I’ve used Rover several times with good results but find the process tedious and time consuming. Reading all the reviews, finding people available when they actually claim to be, and the meet and greet which is also time consuming. We tend to travel at peak times so many dog sitters are booked or out of town themselves.

We cannot board our dog and we use Rover.com. They have reviews from previous clients and you can filter a lot requirements (do they have a yard? do they have other pets? do they have kids? do they allow pets on the furniture? how often are they home during the day? etc. etc.) to find the best sitter, but we always schedule a meet and greet before finalizing the booking. That way we can get a feel for the person, see their house and how they interact with the dog, etc. We have had great experiences.

Anonymous wrote:K-9 Divine. They pick up and drop off and post pictures of your doggo having fun on their facebook page. You have to pay for a day visit before hand to test temperament since it's not kennels.

K9 Divine is great, but it's completely cageless, so I doubt they will take an unneutered dog.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here.

About Rover.com, how do you select the dog-sitter? Are there any red flags to watch out for?

Read about their experience and read their reviews (at Rover.com). A sitter will require a meet & greet before you board, to discuss your dog's needs, details re: care, and to make sure it's a good match.

We have had very good experiences.

+1 We’ve used rover.com and been pleased. We looked at reviews and have generally used sitters with repeat stays and multiple reviews. The meet and greet is useful.

Another vote for Dr. Boyds & they have 24 hour livestream, so you can watch your pup play all day.

Plus, their "bedrooms" are huge (unlike the small kennels you see at other facilities) & include those trampoline like beds.

We love it there.

K-9 Divine. They pick up and drop off and post pictures of your doggo having fun on their facebook page. You have to pay for a day visit before hand to test temperament since it's not kennels.

Anonymous wrote:OP here.

About Rover.com, how do you select the dog-sitter? Are there any red flags to watch out for?

Read about their experience and read their reviews (at Rover.com). A sitter will require a meet & greet before you board, to discuss your dog's needs, details re: care, and to make sure it's a good match.

We have had very good experiences.

Sniffers in Rockville. They take great care of our dog and do a great job screening out aggressive dogs. They have lots of different boarding and play options so you can customize. Our dog does play time for 8 hours a day. The only thing I don’t like is they are inside all day but that is probably good for your dog.

Rivermist Pet Lodge, Brinklow, MD (about 10 minutes from Olney). I think they will pickup and deliver for extra charge. Our dog is always happy to go, they have always taken good care of him.

What about Dr Boyd’s in Rockville?

OP here.

About Rover.com, how do you select the dog-sitter? Are there any red flags to watch out for?

I use Rover and have had good experiences. You can personalize the service a lot more.

We've never boarded our dog, but need to do it for a few days in August.

He's not neutered (breeder request): will that pose a problem?
He's a northern breed dog that can get rapidly overheated in this weather, so we don't want a place that just lets the dogs outside without supervision.

Can you recommend good places in the Washington DC area?
Thanks!