13 September 2026 · 8 min read
Every dog owner eventually faces the same question: what do we do with the dog when we travel, or when work runs twelve hours a day? Boarding kennels, pet hotels, in-home sitters and doggy daycare all solve the problem in different ways and at very different prices, and the price lists are hard to compare because every business bundles things differently. This guide lays out what boarding and daycare actually cost across the United States in 2026, what drives the price up or down, what the common add-ons are and how to tell whether a cheap quote is a bargain or a warning.
Nationally, a night of standard boarding for one dog runs from about thirty-five dollars in small towns and rural areas to seventy-five or more in large coastal cities. Luxury "pet hotels" with private suites, televisions and webcams charge eighty to one hundred and fifty a night. In-home pet sitting, where a sitter stays at your house, costs sixty to one hundred and twenty a night, and drop-in visits run twenty to thirty-five per visit.
Doggy daycare is priced per day, with most facilities between thirty and fifty-five dollars for a full day and twenty to thirty-five for a half day. Almost everyone sells packages: a ten-day pass is typically ten to fifteen percent cheaper per day, and a monthly unlimited plan can bring a five-day-a-week dog down to the equivalent of twenty-five dollars a day.
These are ranges, not quotes. The only number that matters is the one the facility near you gives, and the fastest way to get it is a phone call. The listings on this site show the phone number and hours for every boarding and daycare business, so start there.
Location. The same kennel run costs more in Denver than in Des Moines because rent, wages and insurance cost more. Expect the top of the range in big metros and resort towns.
Size of the dog. Many kennels price by weight bracket. A large-breed dog eats more, needs a bigger run and takes more staff time, so a Great Dane may cost ten to twenty dollars a night more than a Chihuahua.
Type of accommodation. A basic indoor run with a raised bed is the cheapest. A "suite" with a door instead of a gate, a raised cot and a window costs more. Anything with a couch and a webcam is the luxury tier.
Play time and exercise. Cheap boarding often means the dog spends twenty-two hours a day in the run with two short potty breaks. Group play, individual walks and one-on-one time are sold as add-ons at five to twenty dollars each, and they add up fast over a week. Some facilities include play in the base rate, which can make a higher nightly price the better deal.
Season. Thanksgiving, Christmas through New Year, spring break and the summer holiday weekends fill up months ahead and often carry a holiday surcharge of five to fifteen dollars a night. Book early and ask about the surcharge.
Medical needs. Giving pills or insulin, applying ear drops, feeding a special diet or handling a senior dog with mobility problems usually costs extra, typically two to ten dollars per dose or per day.
Multiple dogs from the same household sharing a run usually get a discount of twenty to forty percent on the second dog. Long stays of ten nights or more often earn a lower nightly rate. Bringing your own food avoids a "house food" charge. And daycare customers who board at the same facility are often given a lower boarding rate, since the dog is already known to the staff.
Rural and small-town facilities can be dramatically cheaper than city ones without being any worse. A well-run kennel in a farming area with big outdoor runs may charge half what a city pet hotel does. In southern New Mexico, for instance, this boarding facility in Las Cruces has built up well over a hundred Google reviews:
Pet Stores & Groomers · Las Cruces, New Mexico
A daycare day is roughly eight to ten hours of supervised group play, broken up by rest periods. The price reflects staff-to-dog ratio more than anything else. A facility with one attendant for every ten to fifteen dogs is the industry norm; one for every twenty-five is cutting corners. Ask directly what the ratio is, and ask whether dogs are separated by size and temperament. A small, shy dog in a group of boisterous Labradors is not getting a good day.
Most daycares require a temperament assessment before the first full day, usually a half day at a reduced price or free. That is a good sign, not an inconvenience. It also means you cannot book daycare for the first time on the morning you need it, so plan ahead.
Some businesses combine grooming, daycare and boarding under one roof, which is convenient if you want the dog bathed before pickup. This Taos business lists all three:
Pet Stores & Groomers · Taos, New Mexico
Read the price list for these before you book, because they are where a thirty-dollar night becomes a fifty-dollar night:
None of these are unreasonable on their own. The point is to know the full price before you hand over the leash.
A nightly rate far below the local range is worth a closer look, not an automatic booking. Sometimes it is simply a small operation with low overhead and a devoted owner, which is the ideal. Sometimes it means minimal staffing, no overnight presence, dogs left in runs for most of the day or a building that has never been inspected. Ask these questions:
Any answer that is vague or defensive tells you more than the price does.
For some dogs a sitter is better than any kennel: senior dogs, dogs with separation anxiety, dogs that have never been away from home. It is also cheaper for multi-pet households, since the sitter covers the cat and the fish for the same nightly rate. The trade-off is supervision. A sitter is one person, possibly with other clients, and there is no one watching the dog while the sitter is out. App-based sitter marketplaces have made sitters easy to find, but the screening varies, and you should meet the sitter in person, check references and confirm what happens if they get sick.
Facilities offer redundancy: multiple staff, set routines, a vet on call and a building designed for dogs. For a healthy, social dog, a good kennel or pet hotel is usually the more predictable choice.
Every reputable boarding facility will have you sign a contract. Read the sections on liability, vet care and abandoned animals. The standard terms let the facility seek veterinary care at your expense if the dog is ill or injured, and give them the right to rehome a dog that is not picked up within a set number of days after the stay ends. Both are normal. What you want to see is that the facility carries its own liability insurance and that the contract names a specific veterinary practice for emergencies.
Ask, too, about cancellation. Holiday bookings often require a non-refundable deposit, and some facilities charge the full stay if you cancel within a week.
Many groomers offer boarding as a sideline, and many kennels offer grooming. This is convenient, but ask which one is the main business. A groomer who keeps two or three regular clients' dogs overnight in a home setting is a different service from a purpose-built kennel, and the price should reflect that. In northeastern Pennsylvania, this Ashley business is listed for grooming with boarding-related services, and its Google profile shows the kind of long review history that helps you judge a small operation:
Pet Stores & Groomers · Ashley, Pennsylvania
Put the pieces together for a medium-sized, healthy dog boarded for seven nights at a mid-range facility in a mid-sized city:
That is roughly five hundred dollars for the week, before any medication or special diet fees. The same week with a live-in sitter at eighty a night is five hundred and sixty dollars with no add-ons, and a bare-bones kennel run at thirty-five a night with no play is two hundred and forty-five. The right answer depends on the dog, not just the wallet.
Search your city for pet boarding, daycare or grooming and you will find the businesses Google knows about, with addresses, hours, phone numbers and recent reviews. Call two or three, ask about the ratio, the overnight staffing, the outdoor time and the total price with add-ons, and book a tour. The cheapest option is rarely the worst and the most expensive is rarely the best; the one that answers your questions patiently and lets you see the kennels is usually the right choice.
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