We used Petsmart in Fair Lakes for boarding. He did great there. He gets 2 walks plus a couple of potty breaks during the day. I didn't put him in the extra group play time but I might next time. It helps that he gets groomed there and his Groomer was working that whole weekend so he got visits from one of his favorite people during his stay.

I like Paradise for Pets for the simple reason that the dogs aren't cooped up all day and there is none of this ridiculous $15 for a forest walk - its a dog place, so there are no fluffy pet beds, couches, etc- there are outside dog runs, the inside is a concrete air conditioned area for afternoon / nighttime, but I feel it is better for the dogs than a place where they basically sit in a crate all week.

Its in Beltsville. Good luck - breaks my heart even dropping them off there, but I feel better about it than most other options.

check out dogvacay.com for in-house boarding options. we haven't used this service, but have heard great things.

Clever Dog, not to far over the line in Silver Spring, is great. They walk the boarded dogs four times a day.

If you are trying to keep your puppy on a "schedule", I would recommend a dog walker.

Otherwise, I don't think you'll have much luck with traditional boarding facilities. We regularly board our dog at both open-play and traditional kennels and they do typically let the dogs out at least once a day for fresh air. You can pay for more outdoor time if you need it. We live in Alexandria and have had good experiences with Dogtopia, A Dog's Day Out and Woodlawn Kennels.

We adopted a puppy in March and I work from home so he doesn't need to go to dog day care on a regular basis. I've been checking a few them out to see if he likes the place and seems to be well cared for because eventually we will need to board him when we go on vacation.

I've been a bit disturbed by the two we've been to. The first one we used when we both had to be out of town for the day so he was there from around 8:30-6:15 or so. My husband picked him up and said that it seemed like hadn't gone to the bathroom all day. I didn't sign him up for a walk because I they had facilities to let them play outside but the weather was too hot for them to open up the big doors to let them go outside. Our pup has been housebroken and he won't go inside. I find it a bit strange that the other dogs there just go whenever and whereever they feel like it.

The second place told me that the dogs don't go outside unless we pay for a walk but that they would take him outside if they noticed that he was holding it all day.

Am I the only one who finds this strange that the dogs don't go outside to go to the bathroom regularly? Does anyone have a recommendation for a place where the dogs do have access to the outside?

I live in DC but for boarding we will take any recs for good places. We would also like to find a place for the occasional dog day care.