay/neuter status before you schedule a reservation!  Also, intact males tend to be more aggressive towards other males and create a tense environment, so we do not allow any intact male dog.