"Cage-free" is on almost every boarding website now, and it does not mean the same thing twice. At one place it means the dogs play loose during the day and sleep in runs. At another it means a private room with a door instead of a gate. At a third it means what most people picture, which is a dog asleep on a bed in somebody's house.
Those are three different products at three different prices, and the phrase covers all of them. So here is how to find out which one you are being offered.
The question that settles it
Ask this: where will my dog be at two in the morning?
Not where they play. Not where they eat. Where they sleep, from the last potty break until someone gets up.
The answer is almost always one of four things:
- A kennel run, indoor or indoor-outdoor, with a gate
- A crate in a shared room
- A private room, sometimes with a camera and a raised bed
- Loose in the house with the people who live there
All four can be good care. A well-run kennel with clean runs and staff who know dogs is better for a lot of dogs than a chaotic free-for-all. But they are not the same night, and only the last one is what most people mean when they say cage-free.
What a night at Hilltop looks like
Dogs sleep inside our home. On dog beds, in the rooms we are in, near us. Not in the garage, not in a building out back, not in a run.
There is no overnight staff rota because there is no shift change. It is Ash and Amanda, the same two people who took your dog in the morning, and our own three dogs, who live here.
If your dog is used to a crate and settles better in one, bring it and we will use it. Plenty of dogs sleep best in their own crate with the door open. The point is not that crates are bad. The point is that nobody gets put in one because it is how the building works.
Three follow-up questions worth asking anywhere
Once you know where the dog sleeps, these tell you most of the rest.
How many dogs are here overnight? A number, not a vibe. It tells you how much attention any one dog can realistically get, and whether your dog will be sleeping through other dogs barking.
Who is on the property overnight? Some facilities have someone on site. Many do not, and the dogs are alone from closing until morning. That is not automatically wrong, but you should know which one you are buying, because plenty of people assume the first and are getting the second.
What happens if my dog will not settle? Every boarding dog has a first night. The useful answer involves a person noticing and doing something about it.
What it costs around here
Overnight boarding at Hilltop is $50 a night. Food you bring, medication if your dog needs it, and yard time all day are included, and there is no mandatory bath on the way out.
For comparison, the priciest place near Easton is $83 a night. Some charge separately for feeding, some require a bath before pickup, and a few charge $25 just to walk round the building before you book. Our tour is free and takes about half an hour.
The point is not that cheaper is better. It is that "cage-free" on its own tells you nothing about the night your dog is going to have, so it is worth asking.
Come and look
The only way to really know where a dog sleeps is to see the room. That is why the tour is free.
Bring your dog. Half an hour. Look at the yard, look at where the dogs sleep, ask whatever you want, and decide afterwards.
Call (484) 714-6624 or use the contact page and we will find a time this week.