Frequently Asked Questions

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Why Pampered Pooch Playground?

We know that there are many dog daycares in the Twin Cities, and we invite you to come in and check us out. Here is a few things we have to offer that others don’t.

- Numerous Awards – We have won many “Best Of the Twin Cities” and other awards and have been featured on the local news many times.

- Group nap times – Dogs are not put into cages for naps.

- Green business model – from the poop bags to our flooring, we are as green as possible!

- 3 large play areas – The largest play areas of any daycare in the Minneapolis area.  All inside play areas are heated and air conditioned.

- Huge outside area, where the dogs can run and play. 85% of doggy daycares in the Twin Cities don’t offer an outside area!

- Staff – The best trained and caring staff!  A true passion and love of dogs from the owners, managers and playground staff.  We don’t hire children or accept volenteers, all of our staff are “dog professionals” and are trained on how to manage a large pack of dogs!

- Locally owned - we are not a franchise or a big box store.  We don’t want to have multiple locations, we enjoy being a smaller family business where you can contact the owners anytime and they know who your dog is.

Clean, Safe and Fun - We take great pride in providing a fun,,safe and  clean setting for your pooch to run and play.

 - Live webcams, an iPhone, Droid and Blackberry apps and a mobile website. Log anytime and see how much fun your pooch is having.  Just search “Pooch Vision” in the app store.

- Industry Leaders – We teamed up with other doggy daycares to start the Twin Cities Doggy Daycare Association to help set standards of care for daycares in the Twin Cities.

- We give back to many pet rescues on a monthly basis.

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Can I have a tour?

Sure! We would love to show you around the building, but because of the amount of stress that it places on the dogs we will not take you into the play areas that are in use. We work very hard on creating a stress free environment for your dog and work hard to control the amount of barking. Entering the play area will create both! We have made it simple for you to log on at anytime and see how your pooch is doing through our 11 webcams on our website, iPhone app or mobile website. We also have a monitor in the lobby so you can watch everything live!  You can stop in anytime for a quick tour, but please try to avoid our peak drop off and pick up times on weekdays (7-9am and 3-7pm).

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What do I need to bring for my first visit?

For your first visit to Pampered Pooch Playground, bring a copy of your dogs vet records showing proof of Rabies, Bordetella, DHPP and a negative fecal exam once per year. If the Bordetella vaccine has never been given or has lapsed in validity, it needs to be administered at least 10 days prior to your pet’s visit. You can fill out our enrollment form by Clicking Here.

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You require an evaluation, what is that?

We require an evaluation for everyone’s safety. We are looking for signs that indicate your dog would not be a good fit for the doggie daycare setting. If your dog does not play well with other dogs or is scared or fearful in the play area, then the doggie daycare setting may not be the best fit. Not every dog enjoys daycare, so we are just trying to make it enjoyable for every dog that is there.  We charge our daycare rate for the evaluations ($5/hr or $27/day)

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Do You Accept “Bully Breeds”?

We love all types of dogs, but we don’t allow the “bully breed” dogs in the daycare and hotel setting. They have a different style of play, which some other dogs do not enjoy. Some other daycares in the area do allow the “bully breeds” and we would be happy to recommend a place for you to go. The breeds that we do not accept are: Pitt Bulls, Chow Chow, Staffordshire Terrier, or any resembling these breeds or any dog that has aggression.

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Does my dog need to be spayed or neutered?

Yes, after 7 months of age all dogs must be spayed or neutered.

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Do you accept puppies?

We love puppies! Puppies are accepted at Pampered Pooch Playground at 14 weeks, if dog has completed his first 3 sets of vaccinations.

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Do you donate to local dog rescue groups?

We sure do! There are lots of great dog rescue groups in the Minneapolis area. We have picked Pet Haven of Minnesota to foster dogs with. We do donate to other dog rescues and causes including The Pet ProjectThe Animal Humane Society, Can Do Canines, Metropolitan Mutts, MN SNAP, Minnesota Boxer Rescue and various other groups.

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Do you require a reservation for daycare?

To make sure each dog gets the attention that they deserve reservations are strongly encouraged (we fill up almost everyday). Walk-ins are welcome, but on a space available basis. To make a reservation Click Here or call 952-922-8183.  Unlike most dog daycares in the Twin Cities, we limit the number of dogs that get to play each day.

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Do you have a nap time?

Yes, rather than putting the dogs in cages for naps, we let them nap as a group. Our group naps are very popular and are less stressful than putting a dog in a cage for a nap. It is very important to make sure dogs get plenty of rest while at the Daycare, it is like a person going to a gym for 8 hours a day!

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My dog goes to another daycare, do they still need an evaluation?

Yes, while most dogs that have been to other doggy daycares do great, we still require a 2 hour evaluation. You can leave your dog longer, just be available the first 2 hours. Our entrance requirements are bit stricter than other doggy daycares and want to make sure that all dogs are safe in our group play setting.  We charge our daycare rate ($5hr or $27 for the day) for the evaluation.

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Can you give my dog their medications?

Sure, please bring it in the original packaging with the directions from the vet written on it.

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Do you have an iPhone/ BlackBerry/ Droid app?

Yes, we were the first dog daycare in the country to release an app for doggy daycare.  To download the app, go into the app store and search “Pooch Vision”.  This is a free download since we encourage people to watch our webcams.

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Who takes care of my dog?

We have a great managers and staff! Many of our staff members are in school to be a vet-tech or a vet. All of staff has gone through our training process, and will know exactly how to care for your pooch! You can meet them anytime you come in.

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Do the dogs fight?

Just like when a child goes to school, something could happen. Our staff has been trained on how to safely manage a pack of dogs, and our staff to dog ratios are much higher than other doggy daycares in the area. Our staff has been trained to try to prevent fights rather than react to fights. Many other daycares have looked to our pack management style as a model for their daycare. We are also very selective in the dogs that we allow into our daycare, any dog that shows aggression at any time is not allowed. Should anything ever happen, we will inform the owner right away. Above all else, your dogs safety is our top priority!!!

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Are you a franchise? When will you open another location?

Many of the doggy daycares in the Minneapolis area are franchises owned by out of  state companies that are just in it for pure profit.  WE ARE NOT!  We are owned by 2 Twin Cities Residents, Keith and Patrycia Miller. You will often see them at the daycare doing just about any task you can imagine. We are big fans of local mom and pop places, and try to support as many as we can.  We feel that the service you receive will be far superior than large franchises and we don’t like to look “cookie cutter”.  As for another location, we feel that once you start growing into 2 locations, it becomes more money driven and the quality of service goes down!  We put the care and comfort of the dogs before anything, and have no plans to open another doggy daycare!

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How do you keep everything clean?

We take great pride in keeping our location clean and go to great measures to maintain the clean look. All the play areas are sanitized 2 times per day. Our outside potty area is sanitized nightly and all toys, water bowls and play equipment is cleaned each night. All of our cleaning products are safe to be used around dogs.

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Where are the cool dog events in Minneapolis?

We are very active in the community and list all of our events, on our events page.  Anther good source for dog friendly events is  Sidewalkdog.com.

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What time should I drop off my dog for their hotel stay?

The earlier the better! Your dog will sleep much better in a new environment if he has had a whole day of playtime to get to know everyone and tire himself out.  We do ask that all dogs be checked in by Noon, and if they are dropped off after noon, the check in time will be changed to noon for billing purposes.

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What is your cancellation policy?

We fill up every day, and feel it is only fair to let us know if your dog will not attend.   If your pooch is unable to come, we ask that you contact us 24 hours in advance so that another dog is able to take that spot.  If the dog does not show up for Doggy Daycare a $15 charge will be added to the next visit.  If a dog does not show up for our Hotel, a charge of $25 will be added to your next visit.  For the safety of the pack,  all dogs should be checked in by 3pm.

Holiday Cancellation Policy

Starting the week of Thanksgiving through January 3rd, a $50 deposit (per dog) is required to confirm your dogs hotel reservation. There is a 14 day cancellation policy and all reservations need to be changed or cancelled 14 days in advance to have the deposit refunded. HOLIDAY RESERVATIONS WILL NOT BE CONFIRMED UNTIL A DEPOSIT HAS BEEN MADE. Online deposits are processed securely through Pay Pal, or you can call the daycare and give a credit card number over the phone (952.922.8183). The $50 deposit will be applied to your dogs stay over the holidays. Reservations can be cancelled by calling 952.922.8183.

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My dog has never been boarded before, do you have any tips?

The more fimilar your dog is with our facility, the better they will do.  Plan on bringing them a few times for doggy daycare so they can get to know the staff and how we run things.  The better they know us, the better they do.  The dogs that normally do the best are the regular daycare dogs that come 1-2 times a week.  You can always bring your dogs bed, treats and other belongings that will remind them of home.  Feel free to call and check in on your pooch anytime during their stay.

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What should I bring when my dog spends the night?

What to Bring:
- Food (We don’t accept raw diets).
- Medications- bring them in the original bottle with the directions on the bottle.
- All suites come with a raised blue bed, and we also have blankets available. If you think your pooch would be more comfortable with a blanket from home you can bring one, but please make sure it can easily fit in 2ft x 1ft x 2ft bin.

What Not to Bring:
- Bones and Toys- these pose a huge choking hazard. Trust us, your pooch will be so tired from playing all day, they won’t play with their toys.
- Bowls- we have plenty and they are cleaned after each meal.
- Beds- if you bring a bed it must be under 2 feet wide (toy dog size), and be able to fit in the dogs overnight bins.  Large beds should be left at home.