• Country Charm! Real grass yards offer the most comfortable play surface of all. It’s extra soft on your dog’s joints while they’re running and playing, gentle on paws, and the live grass is a feast for your doggie’s senses. Dogs experience the world primarily through scent, so grass is by far every dog’s favorite surface to play in and explore. And on hot summer days, grass is the coolest surface to walk on, as it doesn’t heat up from the sun. Not only are our yards comfortable, they’re also beautiful and entertaining. Our doggie guests love to look out on the horizon and see the hills and forests, with the occasional deer or wild critter off in the distance. The nature scenes and fresh air are also great for relaxing dogs with separation anxiety by helping them reconnect with nature, and by keeping their mind occupied with the many sights, smells, and sounds of the natural world. 

• Outdoor Rubber Playgrounds! Close to the daycare building we have soft rubber playgrounds with underground drainage, which are perfect for rainy-day play to keep your dog clean and out of the mud. The rubber offers excellent grip for dogs as they play, while still being soft on the paws and joints. In the summer, we keep shade canopies overhead to keep the rubber cool, as well as a misting system that cools the air and wets the rubber to keep temperatures down. 

• Wintertime HEATED FLOORS!  Since dogs are constantly on the floors, this amenity is absolutely crucial for making sure your dog has the most comfortable stay possible in the colder months. We have different temperature zones in each dog room that allow cooler areas for arctic breeds who love the cold, and warm areas for dogs who love to warm up on a cold day. Instead of shivering, your dog can feel cozy and have fun! 

• Sparkly Sealed GLITTER FLOORS! You and your dog will feel extra fancy walking on our new facility’s unique floors that are wall-to-wall sealed glitter. Your dog is a big deal… so why not spoil them with the best, right? 

• Custom Doggie Play Structures! Our canine guests enjoy a variety of colorful, size-appropriate play structures and play features which are located throughout the playgrounds. Many of them are custom-designed and built by Adam & Tina from Puppy Love. Efforts are made to repurpose and recycle existing materials, which are skillfully fashioned into unique play structures that are both eco-friendly and exciting to play on. 

• Doggie Doors! Each daycare room is fitted with a doggie door system that allows dogs to go inside or outside without having to wait for a person to open a door. Not only does it allow the dogs to have more freedom, but it also can prevent them from getting too hot or too cold outdoors, since they’re able to come in and enjoy the air conditioning or heating. 

• Natural Landscape Features! Our grass playgrounds have natural obstacles such as large climbable rocks, mature trees, and bushes that help make chase games extra fun! Dogs also love the added shade they get from the trees and bushes, which offer refreshing shade on hot summer days. 

• Summertime Outdoor Cooling Features! To keep the dogs comfortable outdoors in the summer, our facility uses overhead canopies and awnings to create shade, cool water misting systems to bring down the air temperature, and doggie pools so dogs can cool themselves down. 

• Climate Control + HVAC! Safety and comfort are our top priority, which is why our new facility offers excellent indoor fresh air exchange, as well as air conditioning and heating to keep the indoor spaces comfortable. 

Consistent Caretakers! We believe your dog deserves care that is both competent and consistent. At Puppy Love, your dog will be under the direct care of a full-time team of proven pet care professionals with a lifetime of experience, and an unmatched safety record. Your dog will enjoy the benefits of knowing and trusting their caretaker, having consistent safety rules upheld daily, and being supervised by someone who is well-versed in dog behavior. 

Consistent Care! While most dog care facilities are either closed or operating at significantly reduced hours on weekends and holidays, Puppy Love maintains the same schedule for dogs all year long! While our lobby is closed to humans mid-day and after hours, we are here around the clock with the dogs. Dogs will never be left alone due to it being a weekend or holiday because the staff live on-site. Dogs love consistency, so we go above and beyond to make sure your dog’s schedule can continue as usual.

Medications on Time! If your dog takes medications at times that are outside of regular business hours, most kennels may not be able to give them at accurate times. However, since Puppy Love is staffed 24 hours, we are able to give medications at any time they are needed. We’ll also be able to monitor your dog’s behavior around the clock to be sure they’re responding well to their medicine. 

Online Booking & Web Store! Once your dog has passed their temperament interview, you’ll be able to book daycare or boarding reservations online any time of day, right here on our website. You’ll receive an email back letting you know if your reservation is confirmed or wait-listed, based on if there is available space.

Extra Care Options! Puppy Love offers additional services including Phodography, Careful Nail Trims, and Bath & Towel Dry Services. Simply add any desired service onto your daycare reservation by booking it online, and let staff know upon drop-off what time you expect to return. Then Puppy Love will have your dog’s additional services completed by the time your dog is ready to go home!

• No Gravel Yards! We know that gravel yards can cause fatal intestinal blockages or hefty bills for emergency veterinary surgery. That’s why we keep our yards free of exposed gravel. All rocks within dog reach must be too large to be consumed, such as climbing boulders and trench boulders. Galvanized metal mesh keeps dogs away from in-ground drainage gravel that is underneath the rubber yards. 

• Overhead Aviary Netting! Our outdoor playgrounds have aviary netting installed overhead, which serves several safety purposes. Since small dogs and puppies are vulnerable to birds of prey who would like to make a meal of them, the aviary netting protects the small dogs from hungry owls, hawks, and eagles. It can also prevent other wildlife from climbing into the yards. And just like it keeps animals out, it also serves to keep dogs safely contained inside by acting as a visual deterrent to prevent jumping/climbing of fences. And it is a physical barrier that can block attempts to jump or climb over fences. The netting also can catch falling debris from storms, such as small or even large tree branches. Thanks to the aviary netting, Puppy Love’s yards sustained no damage from August 2020’s infamous Derecho storm! 

• Safe Collar-Free Play! Many people, as well as other daycares, are unaware that regular collars pose a severe safety hazard when dogs are playing. Collars, harnesses, or other gear can end up trapping their friend’s lower jaw. This can result in the dog getting strangled when their own collar is twisted, and the dog whose jaw is entangled can end up getting a dislocated jaw. For this reason, we remove all collars, bandanas, and other potential strangulation risks while dogs are in our care. Even “break away” collars typically do not function correctly when under the pressure caused by strangulation, as the buckle will jam up and not release. However, Puppy Love has developed a new form of play collar called Miracollar, which will unlatch itself when twisted, and can be unhooked from various places without any special tools. We have used these in the past for ID purposes, and will reintroduce them once we are able to manufacture more of them. In the meantime, the Puppy Love dogs play “naked!” to eliminate risks of entanglement. 

• Enamel-Safe Toys! We only use toys in daycare that are safe for your dog’s tooth enamel. Some other daycares use tennis balls as toys, which can wear away at your dog’s teeth, like sandpaper. Plus, the chemicals in tennis balls are not safe for dogs to consume. For safer play, we only use toys that are meant to be safe for dogs to chew, and that are made for power-chewers.

• Underground Buried Anti-Dig Fencing! All perimeter dog yard fences at Puppy Love are reinforced with buried fencing that attaches to the bottom section of the fences and extends underground to deter and prevent digging. 

• Reinforced Fencing! All fences are reinforced with galvanized wire to keep fence components firmly in place and increase the strength of the structure. Special care is taken with the small dog areas to ensure there are no spaces where micro-dogs can slip through. 

• Indoor/Outdoor Video & Audio Surveillance! Live video of the facility can be viewed by our human guests in the lobby, so you can see the dog areas both indoors and outdoors. The live feed is kept off-line and private for added security, so your dog’s whereabouts will not be broadcasted. 

• Sallyport Entrances! All doors and gates leading outside of the dog areas are equipped with Sallyports (aka Double-Gated Entries). This safety feature prevents dogs from escaping through doors or gates as they are being opened. Staff are trained on how to use them, so only one door or gate is ever opened at a time.

• Security Window Film! All glass windows in Puppy Love are treated with window security film. This film adheres to the glass so that in the event that a window becomes damaged by storms or other mishaps, the glass will not fall into the dog areas. Instead, it will be safely contained within the window film.

• Emergency Preparedness! Since Iowa is in “Tornado Alley”, Puppy Love has made sure there are underground shelter options to keep dogs safe during tornadoes. Small dogs and large dogs have separate underground spaces where we can take them in the event of an oncoming tornado. Puppy Love’s facility is on elevated ground, which is not in a flood zone. Unlike some other local daycares and boarding facilities, Puppy Love will never have to evacuate due to cyclic regional flooding. Staff are trained on fire evacuation techniques specific to the facility, and each dog room is equipped with emergency evacuation leashes to use in the event of a fire. This allows us to leash up all the dogs and move them to safety quickly. Hoses and fire extinguishers are able to reach all parts of the facility, so small fires can be extinguished before they grow. And since we are staffed 24/7, staff is able to provide emergency evacuation assistance to the dogs regardless if it’s 2 PM or 2 AM. 

• Pet First Aid & CPR! Both Adam & Tina are Certified in Pet First Aid and CPR by Pet Health Academy. First Aid kits are available for use in the daycare, and they’re fully stocked to handle a wide variety of ailments. 

• 24-Hour Emergency Veterinary Transportation! Regardless of the time of day or night, dogs experiencing health emergencies can be transported to an available emergency veterinary service. Since many ailments are time sensitive, 24 hour staffing is a crucial component of having the safest care possible for your dog. 

• Supervised Cage-Free Services! Dogs, by nature, are pack animals that feel the most comfortable when they’re together. And they are the safest when they are supervised by competent humans who understand their unique needs. By being cage-free, dogs can relax and get a quiet night of sleep while snuggled together under direct supervision from a trusted human. And since we have staff members present at all hours, there are always people around to keep things clean, comfortable, and safe. We never compromise our level of care, regardless if it’s a weekend or holiday. If your dog needs a potty break at 3:00am on Christmas Eve, we can do that! Does Fido need his pill at 9:30pm on Sunday night? Consider it done. Sudden, spontaneous new medical issue late at night? We can get your dog to the closest emergency vet for lifesaving care. We think your dog is worth sticking around for. That’s why we choose to continue to offer the best care possible!

• Quiet Daycare Model! In order to preserve your dog’s ability to hear well, promote good doggie manners, and to be kind to our neighbors, Puppy Love follows a Quiet Daycare Model. Of course, some dog vocalizations are healthy and permitted. But for excessive, loud barking habits, we work with dogs to learn to play quietly. We get dogs out of the mental cycle of barking by asking them to sit, by redirecting them, or relocating them away from the stimulus that caused them to bark. Preventing loud, excessive noise gives dogs a calmer and more enjoyable daycare experience. It also prevents dogs from developing permanent hearing damage, or bringing home bad habits. 

• Structured Rest! Dog groups have structured rest periods throughout the day as needed to prevent over-stimulation. Since adult dogs require about 12 to 14 hours of sleep per day, we give them opportunities for naps and refreshment so they can rejuvenate and stay healthy. 

• Comfortable Bedding! Puppy Love provides several washable bedding options for dogs to get comfortable while in daycare, or while spending the night. We offer items such as raised dog beds, thick blankets, fuzzy body pillows, honeycomb silicone pillows, air beds, and our floors are heated in the winters so there is always a cozy place to snuggle! 

• Reverse Osmosis Water! Since many dogs are picky about water quality and we want them to stay hydrated, Puppy Love has a Reverse Osmosis water system to provide fresh human-grade drinking water to our doggie guests.