Active Waggers offers vigorous dog hiking in Winchester, Arlington, Lexington, Belmont & Medford, and cage-free in-home boarding wherever you live. Small-group hikes, fenced-yard stays, pickup & drop-off available. Book your pup’s adventure today!
An Active Dog is a Happy Dog
Stacia Biel, Owner
Stacia has been a resident of Winchester since 2011 and lives there with her husband and two children. Stacia worked for 20+ years in college study abroad before founding Active Waggers. When she is not hiking dogs, Stacia enjoys leading family trips with the Appalachian Mountain Club. She can be found most days hiking with her Chocolate lab Taza in Whipple Hill and the Middlesex Fells.
Hike Leaders & PREFERRED PET CARETAKERS
Our Services – Dog Hiking & overnight pet care | Active Waggers
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Dog Hikes
A 60-min hike in the woods, on or off-leash. Hikes are our specialty, and your pup will have a great workout and social time with other furry friends.
Hikes are offered during the week between 8:30am and 1:00pm. Each hike lasts for an hour and pick up and drop off is included if you live within 3 miles of Winchester. Group size is limited to 4-5 pups with one hike leader.
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In Home Boarding and Pet Sitting
Overnight and daytime dog care in a caregiver's home, with lots of opportunities for exercise and fresh air. Your dog becomes part of our family for their stay and will receive lots of love and attention from the entire family. Completely cage free. We also offer limited pet-sitting for multi-animal care.
Boarding is primarily for current hiking clients, but we are happy to board non-hiking clients on a space-available basis. Please inquire about your upcoming dates before booking.
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Dog Walks & Relief Breaks
Offered on a limited basis only to existing clients. Includes one 30-minute walk in your neighborhood or in the woods and a short home visit to refresh water and take care of any of your dog's needs. Walks may be individual or with 1-2 other dogs if your dog is social.
Puppy or relief visits include one or two 15-minute walks/playtime and a short home visit to refresh water and take care of any of your dog's needs.
READY TO SCHEDULE OUR SERVICES?
We use Time to Pet as our client management and booking software. New clients can create a new client account and we will be in touch within 24 hours to schedule a phone call to learn more about your dog needs. Existing clients can log in below!
FAQs
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If you want to have your dog remain at home and you live close to us we can discuss an agreed upon number of visits to ensure your dog's needs taken care of in your absence. We have very limited pet sitting in your home as this is a service we don’t normally provide.
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Unless there is a snow storm or hurricane, we will be there rain or shine, sleet or snow. Please leave a towel if you will not be home to receive a wet or dirty dog.
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Dog Walking/Hiking: Cancellations of scheduled services made at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled services are not subject to a cancellation fee. Cancellations made within 24 hours and up to 9:00pm the night before are subject to 50% of the fee. Cancellations made after 9:00pm or if we arrive at your house and you are not there and you have not cancelled in advance you will be assessed one walk/hike.
For vacation weeks and holidays there is a 3 day cancellation policy. If you cancel within this 3-day window, 50% of the service fee will be charged. Cancellations made after 9:00 p.m. the night before the service will still be charged the full fee.
Dog Boarding: Cancellations of scheduled boarding made at least 7 days* prior to the scheduled services are not subject to a cancellation fee. Cancellations made within 7 days are subject to 50% of the entire stay. All one day boarding services are subject to 100% of the fees. If you return early to pick up your dog you are responsible financially for any booked services not used.*
*For holidays, summer and vacation weeks it is a 14-day cancellation window. If you cancel within those 14 days you will be assessed a cancellation fee of 50% of the booked services and 100% for any one day services.
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We accept cash, checks, Venmo, Zelle, and ACH through Quickbooks. An invoice can be viewed at any time in your client portal, and payment is due at the end of the month for hiking clients, or upon pick up for boarding clients. A handling fee of $35.00 will be charged for returned checks.
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If you require continuous dog hiking services, you will pay once a month. An invoice will be emailed on the last day of the month for all services performed during that month, and payment is due within 7 (seven) days’ receipt of invoice.
For boarding clients you will pay when you pick up your dog on the last day. An invoice is available upon request. Hiking clients receive a significant discount off the boarding fee and boarding will be added to your monthly invoice.
Prices are found on our website and are subject to change. Any rise in fees will be communicated to you at least 30 days in advance.
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We are insured and bonded through KennelPro (Mourer Foster, Inc.). Certificates available upon request.
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Active Waggers requires all dogs to be up-to-date with their vaccinations and local licensing. You should also ensure that your dog is current with his/her flea and tick prevention. Spaying and neutering is not required, but please make sure to let us know on your intake form whether your dog has been fixed. Boarded dogs must be house-trained and we do not take intact males under 2 years of age.
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Please create a new client account and we will be in touch with you within 48 hours by phone.
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We believe that a healthy, well-exercised dog is a happy dog - hence our name, Active Waggers. With that in mind we strive to provide so much more than a pee break and a walk around the block. All of our walks and hikes are set to a vigorous pace unless you tell us otherwise, with the aim to maximize your dog's time outside.
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We provide hiking services in Winchester, Arlington, and Lexington. We have one weekly hike with Belmont dogs, and limited service for dogs who live in West Medford. The pick up and drop off service is free if you live within 3 miles of Winchester. An additional $10-15 is charged if you live further away.
There is no geographical limitations to have your dog boarded with us.
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Your dog can be exercised as much or as little as you want per week. You may need to be flexible about the service time requested since our groups are small. Please note that dog hikes are normally conducted between 8:30am and 1:00pm, but please inquire if you desire an alternate time.
To receive hiking client prices for boarding your dog must hike with us a minimum of two days per week.
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Depending upon where you live we will conduct our hikes in a wooded area where off-leash dogs are allowed. Please note that dog hikes are normally conducted in the mornings, but please inquire if you desire an alternate time.
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If your dog is good off-leash with you then we can slowly introduce off-leash walking over a number of hikes. All off-leash walking must occur in a wooded area where this is permissible.
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If your dog is smaller and does not pull a lot then we can take your dog on leash. However, if your dog is too strong and pulls a lot, no matter their size, it becomes a safety hazard for our hike leaders.
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Yes, your dog will likely be exercised with other dogs unless you request a time when we do not have hikes scheduled.
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If you choose the boarding option then your dog may be with other dogs. We usually board other dogs at the same time. Unfortunately we cannot board dogs who do not get along with other dogs, are aggressive or reactive.
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We can board your dog even if you do not use Active Waggers regularly. However, we cannot approve your dates until eight weeks prior to their stay as we give preference to our hiking clients. There are different prices for non-hiking clients.
Contact us
FOR GENERAL INQUIRIES COMPLETE THE FORM BELOW:
If you have any questions or concerns, email us: info@activewaggers.com or call us: 617.835.6532.
If you have already spoken to us via phone or email please create a new client account.