Each canine guest is assigned a rank (1 to 5)—think of it as their own ‘pawformance review’—and we limit the number of certain personalities and breeds accordingly.

Ranks help the purple people (our team, not a new dog breed!) make smart decisions about yard placement and playmate pairings. Sometimes, they feel like an octopus playing chess on eight different boards at once—planning, consulting, moving, and monitoring, all before their morning coffee.

Rankings aren’t meant to bruise any egos (or tails)—they’re just a handy tool in our kit to keep the peace and ensure everyone has a barking good time.

Rankings can change as a dog matures—after all, a sprightly pup’s rank might mellow as those snouts start showing a little distinguished silver.

Ranks

Here is how we define our ranks.

Rank 1: Easy mixers.

Rank 2: Easy mixers but with a few quirks (e.g., shyness, deafness, blindness, geriatric, basic medical needs, dislike of a breed, etc.).

Rank 3: Good to mix but has minor social behaviours that require particular planning for buddies and yards. (eg. Humping, herding, nipping, high medical needs etc)

Rank 4: High-maintenance, lovable and engaging characters who might possess characteristics that their friends might dislike, and this takes extra resources and time to manage. They might:

• Shout obscenities at their neighbours – non-stop.
• Run the fence ALL day – possibly with limited spatial awareness.
• Act like the king or queen of their realm.
• Poke and prod friends for reactions.
• Stir emotions when a new dog is introduced to the pack or a friend is removed.
• Guard things like gates, toys, or water.
• Continuously hump, herd or nip.
• Misinterpret queues or messages from their mates.
• Plot escape routes – like a ‘Houdini’ hound.
• Dislike certain breeds or sizes of dogs.
• Give off super anxious vibes (easily misread).
• Renovate our yards or rooms.
• Require empty rooms or yards between themselves and other dogs.
• Need yards close to the kitchen for close monitoring.

Rank 5: These dogs are usually human-friendly but cannot be mixed with other dogs (or only with a family member).

Rank 4 & 5

In a nutshell:

• We always clarify why we rank dogs 4 or 5. Explanations are provided verbally and via email.
• Each rank is capped, so we can safely and effectively manage our grounds.
• We have limited spaces (yards and kennels) suitable for these ranks.
• Nightly rates are higher to reflect the extra labour and resources required to care for these dogs.
• If your dog is a rank 4 or 5, we suggest scheduling in advance for your boarding requirements.

We no longer accept new dogs with behavioural issues that require a private yard. This will allow our current customers greater accessibility to the few yards available for this purpose.

Capped Breeds

We have stopped accepting new enrolments for bully breeds – see restricted dog breeds.

We love all dogs, no matter if they’re a pocket-sized pooch or a couch-hogging giant. But to keep the peace (and avoid canine chaos), we have our trusty ranking system in place—think of it as Hogwarts houses, but with more fur and fewer wands!