Guest Requirements & Guidelines

At Camp Rockford, we take pride in creating a calm, structured, and safe environment for all our furry guests. To ensure harmony in our home and among our pack, we have specific requirements for dogs joining us for staycations.

Dog Eligibility:

We welcome dogs that meet the following criteria:

• Sterilized (spayed/neutered).

• Fully dog-friendly – comfortable around dogs of all sizes, as we host a mix of small and large breeds.

• Housebroken – our home is not suitable for dogs that mark indoors or have frequent accidents. Any marking during the meet-and-greet will disqualify your dog.

• Lived in their current home for at least six months.

• We also require that new clients ( aka your beloved pet) stays with us at least one visit prior to booking any high volume holidays, like Memorial Day, 4 of July, etc. to ensure they are a good fit for our free roam group setting.

Behavior Expectations:

To maintain harmony in our home and neighborhood:

• We cannot host dogs with unpredictable, destructive, or aggressive behaviors, excessive barking (indoors or outdoors), separation anxiety, or those with high energy that cannot settle.

• One-strike policy for biting or aggressive incidents.

Temperament Assessment:

All dogs must pass a temperament assessment before joining our pack. This ensures compatibility with our home environment and existing guests. Dogs must be happy to share space with any dog, regardless of size.

Suitability for Our Setting:

Our home is best suited for dogs that thrive in a calm, structured environment. Dogs that disrupt the pack dynamic through excessive energy, barking, or unsafe behavior are not a good fit.

Safety & Comfort Are Our Priorities:

We prioritize the well-being of every guest. Any behavior that risks the safety or comfort of others may result in the removal of a dog from the pack.

If you have concerns about your dog’s suitability for Camp Rockford, please reach out. We’re happy to discuss your pet’s needs and recommend alternative care options if needed.

Thank you for helping us maintain a safe and harmonious environment for all our furry guests!

We ask that only you bring only your pet’s food medications (and whatever carrier you use ie PB, Cheese or pill pockets), and appropriate leash, and collar/harness (with tags) be brought for overnight care at Camp Rockford. We do not use aversive tools such as prong collars, e-collars, or choke chains, nor will we use retractable leashes for safety reasons.

When boarding overnight at Camp Rockford, it is the Owner’s responsibility to leave an adequate supply of food and medications for Owner’s dog(s) during the entire time Owner’s dog is cared for by Camp Rockford. Medication must be brought in their original pill bottle with the name of the medication listed, as well as the prescribed dosage. 

Need to update their information, https://camprockford.com/updatedinfo

We ask that your pet’s bedding, toys, food bowls, etc. stay at home to prevent destroyed items or potential guarding of favorite items from home.

If Owner requires other items to stay with their pet, Camp Rockford shall not be responsible or liable for any lost or damaged personal property belonging either to Owner or Owner’s pet.

Please note:

1. We will respond to all booking during standard business hours 9 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday.

2. Camp Rockford will respond to pet owners with dogs in care 9 AM to 6 PM 7 days a week.

3. If your pet is in our care, Camp Rockford will be available to you for contact for your pre-scheduled drop-off/pick-ups starting at 7:30 AM (8:30 AM on weekends) and ending at 9 PM.

4. Daily updates will be texted to pet owners during standard business hours Monday through Friday and may be less on the weekends as team Camp Rockford also needs downtime and time off.

5. We often send updates at all hours because your pet(s) are cute, but it is at Camp Rockford’s discretion if contact will be responded to outside standard business hours unless in the case of an emergency.

Deposit Requirement

• All overnight stays longer than two (2) days require a 50% deposit to secure dates

• Requests will remain pending until a deposit is received

• Deposits are applied to your final balance

• For peak/holiday periods, deposits remain non-refundable once booked

Deposits can be paid via our standard methods of Zelle or Venmo, or we can send an invoice for credit card payments, which include 3.5% + 30¢ in processing fees.

How to Book 

The booking process itself remains unchanged.

• Submit all requests using our booking link

• Select your requested dates

• Choose your scheduled drop-off and pick-up times

How Confirmation Works

• Stays of two (2) days or fewer: Will be confirmed as usual with no deposit required

• Stays longer than two (2) days:

  • You will receive an email confirming availability and the total deposit due

  • The deposit is payable immediately to complete the booking request

  • Requests will remain pending until the deposit is received

Once the deposit is paid, your reservation is considered confirmed and subject to the applicable cancellation and deposit policies.

What Is Considered a Cancellation

A cancellation is any change to the originally booked dates or services that reduces the total number of reserved days or the total cost of the stay. This applies even if the stay is not cancelled in full.

This includes, but is not limited to:

• Removing one or more days from a booking

• Shortening a stay after it has been confirmed

• Changing arrival or departure dates that reduce the total nights

• Switching from overnight care to day camp only

• Early pick-ups once a stay has begun

• Any reduction in services originally reserved

These changes are treated the same as a full cancellation because the reserved space can no longer be rebooked on short notice.

What Is Not Considered a Cancellation

• Adding additional days (subject to availability)

• Changing drop-off or pick-up times that do not reduce dates

• Upgrading services or add on options

Overnight Boarding Cancellations

• For a full refund, all changes must be made by 5 PM, five full business days before arrival.
  Weekends and holidays do not count as business days.

• Early pick-ups are charged for the full original booking.

Day Camp Cancellations

• For a full refund, cancellations must be made at least 48 hours in advance.

• Cancellations within 48 hours are billed at the full amount.

Payments are due and payable at the end of each visit; before picking up your pet(s). If staying at Camp Rockford that means by pick up.

Payment may be made in American currency, check, or Zelle.  Additional fees 3.5% + 30¢ for all payments via credit card or Venmo Payments. 

1. OVERNIGHT CARE LAST DAY FEE SCHEDULE:

   1. Care Ending by 9 AM = No Additional Charge

   2. Care Ending before 3 PM = Half Day Fee

   3. Care Ending after 3 PM = Full Day Fee

Item descriptionRefunds

Deposit refunds will follow this schedule:

• 5+ business days before arrival: Deposit may be refunded or credited to your account

• Cancellations inside 5 business days: 25% of the deposit will be retained as a cancellation fee, the remaining 25% will be credited to your account and can be used for future bookings within 6 months of cancellation. 

• Inside 48 hours / no-show: Deposit is non-refundable

Camp Rockford requires that all dog(s) are healthy and will at all times while attending Camp Rockford have current vaccinations.

Camp Rockford requires the following to board with us in our home: Sterilization, Rabies, Bordetella, Distemper, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza, Parvovirus, and Leptospirosis (which is often combined by veterinarians as DHLPP or DHPP). Additionally, we require proof of Negative Fecal Exams.

All dogs must be flea/tick-free. Should a dog be observed to have fleas or ticks, a flea/tick bath treatment will be applied and charged to the owner at a rate of up to $80.00 depending on severity and size of dog.

We also ask that all dogs arrive with adequately trimmed nails or note owner will be charged $15 to trim pet(s) nails upon arrival.

For the safety of all guests, we do not accept pets at Camp Rockford that are not spayed or neutered; that have separation anxiety, or resource guard toys/ humans.

In the event, Owner’s dog becomes sick, injured, or passes on while in our care, our policy is to transport Owner’s dog to Owner’s vet (within 15 miles) where he/she will be held until Owner can be reached by the Vet for further instructions. If Owner’s vet is closed or outside of our transport distance, then we will transport to nearest 24-hour facility.

VET VISIT CHARGE will apply based on time/distance, at a minimum of $15 transportation fee, and could include $25 per hour spent at vet.

CLEANING FEES: $25 per occurrence for incidents inside our home including but not limited to incontinence of urination or defecation, vomit, etc. 

Holidays are an additional $15 per date per pet book.

Holidays & Peak Periods

• A 50% non-refundable deposit is required to reserve holiday stays.

• Cancellations must be made at least 10 business days in advance.

• Cancellations after this time are billed at the full cost of the stay if we are unable to refill the open spot.

To secure your holiday pet care reservation, we require a non-refundable deposit of 50%. This deposit is a necessary step to guarantee your spot and the dedicated care your pets deserve. We understand that plans may change, and while the deposit is non-refundable, it will be applied toward your total reservation cost.

Due to being a small-scale pet care provider our space is very limited and that means we are passing up all new reservations for the same dates, losing income would be devastating. We thank you for understanding. 

We know how difficult separation anxiety can be to deal with, but unfortunately our setting is not designed to assist companions with separation anxiety. As we do frequently leave our home for standard life reasons. We recommend pursuing private, in-home care with someone certified to reduce emotional stress on your companion during your time apart.

Safety is paramount at Camp Rockford. Resource guarding can can lead to aggressive behavior, such as biting, which can injure people or animals. Given we are a free roam boarding setting we do not onboard known issues and have a zero tolerance one strike policy if found to occur during a stay at Camp Rockford.