Preferred Pet Care, Inc.

Preferred Pet Care, Inc. is a cage-free dog boarding and daycare facility at 233 Rutgers Street in Maplewood, NJ. The kennel describes itself as an all-inclusive resort for dogs, and the service list matches that framing: overnight stays, daytime play, grooming, and a retail area on site. Overnight boarding is listed at $74 per night.

What they offer

• Cage-free overnight boarding, with convertible rooms for multi-dog families
• Dog daycare in large indoor and outdoor play areas
• Grooming and an on-site retail area
• Turf outdoor play yards laid with Classic K9 Grass
• A doggie taxi and bus service running to nearby towns

What makes it different

Dogs that would rather skip a group get private playtime instead. The kennel's stated approach is that no single routine fits every dog, so the day is built around temperament rather than a fixed schedule. A full kitchen handles custom meal preparation, which means special diets are managed in house. There is also a 70 KW full-facility backup generator, so heating, air conditioning and ventilation keep running through a brownout or blackout. That is a quieter selling point than turf and play yards, but it is the kind of thing that matters during a summer outage.

Practical details

The facility is open 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM Monday through Friday, and 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Saturday and Sunday. Booking is handled by phone at 973-762-7007. Proof of vaccination is required before a dog is admitted, for boarding and daycare alike. Pickup and drop-off is available for owners who cannot make the trip themselves. The address is 233 Rutgers Street, Maplewood, NJ 07040, and questions can also go to Woof@preferredpetcare.com or through preferredpetcare.com.