At Citizen Canine we pride ourselves on offering the best pet care services in the bay area.  We have a high staff to dog ratio. Our highly trained and certified staff are on the premises 24 hours a day to care for our canine friends. The loving professional staff work hard to make sure each canine guest feel as though they are on vacation fille with friends and fun.

Many of our guests are first-time boarders. If your dog enjoys the company of other dogs, the daily playgroups are a great outlet for the anxiety caused by being away from home. We offer love and t-touch sessions for dogs that need some extra human TLC to help them feel comfortable. It is not unusual for dogs with separation anxiety to stop eating -we monitor all meals and will add tasty treats, hand feed, or sit with dogs during mealtimes to make sure they do not miss too many meals.

If you are planning a longer vacation, we also recommend (and sometimes require) a trial day care or overnight stay to help your dog acclimate to our environment and routine prior to an extended stay.

Yes, we offer large suites for multi-pet families to stay together. Call our reservation specialist at 510-562-1750 x 5 to set up your family stay.

We can accommodate most special medical needs, including administration of medications, pills, and eye and ear medications. We are familiar with the special needs of blind dogs, deaf dogs, dogs with spine, hip and knee problems, epileptic dogs and senior citizens. We cannot administer injections for diabetics. We cannot accept any dogs with contagious illnesses for the health and safety of our other canine guests. Please bring any medications in separate, clearly marked containers (do not pre-mix medications into your dog’s food!!).

Also, please be aware that there are inherent risks in boarding a senior dog. Underlying health problems can be exacerbated by stress, and illnesses or infections, which would be minor in a younger dog, can become serious and even life threatening in an elderly or frail dog. Owners of senior dogs should give us clear instructions about their preferences for medical care and intervention.

We offer pre boarding and day care consultations over the phone. During the initial consultation, we learn about your dog‘s unique needs. We ask questions about their social, medical and behavioral history, their likes and dislikes, special handling needs, and care requirements. We use this information to place dogs appropriately in playgroups, and to better meet your dog‘s individual needs while they are staying with us.

If your dog has never boarded before, or has a history of separation anxiety, we may require a trial daycare or overnight in advance of a long stay. This allows us to assess how they respond to the Citizen Canine environment. This short trip to our facility also gives your dog a chance to “sniff us out.” Having a positive experience during the trial day helps assure your dog that Citizen Canine is a safe and fun place to visit.

Citizen Canine offers a highly interactive boarding experience where your dog will socialize with many people and dogs on a daily basis. This is not a safe or appropriate environment for all dogs, and in some cases, we may refer you to a different service that better suits your dog‘s needs.

For safety reasons, your dog should be wearing only a flat or limited slip collar, not a metal collar or chain.

All our guests are provided with raised beds and blankets as part of their stay. You do not need to pack any bedding for your dog, but if you choose to do so, please make sure it is machine washable and labeled with your dog’s name. We discourage you from bringing toys that are not safe for unsupervised chewing. Sometimes personal items go missing in our laundry, so please do not pack anything you can’t bear to part with.

It is helpful to us if you can bring pack dry dog food in individual baggies for each meal (2x/day). You are welcome to bring special treats for your dog which we will serve at lunch time. Our staff offers dogs various types of food rewards during the day. If your dog has food allergies or sensitivities, please pack a supply of whatever non-perishable training treats you use at home. For every trip, we will ask you for updated emergency contact information at check-in.