Our Daycare and Playgroup Evaluation Process
So, you would like your dog to GO PLAY???     GREAT!!!
We are thrilled that you would like your dog to be a part of our program! Remember, because of our small space
and our criteria for the dogs in our program, not all dogs are a good fit for our space. Our Daycare and Playgroup
program is not designed to help socialize your fearful or aggressive dog. All dogs MUST pass our evaluation in
order to be accepted into our program - please understand that we love all dogs, but not all dogs are well-suited to
be here! To find out about our evaluation process, PLEASE READ the information below.

To set up an evaluation, your dog must MEET ALL THE criteria below!
1. Your dog must be friendly with ALL other dogs - puppies, adolescents, adults, all breeds of dogs, male dogs and
female dogs. Your dog must not have any current issues or problems with other dogs or have ever had any serious
issues or problems in the past. They must be able to walk on-leash politely with other dogs as well.

2. Your dog must be polite around food, toys, and water. No guarding, protecting, or being aggressive over any
possessions, people, space, food, toys, or the water bowl.

3. Your dog must be friendly with ALL other people - children, adults, men, women, people in uniform, delivery
people, mail carriers, etc. We have a lot of foot traffic in the store!!!

4. Your dog must have good manners! They must not bark, jump on people, jump on our gate or counter, pull on the
leash, chew on inappropriate things, etc.

5. Your dog must be housebroken, and not mark inside our facility. It is understood that many puppies are not yet
housebroken and we will work with you on their housebreaking training. However, your puppy must quickly learn to
potty outside while they are here in order to continue daycare.

6. Every dog must be a good fit for our program to participate. We want your dog to feel comfortable and happy
here, and for the staff to feel comfortable handling your dog.

7. At this time, we are at capacity for large dogs and are not accepting any new dogs over 80lbs into our daycare
program. Please contact us to be put on a waiting list if your dog is over 80lbs.

8. We offer shuttle service if you can't transport your pets to us during our normal daycare hours! Only $5.00 per trip
for Arlington residents, and only $7.00 - $10.00 for residents of neighboring towns.
Click here for more information on our shuttle service!


How to enroll your dog in our Daycare and Playgroup program:
If you have read the criteria above, and think that your dog will be a good fit for our program, please follow the steps
below to enroll your dog - NO DOGS WILL BE EVALUATED UNTIL THE FORMS BELOW ARE FILLED OUT!!!!

1. Fill out our online Daycare/Playgroup Evaluation AND Service Agreement and submit it via our website.
No evaluations will be done unless both of these online forms are completed! You can also stop by our facility to complete the paperwork -
but no dogs will be evaluated until both forms are received.
2. Attend one of our playgroups to complete your evaluation OR  contact us to set up an evaluation.

Your dog's evaluation:
We will make the evaluation process as easy for you and your dog as possible!
PLEASE NOTE: Jen Hansen & Jen Pierce (the owners of Go Play!) have the final say on your dog's evaluation
process. If we are not present at your evaluation and there are any questions on your dog's fit into our program
by our staff during your evaluation, we may need to see your dog again.

1. Please bring a copy of your dog's vaccination records or have us call your vet in advance to obtain records.





If we do not see proof or speak to your veterinarian to confirm that your dog is current, your dog will not be
evaluated. We accept titers in lieu of vaccinations.

2. Please plan adequate time to fill out all of our paperwork if you have not submitted it via our website. All clients
are required to have completed a Service Agreement and a Daycare/Playgroup Evaluation before your dog will be
evaluated.

3. Please be early for your evaluation. If you are having your dog evaluated at one of our playgroups, please be at
least 5 minutes early. Evaluations will NOT be given if playgroup has already begun! It is very important for you to be
on time for the safety of the dogs playing. We cannot open the gate during play.

4. Please understand that your dog may not instantly adapt to playing inside at our facility. If your dog isn't
comfortable, we may recommend attending a few playgroups before leaving your dog for daycare. We want to set
your dog up for success to be as comfortable and confident in our facility as possible. It is common for new dogs to
have an adjustment period, and most dogs quickly respond well to our program!

5. If your dog does not pass our evaluation, it is not a personal reflection on you or your dog. Our facility is very small
and our rules and guidelines for acceptance are very strict. If we do not feel your dog is a good fit, we will use our
professional experience to explain why we have made the decision and give you any recommendations we may
have. We will not embarrass you or your dog in front of the other clients here, and will professionally and respectfully
explain to you our decision regarding your dog.

6. Our facility is not designed to help socialize a fearful or aggressive dog. We need all dogs evaluated to already
have a good foundation of socialization that daycare will help them build upon. We only accept dogs who play
politely and respectfully, and that have very good manners. We always help train puppies to succeed in our
program. While it is our goal to accept every dog we evaluate into our program, this is not always a realistic
possibility.

7. If your dog has passed our evaluation, they are welcome to attend daycare and playgroups.

8. You are encouraged to stop in and meet us and see our facility before your dog's evaluation!

Once we receive your submitted evaluation form and service agreement, you are
welcome to bring your dog in for an evaluation during one of our playgroups or by
scheduling a time with us. You do NOT need to give us advance notice that you will
be attending playgroup, but you MUST be a few minutes early!

Your pet will be evaluated for the following items:
1. Our initial interaction with your dog - do they appear healthy, friendly, and playful?

2. Your dog's body language with people, and other dogs - do they appear sociable and eager to say hello?

3. Your dog's reaction to other dogs playing - do they want to join in playfully, control the action, or hide?

4. Your dog's reaction to our touch. They must allow us to handle their entire body safely.

5. Your dog's reaction to our collar grab. They must allow us to handle their collar and gently restrain them.

6. Your dog's general manners. They must behave and not try to escape, dig, chew, claw, jump, be mouthy, or
scratch.

7. Your dog's possessive instincts - will they guard food, toys, water, space, or people?

8. Will your dog crate politely? We are a crate-free facility, but have one medium-sized crate we use to feed dogs
and give quick "time-outs" if needed. For all the dog's safety, we require them to enter a crate politely, and remain
quiet inside for a minute or so.

9. Your dog's play style - does your dog play appropriately with the other dogs? Will they be a good fit for our
program?

We will fairly evaluate your dog with our professional experience. We are open to dogs of all sizes and breeds and
have no breed biases. We have the same sets of rules for small dogs as we do for large dogs - each dog must be
a good fit for our facility!

If you dog is deemed compatible for our program, they are welcome to attend daycare and playgroups. For your
dog's first day at daycare, we require you or someone local to be available to pick your dog up immediately
should a circumstance arrive that your dog cannot participate. Once your dog has had a full day with us and
has done well, we will not require anyone to be available for an immediate pick-up.

If your dog is compatible for our program but has passed their evaluation with conditions, we will inform you of what
these conditions are and the best way to work with us and your dog to make them a great fit for our facility!

If your dog does not pass our evaluation, please do not be upset with your dog or our staff. We do not like to excuse
dogs from our program, but for everyone's comfort and safety some dogs just are not a good fit. We will try to assist
you in finding the appropriate program for you and your dog if ours isn't for you.
1046 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA 02476. (781) 325-6088
jenhgoplay@yahoo.com - Fully Bonded, Licensed, & Insured.
We require dogs over 6 months of age to have a negative fecal test and to be current on their Rabies,
Distemper, and Parvo vaccinations (or have proof of a recent Titer.) Dogs under 6 months of age need to
have at least 1 set of shots (Distemper / Parvo), a negative fecal test, and a current wellness exam by a local
vet. PLEASE NOTE - Our policy is that your pet may NOT attend Daycare or Playgroup within 7 days of receiving ANY
vaccination. Some vaccinations may immediately lower your dog's immune system.