How much does dog boarding cost?
Between $38 and $60 a night at the four providers below, before any surcharge is added. They band the price in different ways, which is most of why quotes seem to disagree. Hillcrest Kennel and Grooming, Nashville bands by the dog's weight, from $46 a night for a dog up to 30 pounds to $60 for one over 60 pounds. Sydney's Pet Resort and Spa, Wichita bands by room instead, from $38 for its smallest suite to $55 for a private room with a glass door. Armadale Kennel, Raleigh charges one flat $45 whatever the dog weighs. Riverside Veterinary Hospital, Scottsville charges $48 and then adds $5 a night at weekends and $6 a night around a holiday. Each of these is that provider's own published rate, not an average of anyone else's.
$45
one dog per night, one flat rate with no weight bands
$46 to $60
one dog per night, banded by the dog's weight
$48
one dog per night, before the weekend and holiday surcharges
Cost breakdown
Each table below comes from one source, named underneath it, with the date that source last revised the figures. Everything is a United States figure in USD.
Dog boarding rates at Riverside Veterinary Hospital, Scottsville, New York, as published
| What | Price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| One dog | $48.00 per night | An individual indoor run with a raised bed, and time each day in a fenced play yard |
| Two dogs from one family, sharing a run | $86.00 per night | Less than two single runs, and less than twice the price of one dog |
| Two dogs from one family, separate runs | $92.00 per night | Each dog in its own run |
| Weekend surcharge | Add $5.00 per night | Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights |
| Holiday surcharge | Add $6.00 per night | The night before, the night of, and the night after the holiday |
| 15 minute walk | $16 | Booked as an extra |
| 15 minute solo play or cuddle time | $16 | Booked as an extra |
| Enrichment treats | $8 | Booked as an extra |
| Nail trim | $29 | Booked as an extra |
| Bath | $25 to $50 | Depending on the size of the dog and the length of its coat |
| Late pick-up after 6:15 pm | $7 | Unless you tell them in advance that you will be late |
Dog lodging prices at Sydney's Pet Resort and Spa, Wichita and Leawood, Kansas, as published
| Room | Price per pet per night | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Gold Suite | $38 | Dogs 45 lb or less |
| Platinum Suite | $41 | Dogs 46 lb or more |
| Vacation Suite | $55 | An individual room with a glass door |
| Each additional pet sharing a room | 15% off | Priced per pet, so a second dog is not a second full rate |
| Activity packages | From $19 per day | Added on top of lodging |
| House food feeding | $2 per day | Their own Science Diet is offered at no additional charge |
| Day care, half day | $23 | Not an overnight stay |
| Day care, full day | $33 | Not an overnight stay |
A bar for each row of the table above, 11 of them, drawn to the same scale so the spread is visible at a glance. The figure beside each bar is the one the table prints.
What changes the price
- Whether the price is banded by weight at all
- This is the first thing to establish, because two providers can look equally priced and not be. Hillcrest Kennel and Grooming, Nashville charges $46 a night for a dog up to 30 pounds and $60 for one over 60 pounds, so the same stay costs a third more for a bigger dog. Armadale Kennel, Raleigh charges $45 a night whatever the dog weighs. For a large dog the flat rate is the cheaper of the two, and for a small dog it is not.
- The night of the week, and the calendar
- A nightly rate is usually the midweek rate. Riverside Veterinary Hospital, Scottsville adds $5 a night for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and $6 a night for the night before a holiday, the night of it, and the night after, so a holiday weekend is charged at a higher rate on every night of it. Sydney's Pet Resort and Spa, Wichita states that its prices vary during peak periods without publishing the peak figure.
- What the provider counts as a chargeable day
- This decides whether a stay bills as three nights or four, and each provider writes the rule differently. Armadale Kennel, Raleigh charges from the day of drop-off whatever time you arrive, does not charge the pick-up day if you collect before 3 pm on a weekday, and charges for Sunday either way. Riverside Veterinary Hospital, Scottsville adds a whole extra night if you collect after 1 pm. Hillcrest Kennel and Grooming, Nashville sets check-out at 9 am and charges the departure day if you are later than that.
- The room, where you get a choice of room
- Somewhere that sells rooms rather than runs will have a cheapest and a dearest. Sydney's Pet Resort and Spa, Wichita publishes $38 for its Gold Suite, $41 for its Platinum Suite and $55 for a Vacation Suite with its own glass door, which is the same dog on the same night at three prices.
- How many dogs you are boarding
- A second dog is rarely a second full rate. Riverside Veterinary Hospital, Scottsville publishes $48 for one dog, $86 for two from one family sharing a run and $92 for two in separate runs, so sharing saves $6 a night against separate runs and $10 a night against two single bookings. Sydney's Pet Resort and Spa, Wichita takes 15% off each additional pet sharing a room.
- What you add on top
- The nightly rate covers somewhere to sleep and whatever yard time the provider includes as standard. Everything else is priced separately and mounts up over a long stay. Riverside Veterinary Hospital, Scottsville charges $16 for a 15 minute walk and $16 for solo play time, each time, and $29 for a nail trim. Armadale Kennel, Raleigh charges $3 for an extra walk, $13 a session for playtime, and $40 and up for a bath.
How to pay less
- Ask what counts as a chargeable day before you book
- The cheapest night is the one you are not billed for, and the rule is published rather than negotiable. Collecting before 3 pm on a weekday at Armadale Kennel, Raleigh means the pick-up day is not charged at all. Collecting after 1 pm at Riverside Veterinary Hospital, Scottsville adds a full night.
- Put two dogs in one run if they will tolerate it
- Riverside Veterinary Hospital, Scottsville publishes $86 a night for two dogs sharing against $92 for the same two dogs in separate runs, and both are less than two single bookings at $48 each.
- Move the trip off the holiday shoulder if you can
- A holiday surcharge usually covers more than the holiday. Riverside Veterinary Hospital, Scottsville applies its $6 a night holiday rate to three separate nights around each one, so a stay that starts a day later can miss part of it.
- Decide whether you are buying a room or a bed
- The premium room is the easiest line to cut without changing the care. Sydney's Pet Resort and Spa, Wichita publishes $38 for its Gold Suite against $55 for a Vacation Suite, a difference of $17 a night for a private room with a glass door.
- Work out what the extras come to per day
- Add-ons are quoted per session and bought daily, which disguises how large they get. A walk and a solo play session each day at Riverside Veterinary Hospital, Scottsville is $32 a day on top of the $48 night, which is two thirds again on the nightly rate.
Questions
Why do two kennels a few miles apart quote such different prices?
Usually because they are not selling the same unit. Hillcrest Kennel and Grooming, Nashville sells a run banded by the dog's weight, Sydney's Pet Resort and Spa, Wichita sells a room banded by how private it is, and Armadale Kennel, Raleigh sells one flat night whatever the dog. Until you know which of those you are being quoted, the numbers are not comparable.
Is boarding at a veterinary hospital more expensive than at a kennel?
Not on these four. Riverside Veterinary Hospital, Scottsville publishes $48 a night, which sits between the flat $45 at Armadale Kennel, Raleigh and the $46 to $60 weight bands at Hillcrest Kennel and Grooming, Nashville. What differs between them is not mainly the price.
Do I pay for the day I drop off and the day I pick up?
Usually the drop-off day, and for the pick-up day it depends on the hour. Armadale Kennel, Raleigh charges the drop-off day regardless of the time, and does not charge the pick-up day before 3 pm on a weekday. Riverside Veterinary Hospital, Scottsville charges another whole night if you collect after 1 pm.
Does a bigger dog cost more?
At some providers only. Hillcrest Kennel and Grooming, Nashville charges $46, $54 and $60 for dogs up to 30 pounds, 31 to 59 pounds, and 60 pounds and over. Sydney's Pet Resort and Spa, Wichita splits at 45 pounds, $38 below it and $41 above. Armadale Kennel, Raleigh does not band by weight at all.
What is not included in the nightly rate?
Walks beyond whatever the provider includes as standard, one-to-one play, grooming and nail trims are all charged separately, and vaccinations have to be done before arrival rather than bought on the day. Riverside Veterinary Hospital, Scottsville requires rabies, DHPP and Bordetella.
Are these the prices I will pay?
Only if you board your dog at one of these four, in Raleigh, Nashville, Scottsville, Wichita or Leawood. They are real published rates rather than a national average, which is the point of quoting them, and it also means they belong to those four businesses and to nowhere else.
Where these figures come from
Every figure here is a rate published by the provider named beside it, in US dollars, for boarding one dog overnight in the United States. Three of the four pages carry a modification date. The fourth, Hillcrest Kennel and Grooming, Nashville, carries none and says only that prices are subject to change, which is stated here rather than left out. All four were read on 23 September 2026. A rate card can change without the page looking any different, so follow the link before relying on a number. A published rate is also not a quote: peak pricing, vaccination requirements and minimum ages are set by each provider and are on their own pages.