With the way we run our resort, providing plenty of playtime with compatible dogs, we are unable to take all dogs. We have to be selective. All guests need to be able to fit into the way we run our resort, we will not change the way we run to accommodate a specific dog. Most of the time we are running guests in groups of around 10 to 15 dogs. To be able to be part of our daycare and boarding all dogs need to be able to play nicely and respectfully with other dogs along with being able to rest quietly in their rooms during the "down" times. Inappropriate play includes things such as Bullying, Excessive Barking, Herding, Too Much Arousal, Over the Top Play, Playing Too Rough, Mounting or Humping, Stalking, Excessive Chasing. We will often require a trial before accepting some dogs into daycare or for boarding. We also will not take dogs who are too strong to be safely managed by our female staff. ​ We do not take intact mature dogs, male and females, as this adversely affects the behaviour of the play groups. ​ We do not take certain "bully' breeds (such as Am Staffs, Staffys and their crosses), Huskies, Malamutes and high drive dogs such as GSD's, GSP's and Weimaraner's. We only take very limited numbers, at any time, of the herding/working/hunting breeds. We no longer take Kelpies because of their tendency to invariably start herding other dogs in the playgroups. As of July 1st 2022 we are not taking on any new Border Collie clients

All guests get out 4 times a day, starting at 7am in the morning, for a total of around 3 & 1/2 hours during the day. They are exercised in groups of like dogs (both in size and energy) with the groups often around 10 to 15 dogs. There is always staff with the playgroups which means they all get plenty of dog/human/sniff/play time. We have plenty of large yards and paddocks for the play times, they are not just placed in some small yard. Because of the way we run the dogs we do have to be selective with the dogs we take and we make no apologies for not taking certain breeds or play styles.

Drop off times for dogs is between 9am and 1pm Monday to Friday and before 12pm on Saturdays. We insist that all dogs are dropped off by these times so we can have enough time to give them 2 good play sessions and at least one little rest time before their first night. This is so we can have them well settled for their first night. Cats we require to arrive before 4pm Drop-offs can be Monday to Saturday, not counting the days which we are closed. We do not take admissions on a Sunday though we do allow pick-ups between 12pm & 4pm on Sundays. We are closed most Public Holidays for drop offs and pick ups

All adult guests must be desexed to be able to attend daycare or board. We find that the presence of intact adult dogs often adversely affects the play behaviour in our playgroups. We will not take any chance that a female dog will come into heat during stay. Males over 9 months of age are considered adults.

We feed our canine guests Royal Canin dry food and if needed Prime Chicken & vegetable loaf as a meal topper (not as a whole meal). We feed twice daily. We are happy to feed any special diets provided by clients as well. The only thing we ask is that the food is provided in meal sized portions for us to use. For our feline guests we strongly suggest you bring your own food as cats can be quite finicky with their eating and bringing what they are used to helps eliminate that.

Peak periods are priced at the same rate as normal periods. However, some periods such as Christmas/New Year (7days), Easter (5 days) and Long Weekends (3 days) may have a minimum stay length. Contact the resort for further details. All public holidays attract a $22 surcharge for dogs and $11 surcharge for cats. Pets checking out on a Public Holiday pay as if they are staying that night.

Kennel Cough or Canine Cough is a disease caused by a number of different organisms which typically causes a dry hacking cough. All guests of Bark Avenue must have current Canine Cough vaccines to be able to attend. Unfortunately, the Canine Cough vaccination, like the COVID 19 vcaccination is not 100% and there is always a slight chance of guests contracting Canine Cough. Especially because we do not socially distance the dogs in their play groups. We do take every measure to minimize the risk including deep cleaning of all vacated rooms and fogging with F10 veterinary disinfectant 3 times daily. If any guests arrives displaying signs of Canine Cough they will not be admitted.

All of our guests have their own rooms. Only members from the same family share a room. This means clients can bring beds/blankets/toys or anything they want to help their pups feel more at home. Many kennels will not allow possessions because mix strange dogs and there can be altercations over "valued items". "Finding a friend" to share a room, which is something done at a lot of other pet resorts, is often very stressful and is really just a means kennels employ to maximize occupancy. Our guests get plenty of social time out with other like dogs during the day which means they are very settled when back in their room.

We do tours by appointment. Monday to Thursday and Saturday mornings. Tour times are normally around 10.15am and 1.15pm to coincide with when guests are out playing. This allows us to show you the resort while disturbing the minimum number of guests. We do not do tours on Public Holidays and during the peak times.