COVID-19 Updates

We are currently open for daily daycare and puppy daycare, training, boarding and grooming. Below are the most recent policies and procedures we’ve adopted during this time:

  • Hours: 8am to 5pm
  • No early drop off or late pickup
  • No taxi service
  • All services require a reservation
  • The Urban Hound at St. Francis House is currently closed
  • Strict cap for all services
  • Staff only allowed in building
  • Curbside drop-off and pickup is currently implemented
  • You must take your dog’s collar, leash, bandanas, etc. with you at drop off
  • Please bring your dog on a collar rather than a harness to make the transition easy
  • No current walking services
  • Field trips are running Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for established field trip clients
  • Staff is following all mandates for sanitation from the Governor

Important Pricing Updates for the New Year

Hello everyone —

Happy holiday season! It is hard to believe that the winter holidays are already upon us, but here we are dressing our dogs in ugly sweaters and snowflake bandanas.

As we head into the new year, we need to share with you some important news about our pricing at The Urban Hound. To cut right to the chase: The Urban Hound will be raising our prices across the board in 2020.

Below, you can find a comprehensive list of our pricing changes, but first we’d like to take a moment and explain why this decision is necessary.

Beginning in 2020, the rent for our building is doubling. When The Urban Hound opened, we were in a part of the South End that hadn’t yet been developed to the extent that many other neighborhoods had. A lot has changed in ten years, and our neighborhood is now home to many luxury condo buildings, hot new restaurants, and exciting local businesses.

We are so proud to be a part of this booming, bustling neighborhood, and we would not trade it for the world. Which is why we chose to renew our lease despite the tremendous increase in our rent. But, in order to afford this increase, to continue to provide you with the standard of care you are used to for your dogs, and to be able to pay our staff a livable wage in Boston, we must raise our prices in the new year.

We did not make this decision lightly and we wanted to make sure that we could give you all as much notice as possible before making these changes. Our new pricing will be effective starting Monday, January 6, 2020.

Providing you and your dogs with excellent care is our number one priority, and we know that raising our prices in 2020 will allow us to continue to do so for many years to come. We so appreciate your support since the very beginning, and appreciate your understanding as we make this change. Below you will find the prices for all of our services, effective January 6th.

Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions. We wish you and your families a happy and healthy holiday season, and look forward to seeing your dogs’ best holiday looks over the next few weeks.

Thank you,

Rebecca & the Urban Hound Team

The Urban Hound + Best Buddies

The Urban Hound made a resolution this New Year to be more socially involved and civically engaged. We have been fortunate enough to be introduced to the amazing Best Buddies organization, and the M Team, one of its fundraising crews. We are so excited to be involved with some great events over the next few months, all of which benefit the Best Buddies organization. Read on for more information about how you can join the cause.

To donate to our team, please use this link. Thank you!

Donor Thanks & Raffle Drawing
April 26 at the Urban Hound, 6-8pm
From now until April 26th, anyone who donates to our Best Buddies fundraising cause will be entered into the Urban Hound Super Raffle! Simply by making a donation, you will be entered into an amazing raffle full of Urban Hound services and goodies. There are a bunch of items up for grabs, including:

  • One month of daycare (2 winners)
  • One week of boarding (2 winners)
  • One 1-week Resident Board & Train/Day School with Nick
  • One 2-week Resident Board & Train/Day School with Nick
  • One full groom with Pupgrade (2 winners)
  • One week of walks
  • A full year’s worth of spa pupgrades (2 winners)
  • A birthday party for your pup & 20 friends
  • Urban Hound swag basket for you and your Hound (2 winners)

On April 26, we will host a “thank you” event for all of our donors, and we will announce the winners of the raffle. This event will be held at the Urban Hound and will feature beer, wine and snacks. We’ll also have some of the wonderful advocates of Best Buddies and the M Team on hand to answer any and all questions about the organization and the Urban Hound’s partnership with the M Team.

Best Buddies Challenge Hyannisport
June 2 at Craigville Beach in Hyannisport, MA
The organization’s flagship event, the Best Buddies Challenge, offers a variety of ways for individuals and families to contribute to an amazing cause. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can sign up for the 100-mile bike ride along with our fearless leader, Rebecca. If you’re into biking – just not that far! – you can sign up for a 50-miler or a 20-miler. If “it’s just like riding a bike” isn’t a phrase that makes sense to you, join me (Olivia, along with trainers Nick and Nicole) for the 5k run/walk. Whatever you choose to do, you’ll be rewarded with a 5-star lobster and clambake, massages, an open bar, and great live music. Oh, and did we mention Tom Brady will be there…?

If you can’t join us for any of these events, please consider making a donation. Any amount means the world.

A Note About the Ongoing Construction Behind Our Building

We are writing this blog post to make you aware of the ongoing construction behind our building. There are two concurrent projects that are slated to continue for quite some time. While the majority of the construction should be relatively quiet and non-intrusive, they are currently in the pile-driving phase, which can be quite noisy.

Between the two projects, the pile-driving will be consistent through the end of August. The workers begin around 7am and are finished for the day by 4pm, Monday through Friday.

As you can imagine, the dogs (and humans!) do not like the loud noises or the occasional vibration of the ground outside. We work hard to make sure that each and every dog is safe and happy in our play parks. This construction has created an obstacle for us as caregivers, but our commitment to our dogs stays the same. 

We have taken the following precautions to help our dogs adjust to the noise:

  • Calming music in the play parks
  • Limited outside time unless the pile-driving is paused
  • Quiet, dark rooms for decompression
  • Keeping the dogs engaged and distracted at all times

While not every dog will be affected by the construction, we believe some will, and we’d like to make sure that you know we are doing our best to accommodate the changing needs of our dogs during this process. 

Please keep an eye out for irregular behavior from your dog and do let us know if you think that there is something else we can do to help your dog specifically. Please also remember that we offer walks in the South End and Back Bay. If you think that this will be a better solution for your pup than daycare until the pile-driving phases are complete, feel free to reach out at any time.

We apologize for the inconvenience that the construction has presented to you and your dogs. As always, we will be paying close attention to each and every dog and will keep you updated if yours begins experiencing anxiety related to the noise.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns. We appreciate your patience with this matter.

Thank you.

Rebecca & the Urban Hound Staff

Boston Seaport, Here We Come!

dog walking boston seaport urban hound training

Great news, Hounds! Starting this Spring, we will be expanding our walking services to the Seaport District. We are excited to join this bustling community and can’t wait to meet a whole bunch of new friends.

There is nothing quite like a good walk along the water, and opening up our new Seaport route will allow dogs in the area to enjoy this day after day. Let the wind blow back their hair has they strut along Seaport Boulevard enjoying all the sights and sounds the harbor has to offer.

Our brand new walking system, Pet Check Technology, will let you see exactly what your pup did and where he or she went on their walks. We can’t wait to capture some gorgeous pictures of the dogs along the waterway, too. You’ll get a notification straight to your phone when a new photo is uploaded, as well as a report on how the walk went.

Look for us out and about on Thursday nights this month as we meet Seaport residents and hand out FREE walk cards. We’ll be cruising around with our pack of dogs, putting on some training displays and answering questions, so don’t hesitate to come say hi.

We are SO excited to begin our Seaport route! Keep checking back for an official start date later this Spring.