Welcome to Happy Pals located in convenient Marlboro, MA. We have been caring for dogs for over 27 years. Brady is the resident pet. He is an adorable 15 year old Cocker Spaniel – yes – named after Tom. We have had Brady since he was a puppy. Brady is a sweet and friendly dog so as long as guest(s) can hang out with him. Our home has a large, beautiful, private backyard that is perfect for your pups to play in. Each day stay for your pal includes two walks around our neighborhood as well as unlimited indoor/outdoor playtime. The inside area of our home has a large, open concept with plenty of room to walk around and play. During the dog days of summer, our home is cool as we have central air conditioning. If your fur-baby boards over the weekend, we will also include a trip to the local park! We are able to supervise your pups 24x7. We are able to provide transportation to a vet for any emergency situations. We have a great relationship with Brady’s veterinary clinic. Our home also is not far from emergency services at Tufts University in Grafton. Elaine has been certified in CPR and pet first aid in the past and plans to retake this course and become recertified. We will provide you with as many updates/pictures of your friend’s stay as you would like to receive. We can't wait to meet you and your fur-babies! Benefits of staying with Happy Pals: •We always strive to pamper your friend. Safety is top priority. •Elaine and her husband Ken work closely together as a team during all visits. An advantage of staying with Happy Pals is that there are two adults always caring for your pet. If one has something unexpected come up, the other is always right there. If an unexpected emergency came up with both of us, we have a backup plan if the guest doesn't have an emergency contact. We have two different family members (both dog lovers and owners) who are nearby and have volunteered to help out if there were any unexpected emergencies with the caregivers. Both are home full time enjoying retirement and taking care of family. •If you would like your fur-baby to go on field trips, we can discuss the possibility of going to local dog friendly parks such as Callahan State Park, Great Brook, or Gates Pond. Safety is always top priority so we can see if this would work well during a particular visit. •Traditional boarding facilities charge extra fees for play time. Non-stop play times as well as walks are always included. •Bottled water and Milk Bone treats are always available. •We are very mindful of food allergies and food sensitivities. If your pet requires a special diet, we are happy to cook any special meals. •If help is needed transporting the guest to our home for a stay, we can help with pick ups and drop-offs. •Location is convenient to major routes (Rts. 495, 20, 30). •We have a lot of room. If you feel as though your pal may need some private or alone time, we have a lot of room for he/she to stay completely separate if there may be another guest at the same time. •Guests can sleep where they are most comfortable (living room, bedroom, etc.). •We try to keep the number of guests at a time low to give each guest the most attention possible. We carefully consider the mix of guests if there will be some overlap. We always feel bad if we cannot accommodate a guest on a particular date due to numbers but we feel that it is important to keep numbers low for all guests to be happy and safe. If you know particular dates ahead of time, please let us know even if a formal reservation request isn't sent right away so that we can keep the dates in mind while scheduling. Summertime (Memorial Day through Labor Day) and major holidays are the busiest. •If your pet has a scheduled grooming or vet appointment during their stay in a nearby town, we can make sure that they get there. •Updates and pictures are sent to you of your friend throughout the visit. Also, please feel free to call or e-mail anytime to check on them. •Flexibility in drop-off and pickup times. You are able to drop-off and pickup your pet at times when traditional boarding places are closed. Please note: if our calendar says "booked" for particular dates that you are interested in, please still contact us with a general inquiry e-mail. It is possible that a day that says "booked" could also be a day that another guest is leaving. We have enough room to accept several dogs; however, it is always our goal to have no more than 1-2 guests at a time to ensure that every guest receives a lot of individual attention. More dogs are listed in the profile to have flexibility with the calendar since some guests leave and come on the same day. Confirmation at booking: Up-to-Date vaccinations; Flea/tick preventive treatment; Negative fecal exam. Please note: now that pandemic restrictions have been lifted, there has been a larger volume of requests than usual for summer stays. I apologize ahead of time if there is a small delay in returning your message. We are usually able to return a message within an hour or two but over the summer it will definitely be within 24 hours at the most. If you need to reach out regarding a date coming up quickly, please feel free to call me directly using the Rover # showing in the profile. The calendar may look open regarding dates near 4th of July right now because we are in the process of finalizing holiday reservations but the days right around the holiday are now busy with furry guests. If we aren't able to help out on specific dates this summer due to higher volume of requests, we would love to meet you in the future and help out with a future date. Thanks. Elaine, Ken, and Brady (woof) I am home the majority of the time. We are able to follow your pet's schedule exactly the way it is at home. We like to review the schedule at a Meet and Greet - feedings, exercise, sleeping. We have safety gates near main doorways. We do not crate guests unless asked to by the guest. We take leashed walks. We are home the majority of the time.