Shuttle service available to our two kennel locations.
York County has a lot going for it as a place to live — the rural spaces, the commuter access to Baltimore and Harrisburg, the established communities from York City down through Shrewsbury and Glen Rock to the Maryland line. What it hasn’t had much of historically is purpose-built dog daycare that treats the activity as a real service rather than a kennel add-on. Country Comfort Kennels & Camp for Pets operates from Shrewsbury, at the southern end of York County just off I-83, and provides doggy daycare for dogs from York, Red Lion, Shrewsbury, Glen Rock, Stewartstown, and surrounding communities. Our daycare program runs on the same camp model as our boarding operation — dogs get supervised play groups, structured enrichment activities, and real physical exercise throughout the day.
York County’s suburban and semi-rural character means a lot of dogs have more outdoor space at home than their counterparts in denser suburban or urban areas. A fenced yard is a good thing, and dogs with yard access generally get more incidental exercise than dogs who are fully apartment-confined. But a yard alone doesn’t meet a social dog’s needs. Running laps in the yard is self-exercise; it’s not social interaction, it’s not mental stimulation, and for dogs who need engagement with other dogs, it’s a poor substitute.
The dogs who tend to benefit most from daycare in the York County area are dogs whose owners work in York City, commute toward Baltimore on I-83, or work from home but can’t give the dog the interaction it needs during the day. The mixed-breed retrievers and shepherd-type dogs that make up a lot of York County’s pet population are high-energy, socially motivated dogs — they were bred for work alongside people and other animals, and a day alone doesn’t sit well with them.
Problem behaviors that York County dog owners bring to our attention most often — destructive chewing, repetitive barking, difficulty settling in the evening, rough and over-excited greetings when owners return — are almost always rooted in insufficient daily stimulation. Daycare addresses the root cause rather than the symptom.
Dogs in our York County daycare program are grouped by size and temperament, not just by breed. Grouping dogs by breed or age alone misses what actually matters — how a dog plays. A high-drive, rough-playing dog and a sensitive, lower-energy dog may be the same age and similar in size, but they shouldn’t be in the same play group. We assess each dog’s play style and adjust groupings over time as we get to know individual dogs. Groups rotate between indoor and outdoor spaces throughout the day.
Play groups at Country Comfort are supervised continuously by staff who understand dog body language. The difference between dogs playing and dogs in conflict isn’t always obvious to an untrained eye — it’s in posture, timing, vocalization patterns, and the directionality of movement. Staff who can read those signals intervene before situations escalate. This is the primary reason group size matters: too many dogs per staff member means interactions can’t be monitored closely enough.
Daycare at Country Comfort isn’t just supervised running. Dogs participate in structured camp activities throughout the day — enrichment programming that engages their minds as well as their bodies. This includes nose-work style games, basic skill practice, and activities that let dogs problem-solve and use their instincts in a controlled way. Dogs who have had to think as well as run are more deeply tired at the end of the day than dogs who have only run.
Even young, high-drive dogs need downtime in a daycare day. Dogs who run continuously for eight hours don’t settle well at the end of the day — they get overstimulated and their interactions get sloppy. We build rest periods into the schedule so dogs decompress between play sessions, which also means your dog is calmer and more reasonable at pickup rather than bouncing off the walls from stimulation overload.
I-83 is the spine of southern York County. If you commute from the Shrewsbury, Glen Rock, or New Freedom area into York for work, Country Comfort is on your route. Drop your dog in the morning before getting on the highway; pick up in the afternoon on the way home. For York City residents and commuters who live north of Shrewsbury, the 10-15 minute drive to our facility becomes routine quickly.
For York County families where both adults work full-time outside the home — which describes a significant portion of the county’s working-age population — daycare two or three days a week is often the difference between a manageable dog and one who has developed habits that make the evenings stressful. The math is simple: a dog who goes to daycare on Tuesday and Thursday gets half the week worth of proper socialization and exercise, and the rest of the week is noticeably easier as a result.
Most dogs who are reasonably social are good daycare candidates. Dogs who aren’t typically either haven’t been properly socialized (fixable with a gradual introduction process), or have a history of dog-aggression that makes group settings genuinely unsafe (not fixable through daycare alone and probably not appropriate for group programs). The majority of dogs fall into the former category, not the latter.
Good indicators that a dog will do well in daycare:
Dogs who need more time before joining a regular group can do trial days with smaller groups or reduced session lengths while they build comfort. Call us and describe your dog — we can usually get a sense of fit from a conversation before you commit to a trial.
Our Shrewsbury facility provides doggy daycare for dogs from throughout York County and surrounding areas, including:
Call 717-235-3312 for current hours and availability. We recommend calling ahead to schedule your dog's first visit rather than arriving without a reservation - we want to make sure your dog gets the right group placement from the start.
The primary differences are group sizes, supervision ratios, and the facility itself. Big-box pet store daycare programs exist inside retail spaces with limited dedicated outdoor room. Our Shrewsbury facility is a purpose-built boarding and camp operation - daycare is the core of the business, not an add-on. Supervision ratios at dedicated facilities are typically lower (fewer dogs per staff member), which means each dog gets more attention and interactions are managed more closely.
Leash reactivity and dog-dog aggression are different things, and a lot of dogs who are reactive on leash are fine in off-leash group settings. Leash reactivity often comes from frustration (the dog wants to approach and can't) or from feeling constrained (the leash creates a trapped feeling that triggers fight-or-flight). Once the leash is off and the dog can move freely, the dynamic changes. A dog park assessment is a reasonable proxy for group daycare fit. Call us and describe your dog's specific patterns - we can discuss whether a trial makes sense.
Yes. Some of our York County daycare clients come once a week; others come four or five days a week. There's no minimum attendance requirement. Dogs who attend less frequently may take a few more visits to fully settle into the routine, but there's no reason a once-a-week schedule can't work well for your dog.
Rabies, DHPP (distemper/parvo), and Bordetella (kennel cough) are required for all daycare participants. Bordetella is a respiratory disease that spreads easily in any group dog environment - parks, boarding facilities, grooming salons, daycare. Vaccination doesn't guarantee immunity but significantly reduces the severity and likelihood of infection. Bring your vet's records on your dog's first visit.
Not necessarily - and potentially the opposite. Dogs who get overstimulated in large, under-supervised groups often do much better in smaller groups with closer staff oversight, because the interactions stay manageable and there's intervention before the dog hits his ceiling. We also build rest periods into the day specifically to prevent accumulated overstimulation. If your dog has a history of hitting a wall in group settings, let us know and we'll start him in a smaller group and monitor how he handles it.
A deposit of 25% of the total boarding charges, subject to forfeiture, is required to review and accept your reservation.
Unlike many other boarding facilities, CCK allows your pets to be picked up or dropped off anytime during our Boarding hours. Charges begin the day your pet arrives. If your pet is picked up before 12:00 pm on the day of departure, no Boarding charge will be incurred for that final day.
Not all types of accommodations may be available at all locations.
We will gladly administer medications for an additional fee. Please see our Medication Policy.
Call Country Comfort Kennels at 717-235-3312. We’re located in Shrewsbury, just off I-83, and serve doggy daycare clients from York, Red Lion, Glen Rock, Stewartstown, Hanover, and throughout York County, PA.
