First stays and social fit

Before a first stay we ask about past care experiences, play preferences, fears, guarding, recall, escape behavior, and comfort around other animals. Those answers live on your pet's profile and shape the plan for the stay.

Every guest shares the farm with other dogs and with the care team, and the group changes as stays begin and end. We look for a dog who can be around unfamiliar dogs and people without distress, and we plan a slow start for one who needs it.

New guests meet the group gradually: one calm introduction at a time, matched by size, energy, and play style, and supervised throughout. A first day can be quieter, with individual space to retreat to, and a dog who does better with shorter interactions gets them.

A nervous guest gets the same six set times every day, so tomorrow looks like today, and the care team tells you in the day's update how the settling in is going.

Larger dogs may be asked to visit before a first stay, and the care team may also ask to meet a pet whose weight or history it does not have. Breed plays no part in who is asked. The request review says whether a visit is needed.

A visit is booked from your account, with your dog present. It is a chance for the care team to meet your dog and for you to see the farm and ask your questions; the packing list and the logistics of the visit are on Plan your stay.

Tell us about guarding, reactivity, or difficulty around unfamiliar dogs or people. Any separate routine, such as a walk apart from the group, is discussed and agreed before we confirm a stay and appears on the estimate as its own line. Some needs we cannot meet, and we say so at review rather than at the gate.

Chickens and other farm birds live here too, some of them free-ranging, so we also ask how your dog is around smaller animals.

The boarding agreement states the boundary in one sentence: Snuggles Pet Boarding reserves the right to refuse admission to any pet showing signs of illness or aggressive behavior.