While injuries are not a common occurrence here at Bark & Play, things do happen. When they do, we take the pups to the wonderful humans at The Center for Animal Wellness. They are our veterinarian of record and are located at 1167 Santa Fe Dr., Denver, CO 80204. For questions, call (303) 534-1875.

Bark & Play is all play, all day! From the time we get playgroup going (about 7am), until clean-up time (about 6:30pm), dogs are in the playroom! The only exceptions are lunch time between 11:45am-12:15pm, time out (sometimes they just need to chill), they want to nap away from other dogs, or a fight. Usually between the hours of 1-4pm, most of the kids will flop down wherever they happen to land for a power nap (usually an hour or two), so that they can get back up and do it all over again in the evening.

There is some information we need on you and your dog(s) that we need to collect. Next, we need their vaccinations. We require Bordetella (Kennel Cough)- 6month (recommended) OR 1 year. Distemper/Lepto (3 year) and Rabies (3 year).The age requirement for daycare is old enough to have their first round of Rabies vaccination. If they have had their Rabies, we can take them! If your pup is 6 months of age or older, they MUST BE SPAYED/NEUTERED. Once we have all the paperwork, we will take you on a quick tour of the facility (you will NOT be able to enter the play area or go to the outside play area), answer any questions that you might have, and then get the acclimation process started. You have ONE calendar month to use up your FREE days, and they do NOT count towards any overnight stays.

We need you and your pup to be at Bark & Play by 8am. That helps us to correctly acclimate your dog to us. Think about when you take your kid to a busy dog park. You enter the park and all the dogs that are already there come swarm the new kid and “get their sniffs in”. This can be overwhelming, especially when their humans are not around. They don’t know any of the dogs, any of the humans, or the space with all the smells of the veterinarian. That is super scary. We like to have the new pup sit in a kennel close to the playroom and get acclimated to the sounds and the smells. This is usually about 10-15 minutes tops for kids that have no fear and are ready to play. The more scared kids can take longer. The amount of time we take to acclimate them is up to them. We do not want to go too fast and freak them out. First thing is to introduce them to another dog. We start with a mellow pup and see how that goes. We go at their pace and don’t put them in the playroom until they have told us they are ready. If they are not ready, we give them some more time in the kennel to chill and take in the environment. We tell everyone who’s pup is on the nervous side not to be discouraged if they don’t do well day one. That is why there are multiple. You have one calendar month from trial day one to use they other two free days.

We have had our first scary day at daycare and parents came back to pick us up. Even kids that didn’t do well on their first day are more confident. They remember the humans, the smells, and the space from their previous visit. We don’t need them here by 8am, but the sooner your pup gets in the playroom, the quicker they get re-acclimated and start to play!

Once everyone gets a sense of how your kid is going to do with us, you will have a better understanding of what your Day Care needs will be, and you will have a better idea of what package best suits your needs. Login to your Bark and Play account (via the Gingr App) and choose your unlimited monthly membership or package.

A half day is 6 hours of play or less and must be dropped off by 10:00am

We operate 6:30am-7:00pm Monday-Friday, 7:00am-6:00pm Saturdays, and CLOSED for DayCare on Sundays. There are humans there, but playtime is for dogs that are Boarding. Dogs can be dropped off as early as 6:30am. We allow for drop off before 6:30am with proper notice. We get the playroom going about 7am on weekdays. Walk-In’s for DayCare must be dropped off before 9am. We will accept DayCare dogs with reservations until 10am We allow for after hours pick-up with proper notice at no extra charge. If we are not notified of a late pick up, there will be a $10 fee added to your account, so make sure you keep the lines of communication open!

We require at least 24 hour notice for boarding. We have to have had at least one of your Trial Days done before we will board a pup. This is for the safety of your dogs and our humans. It is NEVER too early to book for busy Holidays. Most places are full for December in October, so if you want your kids to join our slumber party, plan early and get those reservations in before the rush! Make your reservation through your Bark and Play profile on the Gingr app.

We will help remind you of a vaccination that is due, but it is up to YOU to provide proof that your kid is up to date. We offer Bordetella (Kennel Cough) vaccination here, but that is the only one that we can provide. You can email us a copy of the reminder you receive from your Vet to Barkandplaydenver@gmail.com

To make sure that we have room for your pup, it is recommended that you make a reservation. We accept walk ins before 10am until we have hit our legal limit of humans to dogs. If you have a reservation and have not called or shown up by 10am, your reservation will be deleted. Reservations should be made via the Bark and Play portal on the Gingr App once you've completed your profile.

We offer the kids who brought a lunch their food between 11:45-12:15pm, depending on how many there are. If you would like us to feed your kid lunch, make sure that you bring their food in a RESEALABLE bag or container wit

If someone other than the humans that are listed on the first page of the introduction packet needs to pick up your pup, please let us know when you drop your dog off the first and last name of the person picking up. Let the person picking up your dog know that they will need to bring their ID with them. We will not release a dog to an unauthorized human.

The price of an overnight stay includes dog daycare, so to get your money’s worth, drop your kids off as early as possible. We want them nice and tired for the overnight stay. There is no discount for a later drop off for overnight stays. We encourage pick-ups during regular drop off and pick up hours listed on our site, but know that isn’t always possible. Please let us know when you drop off your kid when you plan to pick them up. We try to be flexible with an open line of communication.

All the essentials! Beds, enough food for their stay and a couple days more, a few of their favorite toys (2-3 MAX), a night shirt from one of their humans to help their room to smell more like home, and medications if needed. Please leave bowls (unless it is a slow feeder), rawhide treats, pigs ears, and other choking hazards at home. Food may be pre-bagged, or brought in one container, but we will not accept a grocery bag as a food container.

We know that it can’t always be a parent that drops off kids for boarding. To help us give your kid the best care possible, please know the following information… *Feedings- How much and how often *Allergies to food or environmental *Medications- MUST BE IN ORIGINAL PACKAGING *Bath needed? Can they play after their bath, or do they need to stay away from others *Pick-up time- This helps us to plan everything. Please know when someone plans on picking up your pup This is something that we will go through EVERY TIME you drop off your kid, so plan an extra 5 minutes to answer our questions. We have to keep meticulous records and must go through instructions each time.

One tired pup! They are happy to come in, but are really happy to see their humans and get back to their routine. If something has been left behind on accident, please give us a call to let us know and we will make sure to have it at the ready when you are able to swing by and get it. You will be expected to pay in full for your pups stay with us. If there is money in your account, you are more than welcome to use any of that towards your boarding stay if you wish.