Dog Boarding Services | State College

Dog Boarding

Kennel-free, Leash-free,
In Our Home

Dog Boarding Overview

Dog boarding is offered in our home on 200-acres in Port Matilda near State College. We specialize in an off leash, kennel free environment with a focus on quality vs quantity while boarding no more than 3 clients at a time. Most of Mountain Pets clients come from within Centre County, however, your dogs may come in from out of county or state while you travel here for business, personal or recreational purposes. This page outlines everything you might want to know about our dog boarding services. If there’s something specific you need that isn’t described here, please contact me and I'd be happy to explore your needs.

Key Features of Boarding Your Dog at Mountain Pets

In my home boarding with our two dogs
No kenneling, isolation in rooms or noise stress
Quality, individualized care and attention, serving no more than 3 clients at the same time
Every dog goes through the same process and is determined to be a good fit prior to boarding here
Sleep in our bedroom with us so we know exactly what’s going on with your dog 24/7
On or off-leash options
Daily 1-3 miles of walks and/or hikes at no additional cost
Slower strolls for older dogs
Limitless yard for play or just to hang outside
Potty breaks every 1-2 hours
Socialization and company with other like-minded dogs
Your dog may have his/her own toys, blanket and crate for comfort
Mountain Pets toy trunk for indoor play
Private and safe feeding spot in home
A stop by the pond for a swim or dip in the shallow streams
Daily text communication with photos and videos

Dog Boarding Image Gallery

Is Your Dog a Mountain Pets Dog?

Most types, ages, sizes and gender of dogs are a good fit for boarding here, including:

Puppies at least 4 months of age (must already be house trained)
Seniors who just need a low stress environment and a watchful eye
Dogs requiring medication
All sizes, from tiny terriers to large golden retrievers
Low to high energy dogs

Dogs which are not a good fit here include:

XL dogs (greater than 100 lbs)
American staffordshire terriers, pit mixes, mastiffs, and cane corsos
Intact males and females (unless younger than 10 months)
Dog who drool
Dogs with any history of aggression towards or biting of other dogs and/or humans
Dogs who are not 100% fully house trained, still have accidents in the house and/or cannot make it through the night without a potty break
Dogs who have no socialization experience (or experience of such is unknown), such as has never stayed at someone else’s home with other dogs, never been to doggie day care, has never been boarded, etc.
Dogs who require a leash but are not trained to walk well on a leash and/or pull hard or are overreactive to stimuli during a walk

Additional behavioral issues which are not a good fit include:

Dominance or triggering behaviors such as nonstop sniffing other dogs private parts, marking inside the house, attempting to mount other dogs, muzzle nudging and/or bullying other dogs, toy aggression
Can't settle down and/or rest in the house; lack of adequate exercise at home and lack of socialization around other dogs (pent up energy and too excited)
Poor indoor house manners and social boundaries, which might include behaviors such as aggressively stealing other dogs toys and not respecting individual dogs social boundaries and cues, dangerously pushing through and past humans in the home, running over smaller dogs, attempting to steal human's food off surfaces, scratching doors, excessive barking when left alone
Not trained well, doesn't listen to basic commands, requires constant correction and/or requires an e-collar inside the house
Physically dangerous behaviors like jumping or lunging at people
Wants to run away or get out, doesn't do well away from home and/or may exhibit intense away-from-home/owners separation anxiety (ask me about my pet sitting services at your home instead)
Chews household items, scratches doors or barks nonstop if left alone AND is not crate trained (paws and/or barks in crate)

What's the Process?

Make an Inquiry

1. Call or text 814-321-5977

Email joanna@mountainpetsitting.com

Or complete an online service inquiry by clicking on the CONTACT button.

2. Check vacancy availability. Dog boarding stays can be as short as one night, multiple days or weeks. Since I only board 2-3 dogs at any given time, it is best to book in advance if you know your dates, especially around holidays. You may book up to 6 months in advance. First time clients with last minute requests are difficult (but not impossible) to accommodate due to the meet and greet process described below.

3. Discuss/disclose initial information about your dog as described in the section above "Is Your Dog a Mountain Pets Dog?".

4. Determine and decide whether we are a good fit for scheduling a one-time complimentary meet and greet at Mountain Pets for our dogs to meet.

Scheduling a Meet and Greet

We can decide to schedule a complimentary meet and greet following an initial phone conversation about your dog(s) and it's boarding needs. All potential clients are required to go through this meet and greet process described below, no exceptions, prior to booking a stay.

A meet and greet is a half hour appointment scheduled at Mountain Pets, in Port Matilda, with your dog(s). The meet and greet is a safe and controlled introduction of our dogs and accomplishes several objectives:

You and I meet, and your dog and I meet, and any questions we may each have gets addressed.
Our dogs meet while leashed and we determine if they are comfortable with each other.
If we agree the meet and greet went well, then I provide you with the boarding agreement for you to complete/sign/return in order to book a stay. The agreement is completed once and updated annually.
If either of us sense the introductions did not meet our expectations, we either go our separate ways or agree to schedule a play date on another day if timing permits.
Once the agreement is finalized with all required documents, the stay is booked and I'll look forward to serving you and your dog(s)!
Looking beyond this service booking, it is advisable to have more than one pet care option for your future travel needs, as availability cannot be guaranteed for all requests due to the small number of clients I serve each day.

CONTACT

Dog Boarding Rates

Dog Boarding rates are based on an overnight stay for roughly 24 hours. It is customary to pick up your dog around the same time of day you dropped off your dog. Otherwise, extended day care fees apply. There are no extra fees for exercise activities or amenities.

Overnight stay, one dog - $55
Overnight stay, puppy (< 1 yr old) - $65
Overnight stay, dogs requiring leashing - $65
Surcharge per dog, federal holidays - $10
Extended boarding hours beyond 24 hour rate - $25
Pick up/Drop off, each trip - $25
Late pickup (after 7pm) - $25
Send home bathed - $25

Play Date rates (limited to dog boarding clients only).

1 dog - $35 (2-4 hours)
2 dogs - $50 (2-4 hours)
1 dog - $55 (6-8 hours)
2 dogs - $75 (6-8 hours)
Puppies under one year and federal holidays - +$10

Payments for dog boarding and play dates are due the same day your dog is picked up. For stays longer than two weeks, a 50% deposit is due at the beginning of the stay. A 50% deposit is also required for all reservations around major federal holidays, during the months between Memorial and Labor days and Penn State spring break.

More About Our Home and Your Dogs Stay Here

Our home is a three level house on 200 acres, unfenced and far away from any main roads. The home includes various stair cases which might be an issue for large senior dogs.

Residents here include myself, Joanna, and my partner, Aaron, and our two Australian Shepherds (spayed female age 11 and 50 lbs; neutered male age 6 and 20 lbs). No kids and no cats. Aaron loves and appreciates dogs as much as I, and has owned and trained his own dogs throughout his life, including labrador retrievers, springer spaniels and setters. Sometimes, boarder dogs take a liking to him in a different way than to me (e.g, likes men better than women) and he is certainly a helpful part of the home team but I am the person responsible for all of your dogs needs, including feeding and exercise, and everything in between! You can read more about me on the About Us page.

Our property has mowed paths for dog hikes/walks, and a pond and ephemeral streams for seasonal water fun. We can easily spend two hours out on the property here without covering the same ground. We also have a nice flat lane which serves as a great stroll for senior and less able dogs.

We do not have kennels or outdoor runs here. Crates are available for inside crating at owners request only.

Dogs boarded here are integrated into our home and routine with our own dogs. We sleep, eat, play, walk and chill out together. We do not offer dogs human food treats while we are cooking/eating and discourage begging. I do offer occasional dog treats or can adhere to a strict diet. Gabby, my older dog has a chicken allergy. We are ok with light furniture use, including sitting with either of us on a couch, but we can also restrict that behavior for any of our clients as directed. All dogs sleep with us in the bedroom, on their own dog bed or a provided dog bed or crate.

We do not currently have a fenced in area. I will happily accommodate dogs who need to be leashed for potty breaks and walks/hikes as long as they are good on a leash.

Thank you for taking the time to read about us!

Mountain Pets is licensed with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement as a boarding kennel, License # 17360, K Class BK1. The Bureau performs 3 unannounced inspections per year. Mountain Pets does not have or use kennels or outdoor caged runs as a part of our dog boarding service. Anyone or business who boards at least 26 dogs per calendar year for compensation is required to hold a state issued kennel license.

Mountain Pets carries pet sitters business liability insurance as well as Care, Custody and Control Insurance, which offers coverage for veterinary medical expenses for injury or illness of your dog, regardless of fault, while your dog is under my care and control.