Frequently Asked Questions
What is the daily routine like at Happy Tails?
Daycare Pups and Boarding Pups have the same routine and are together in the same play area.
-Play time: 8-10am
-Pups go back into their kennels for rest time, boarders will have their breakfast served at this time, daycares will receive treats
-Play time: 4-6pm
-Daycares go home, boarders will be served dinner in their kennels and rest
-9pm (approx. time): Bedtime Let-out - 30-45 minutes for a bathroom break, stretch before bed
What should I bring for my pup's stay?
-For Daycare, no belongings are needed. They should eat breakfast before arrival.
-For boarding: bring their food, and you may bring 1 bedding item, a toy, special treats they like and any medication needed. Happy Tails provides bowls.
*Please be sure to provide enough food and medication (if applicable) for their stay, plus a couple extra meals in case of delays. There will be an additional charge for having to purchase their brand of food if they run out.
When is drop off and pick up?
Hours of Operation:
Monday - Friday 8-10am and 4-6pm
Saturday 9-10am
Sunday 4-5pm
Drop Offs: You may arrive anytime within our open hours, however, please arrive at least 15 minutes before closing to allow your pup time to settle in before they go back into their kennels for rest time. If you arrive as we are closing, it limits their time to get settled in.
Pick Ups: You may arrive for pick up anytime within our open hours. Your pups belongings will be packed up in the lobby for you and we will bring your pup out to you on a leash.
Please be mindful and respectful of our hours - this is our personal property so arriving outside of normal business hours affects our outside activities. There will be an off-hours fee for arriving when we are closed.
What is the best way to contact Happy Tails?
Text is the fastest way to contact us at 518-859-4840. Email is the next best way, or call. If we are playing and focusing on caring for our pups, we will be prioritizing their care rather than being on our phones so we will respond as soon as we are able.
Texts, emails and calls that come in after 6pm may not be returned until the next day if it's not an urgent matter.
Do you group dogs by size?
Our setup is most conducive to having all of our dogs play together. We require an evaluation on all dogs to make sure everyone playing together is an appropriate addition to playtime. If your dog needs to be separated in their own area then availability may be limited since we are mainly an open play facility.
What vaccines are required?
We require your pups Rabies, Distemper, and Bordetella to be up to date when visiting.
We offer the Oral Bordetella Vaccine at Happy Tails. This can be given during any stay (daycare or boarding). We will provide a verification card for you and your vet and we will show the expiration date in the portal. Almost all vets put a 1 year expiration date on the Bordetella vaccine on their records so our expiration date may differ from theirs. Many daycare and boarding facilities require this every 6 months because the dogs play together in close contact but not everyone uses these services so it's not always necessary for them to have a 6 month requirement at the vet.
Parking & Entering the Lobby
Pull up and park right in front of the garage doors. You will see the door with the stop sign and the wreath on it - you may enter the lobby there and wait. We will see you arrive on our cameras and come out to greet you. If you are waiting more than 5 minutes, please call us. We ask that you do NOT knock on the doors, yell to us, or open the doors within the lobby.
The cement "parking spot" type structures are there not for parking at, but rather to stop anyone from backing up onto our yard and septic tank.
*Dogs must be on a leash when entering and exiting.
If there is someone else in the lobby, please wait BY your vehicle and do not open the lobby door. Some dogs may get anxious when exiting if there are people in front of the door.
*We ask that you stay within the driveway area and that you do not walk around on the property without permission or approach the dog fences.