The Sleepy Paws Inn
Overnights in our home! The Sleepy Paws Inn is the Hockessin area's first doggy bed and breakfast. We treat your pup like a member of our family by giving them around-the-clock care and a “home away from home” feel as they integrate with our crew. At the Sleepy Paws Inn, your dog is never left alone. Our expertly trained team is here twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week. We can also provide overnight care in your home, and more information is available here.
Dogs staying overnight with us have the option to attend our small-scale, in-home doggy daycare during the week at no extra charge, so it’s a great way to burn off some excess energy. They are also welcome to stay in and lounge on the couch with us if they would prefer. In addition to the main, big yard, there is a smaller area fenced off for smaller, less social, or senior pups. We always make sure that your dog is comfortable in the small yard before releasing them to play in the bigger one!
The only thing you need to provide for your dog is their food. We do keep some sensitive stomach food on hand in case it is forgotten or runs out, but we prefer to use the brand they are used to help prevent an upset stomach. Please let us know if your dog has any food allergies that we should be aware of because we do tend to hand out a few rounds of treats throughout the day. Although most dogs do very well with our provided beds, if your dog does have a bed or blanket that the highly prefer, you are welcome to bring that along.
If your dogs are staying with us, they must be dog-friendly. However, if your pup is social but prefers not to mingle and play too much with the others (an example of this would be an elderly pet), that is no problem at all! We have an extra fenced-off side yard for potty breaks and sunbathing or one-on-one fetch, and walks will be provided to ensure your pet gets the exercise they need.
We are not a kennel and offer a cage-free environment, unless your dog is accustomed to and does better in a crate at night or when the sitter is out of the house. When it comes to sleeping, we have many plush beds around the house as well as cot style ones with fuzzy blankets. Up in the main bedroom there is a king size bed that your dog is welcome to join us and snuggle on, plus another full-size bed off to the side if they prefer to sprawl out alone. All couches in our house are dog friendly!
Enrichment includes an endless supply of tennis balls, more than a hundred toys, several cot and plush style dogs beds, tunnels, and we get out the pools once the weather is warm! Bales of straw make for great fun in the fall and winter. The pups just LOVE jumping on and burrowing in it. On days when the weather isn’t that great, the dogs still have a blast playing in the temperature-controlled sunroom and go out intermittently to relieve themselves or get out their zoomies. Any toys brought with your dog will be thoroughly enjoyed, but we can not promise that they will survive long enough to make it back home.
The Sleepy Paws Inn is available seven days per week, and there are two pickup and drop-off windows. The Monday through Friday morning window is 7:00am to 9:30am, and the evening window is 3:30-5:30 pm. The weekend windows are 8:30-9:30 am and 5:30-6:30 pm. Arrangements can occasionally be made for times outside of these windows, or we can have a team member provide transportation for an additional cost.
Updates and photo check-in through the Time to Pet app are sent each day. Along with the photos, notes will be included about your pet’s well-being.