FAQs for Your Human

Doggittude™ Life is all about community, joy, and animal advocacy. Our owner Taryn has a 16-year history in the pet care industry, starting out as a volunteer with a veterinary hospital and animal rescue and adoption groups. She’s done vet tech work, lobbied for animal rights in Washington, DC, and built a part-time cat-sitting service into a successful pet-sitting and dog-walking company serving Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Long Island City. Doggittude™ is a natural progression in Taryn’s pet care journey to help pets and their humans live their best lives, informed by veterinary medicine and animal science.

Absolutely. We are dog- and human-inclusive. We love and care for dogs that are large or small, young or old. Our only criterion is a good temperament.

Yes, all dogs over 7 months old should be neutered or spayed to book any service in our faclity.

We require proof of vaccination so we can ensure all the pets in our care are safe and healthy. Vaccinations are the law in New York City, where all puppies and kittens should have their first rabies shot by 4 months of age, then a booster shot one year later and regularly scheduled booster shots after that.

• RABIES EXCEPTION: You do not need a rabies vaccination for puppies and kittens who are 3 months old or younger.

• MEDICAL EXEMPTIONS: If your pet has a medical reason for not getting a vaccine, we’ll need a letter to that effect from your veterinarian prior to scheduling a temperament evaluation.

Required vaccines for dogs:

All vaccination documents must be submitted and verified before a temperament evaluation can be scheduled.

REQUIRED:

• Rabies Certificate, signed by your veterinarian, that includes vaccine type, immunity duration, manufacturer, lot number, and expiration date. Per NYS regulations, we will keep this certificate on file for one year, at the end of which our system will send out a reminder that if it’s time for a new vaccination your dog’s rabies certificate needs to be updated.

• Distemper + Parvovirus (DA2+ CPV)

• Bordetella (Kennel Cough)

• In addition to the required vaccinations, we strongly recommend giving your dog an extra wellness benefit with vaccinations for Canine Influenza (H3N2 and H3N8) and

• Leptospirosis. (Canine Influenza may be a two-part vaccination - please check with your veterinarian.)

For cats being boarded:

Please note that if your cat needs a vaccine update it should be done at least 5 days prior to the boarding date.

• Rabies (unless you have a kitten under 4 months old, in which case it’s not required)

• FVRCP

• FeLV (unless your cat has never been outside)

• Negative test results for FeL & FIV

Fecal, Heartworm, and Flea and Tick treatments

• Dogs must have a clean fecal test and proof of heartworm treatment prior to admission to daycare.

• Both dogs and cats must have proof of flea and tick treatments.

Neutering and Spaying

All pets must be spayed and neutered by 9 months old except giant breed dogs. Reach out to us if you have a giant breed pup and we’ll figure out a customized plan.

The first step to joining the Doggittude™ Lifestyle is to create an account here in our portal. We’ll ask for vaccination information and the answers to a few questions. If everything looks good, then we’ll invite your fur friend for a temperament evaluation with one of our staff to figure out their suitability for daycare and boarding. Temperament evaluation involves a mandatory 4-hour stay. The fee for the evaluation is $40.

Our hours vary by service:

Doggie Daycare: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Saturday Shopping Drop-Off: Saturdays from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. If you’re already an existing client, you can do your shopping on Atlantic Avenue or savor a cup of coffee while we take care of your fur friend.

Self-Wash Spaw: Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. You can make an appointment on our website.

Boarding is 24-7, including weekends. Your pet should be dropped off for boarding between 3-5 p.m. on the first day of their stay and picked up before 11 a.m. on the final day.

Boarding:

Check-in for boarding is between 3 p.m. - 5 p.m. unless your pet is coming for daycare that day and then staying for overnight boarding.

Check-out for boarding is 11 a.m. If your dog has not been picked up by noon they will go into daycare and the daily rate for daycare will be applied to the cost.

A 50% deposit of the cost of your total stay will be required to guarantee your boarding reservation. If you cancel with less than 72 hours notice, your deposit will be forfeited.

If for any reason you check your pet out early we cannot offer any credit and any unused time will be forfeited. All sales are final and no refunds offered. As always all prices are subject to change at any time.

Daycare:

Dogs must be picked up by 6:45 pm or there will be a $20 late fee.

If your dog is not picked up by our 7 p.m. closing time then they will have to board with us for the night and you’ll be required to pay our boarding fee.

We’re an employee-based company that carefully selects responsible, animal-loving, hard-working people as our staff. All are paid a living wage above the industry norm and offered health insurance. They all receive up-to-date training in best practices around animal care.

If you’re passionate about pet care, know that working with animals is hard but rewarding, and are seeking a safe and inclusive place to work, consider becoming part of our Doggittude™ family. There are many career possibilities in the animal care space and we’ve helped many people to start theirs.

Submit your resume to doggitude@gmail.com and tell us a little about yourself.

Emailing doggittude@gmail.com is the easiest way to reach our team. We make every effort to reply to our emails within a 4-hour window.

For emergencies, please call us at 646-956-3511 and leave a message. We’ll get back to you as soon as we’re able. doggittude@gmail.com

Tours are given on Sunday between noon - 3pm by appt only. Please call us to make an appointment. If you can’t make it then, we’ll be happy to arrange another time for you to look around.

Boarders will be watched over by our daytime staff or overnight attendant.

Food and medication: It's important to keep your pet on their regular diet, so you’ll need to bring enough food for their entire stay. Let us know if you prefer them to be fed two or three times a day.

If your pet requires medication, please bring it along with instructions for administering it.

For cats and other small animals:

Cats and other small animals will be kept in cages in the office where they won’t be distracted by the dogs.

Feel free to bring a blanket or something else with your scent on it for the cat to sleep on.