Because we own a Mastiff and a Beagle we would like to have our doggy friends to be at least 50 pounds. It is NOT because the mastiff is aggressive, he just doesn’t know his own size! His paws are as big as my hand. :-) He is very mild mannered and loves when we have new doggy friends. The more worried guest is the owner and the little dog if they have not been around large dogs. Mastiffs are "gentle giants". However, we have had a few guests who were 5 - 15 pounds and they did very well. We do not have any breed preferences. We accept all with a temperament test. Since my son is 10, we prefer that your doggy is good with children. It is preferred that your dog is crate trained so that when we leave, your dog has a safe, personal and comfortable spot. However please do not bring a crate if they do not find their crate to be a safe space or buy one just so they can stay with us. That causes undo stress on a doggy and could result in a negative experience. We do know that accidents happen but we request house trained guests if possible. Please let us know during the "meet and greet" if your doggy has any issues. Please let us know your brand of dog food just in case they run out of food or you request an extended stay and there is not enough food. If you have a doggy with some anxiety issues, let us know. We do make accommodations for them upon notification of the anxiety. You will hear from us often so any needs and/or behaviors we find "out of the ordinary" we will contact you and ask if the behavior is normal and what your preference is when dealing with the behavior. Typically, we will call (if you're available), the owner's voice can be soothing and help your doggy through stress. Most importantly, we need to know if your dog is an "ESCAPE ARTIST." We need very clear instructions on how to handle your dog if someone is at the door, when the dog is outside and when we take trips to the dog park. Doggies are very intelligent. They can find their way out of kennels, climb/jump fences, find weaknesses in you fences, dig holes, and anything else you can think of in a matter of minutes. We do have baby gates, however we know dogs can jump those also especially if they are motivated for one reason or another. Many dogs who are homesick will look for any opportunity they can to escape and find you. Please ask as many questions of us as you'd like. We are always available and do our best to ensure that your doogy's stay is safe, happy and healthy!

We make visits to the dog park and sometimes we make trips to Petsmart! They are always leashed and can only go with owners permission. We do not walk doggies more than a mile during the summer if it is greater than 85 degrees. Summer weather can be very dangerous for your dog. Injuries can include burning of the pads on their feet and heat stroke. During the winter, if it is less than 30 degrees outside we do not walk without parents consent for safety reasons. Further, They will have shortened stays outside due to possible stress, injury, illness, etc. from the cold. We want your doggy to return happy and healthy with a super positive experience.