Missouri Keeps a File on Your Dog's Kennel: St. Louis Boarding Costs and How to Get It
Revised October 20, 2026
How much should dog boarding cost per day in St. Louis?
Among St. Louis kennels that post rates on their own sites, a standard night for one dog runs about $43 to $60. Baronwood Kennels charges $43, Silver Maple in Des Peres $44 to $54.50 by size, Arch City Dog Boarding and The Watering Bowl $53, and Sled & Breakfast in Fenton $60. Suites run about $55 to $78. Add holiday surcharges, required fees and late-pickup charges before you compare.
Keep reading ↓The leash goes slack the second the kennel tech takes it. Your dog looks back once through the glass door, the barking rolls off the concrete, and you walk to the car smelling faintly of bleach and wondering who will actually be in that building at 2 a.m.
Here’s the part almost no one does before that moment. Missouri inspects licensed boarding kennels at least once a year, unannounced, and the state keeps every inspection report on file for anyone who asks. Not a review. Not a star average. The file.
A five-star rating tells you how the lobby felt. The inspection report tells you what a state inspector found on a weekday nobody was warned about. This guide shows you how to get that file, what six St. Louis kennels really charge on their own websites, and the pickup-time fee that quietly turns a $53 night into more.
How much should dog boarding cost per day in St. Louis?
Among St. Louis kennels that post rates on their own sites, a standard night for one dog runs about $43 to $60. Baronwood Kennels charges $43, Silver Maple in Des Peres $44 to $54.50 by size, Arch City Dog Boarding and The Watering Bowl $53, and Sled & Breakfast in Fenton $60. Suites run about $55 to $78. Add holiday surcharges, required fees and late-pickup charges before you compare.
The kennel file you’re allowed to read
Under Missouri’s Animal Care Facilities Act, the rule is blunt: if animals are cared for overnight somewhere other than the owner’s home, for any kind of payment, that place must be licensed. That covers the big resort off the highway and the sitter who boards dogs in her spare bedroom. Every license expires January 31, so a certificate on the wall can be out of date by February.
The Missouri Department of Agriculture says routine inspections happen at least once yearly and are unannounced, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. When an inspector finds multiple, direct or repeat violations, a reinspection follows, and that one is unannounced too. Complaints, names and allegations included, are public records under the Missouri Sunshine Law.
You don’t need a lawyer to get any of it. Call the Animal Care Facilities program at (573) 751-3076, email acfa@mda.mo.gov, or use the department’s online open records request and ask for a facility’s recent inspection reports. It costs you a phone call. It tells you what no review can: whether an inspector had to come back.
And the inspections have teeth here at home. St. Louis County’s own animal shelter in Olivette failed three state inspections over its cleaning protocols and other deficiencies before it finally passed and got its license. Two more failures and the state could have shut it down. That’s a shelter, not a boarding kennel, but it’s the same state program, and it didn’t go easy on the county.
One more thing the license buys you. Every licensee must keep a program of veterinary care, a written agreement with an attending veterinarian, and that vet has to visit the premises at least once a year. So ask the kennel a simple question at the counter: who’s your vet? A good place answers before you finish the sentence.
What six St. Louis kennels actually charge
You know the moment: three browser tabs open, a flight already booked, and every kennel’s price page written a little differently. Here are the rates each business publishes on its own website, side by side. Call to confirm before you book, because prices move.
Baronwood Kennels charges $43 for one dog in a regular kennel, $78 for two dogs together, and $55 for a penthouse suite. Silver Maple Pet Center, on two acres at 2014 N Ballas Rd in Des Peres, prices by size at $44 small, $49.50 medium and $54.50 large, with villas from $78, and every rate includes a private room with an adjoining outdoor run and a daily hands-on exam. On a hot July afternoon that means a dog that can step outside on its own instead of waiting for a turn in the yard.
Arch City Dog Boarding at 6256 Gravois Ave charges $53 for the first dog and $43 for each additional dog. The Watering Bowl, with three locations including Brentwood, charges $53 for a standard room and $59.50 for a suite, and the price is boarding plus a full day of daycare, so your dog spends the day playing instead of pacing. Sled & Breakfast at 1051 Old Gravois Rd in Fenton is $60 for a standard kennel and $70 for a luxury suite, and it says someone is on site 24/7.
Kennelwood Pet Resorts adds a line many owners miss: a required resort fee, per dog, per visit, for its Healthy Paws Program, which covers unexpected illness or injury during the stay up to $500. That’s a real benefit. It’s also money that isn’t in the nightly sticker, so put it in your math.
The fee that bites isn’t the cancellation. It’s the pickup clock.
You land at Lambert, the carousel takes forever, and it’s 1:20 by the time you pull into the lot, and you can hear the barking before you open the car door. That relaxed afternoon pickup can cost you. Sled & Breakfast and The Watering Bowl both run the same clock: pick up before 10 a.m. and there’s no daycare charge, before 1 p.m. it’s a half day of daycare, and after 1 p.m. it’s a full day. Sled & Breakfast’s Sunday pickup window is 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., so ask how that clock applies before you plan a Sunday flight home.
Check the calendar too. Arch City Dog Boarding is closed on Saturdays and closes daily from noon to 3 p.m., so a Saturday homecoming means a wait. Its holidays carry an extra $5 charge, and a “holiday” can mean a whole week: its Independence Day period runs July 1 through July 7.
Deposits are where the cancellation risk lives. The Watering Bowl takes a $50 boarding deposit that becomes non-refundable once it’s fully booked for any night of your stay, which on a holiday weekend can happen fast. Ask every kennel the same three things before you pay: when does the deposit stop being refundable, which dates count as holidays, and what time is checkout?
People are asking
How do you compare pet boarding facilities on price, safety ratings and cancellation policies?
On price, compare the whole bill for your real dates, not the nightly sticker: add holiday surcharges, required fees like Kennelwood’s resort fee, and late-pickup daycare charges. On safety, look past star ratings and ask the Missouri Department of Agriculture for the kennel’s inspection reports, which it keeps on file for the public; a trail of reinspections means an inspector found multiple, direct or repeat violations. On cancellation policies, ask when the deposit stops being refundable, since The Watering Bowl’s $50 deposit turns non-refundable once it’s fully booked for any night of your stay.
How to check a kennel for safety, not stars
Walk in with your nose and your ears first. A clean kennel smells like disinfectant, not like a full litter box; the noise is loud but it settles. Then do the four checks that most owners skip.
- Ask for the license, and look at the date. Missouri licenses expire January 31 every year. Confirm it with the program at (573) 751-3076.
- Request the inspection reports. Start from the department’s Animal Care Facilities Act program page or go straight to its open records request form.
- Read for patterns. One routine report is the baseline. Reinspections are the tell.
- Ask who the vet is and where your dog goes in an emergency. Every licensee keeps a program of veterinary care with an attending veterinarian, who visits at least once a year.
Vaccines are the other gate. Baronwood requires rabies, bordetella and distemper for dogs. Silver Maple goes further and requires the H3N2 canine influenza vaccine on top of rabies, distemper and bordetella, which tells you how seriously a place takes a cough moving through a room.
Who’s there at 2 a.m.?
This is the question that keeps owners awake in a hotel room three states away. Most kennel websites never answer it. Sled & Breakfast does, in plain words: someone is on site 24/7. If a kennel’s site is silent, that isn’t proof the dogs are alone overnight, but it does mean you have to ask, out loud, at the desk: is a person in this building all night?
Off topic, but if you’ve never spent an afternoon in Fairground, put it on the list for after the trip.
Why the bill looks the way it does
Owners flinch at $53 a night until they see what’s in it. Run the numbers on a ten-day trip and it adds up, so it helps to know where the money goes before you start comparing.
People are asking
Why is dog boarding so expensive?
Because you’re paying for care, not just a bed. At Silver Maple in Des Peres the nightly rate includes a private room with an outdoor run, a daily hands-on exam and meals, and The Watering Bowl’s $53 rate includes a full day of daycare. Missouri also requires every licensee to keep a program of veterinary care with an attending veterinarian who visits at least once a year, and some kennels add required extras on top, like Kennelwood’s resort fee that covers up to $500 of vet care during a stay.
Before you hand over the leash
Run the dog tired on drop-off morning. A long walk or an hour at one of the dog-friendly places in St. Louis makes the first night in a strange room a lot easier. Pack a T-shirt you’ve slept in if the kennel allows it. Then ask the five questions that matter:
One night, one dog
How much should dog boarding cost per day?
About $43 to $60 a night at the St. Louis kennels that post their rates, and $55 to $78 for a suite. Before you compare, add the holiday surcharge, any required resort fee and the late-pickup charge that quietly turns a $53 night into more.
- Are you licensed under the Missouri Animal Care Facilities Act, and when was your last inspection?
- Is a person in the building overnight?
- Who is your vet, and when do you call me versus the vet?
- When does my deposit stop being refundable, and which dates are holidays?
- What time is checkout, and what does a late pickup cost?
More for your dog and the rest of the house:
- Cat boarding in St. Louis
- What a pet sitter costs in St. Louis
- How to find a dog walker in St. Louis
Frequently asked questions
What is the average cost to board a dog for 10 days?
At the $43 to $60 standard nightly rates St. Louis kennels publish, ten nights for one dog comes to about $430 to $600 before extras. Some places package it: The Watering Bowl lists a 10-night standard package at $470, with a full day of daycare built into its boarding rate. Add any holiday surcharge and a late-pickup daycare charge on the last day.
Do dogs feel abandoned when boarded?
Many dogs show stress at first: pacing, skipping a meal, clinging at pickup. Most settle as the routine takes over. You can help by keeping goodbyes short and calm, bringing food they know, and choosing a kennel that keeps them busy during the day, like one that folds daycare into the nightly rate.
Are dogs usually tired after being boarded?
Yes, and a sleepy dog after a stay full of play and new noises is normal. What isn’t normal is a dog that won’t eat, stays lethargic for days, or has a honking cough. Silver Maple, for one, requires proof of the bordetella vaccine. Call your vet if you see any of those signs.
Is it better to leave a dog at home or board?
It depends on the dog. A social, high-energy dog often does well with group play; an anxious or senior dog may do better at home with a sitter. One difference worth knowing: Missouri’s license rule covers overnight care at a place other than the owner’s home, so a kennel, or a sitter boarding dogs in her own house, has to be licensed.
What is day boarding for dogs?
Day boarding is daycare: your dog spends the day at the facility and comes home at night. Some St. Louis kennels blend the two for overnight guests, so a boarded dog spends its days in play groups instead of a room. The Watering Bowl’s boarding rate includes a full day of daycare.
How long is too long to leave a dog at boarding?
There’s no fixed limit, and The Watering Bowl sells a 10-night package for longer trips. What matters is how your dog handles it. Try one test night before a long trip, ask the kennel to call you if your dog stops eating, and favor a place with daily play and a vet it can reach quickly.
Is dog boarding worth it?
For most trips, yes, if you pick a licensed kennel and check its file. You get staff, other dogs to play with and a vet relationship, at about $43 to $60 a night for a standard room here. It’s worth less for a dog that panics in noisy rooms; that dog may be happier with a sitter at home.
Make one phone call before you book: ask the state for the kennel’s inspection file. Then compare the whole bill, not the sticker. If your dog needs a trim before the stay, see how to choose a dog groomer, or browse pet services on St Louis Near Me Directory.
If you run a kennel or a doggy daycare that would pass that inspection with a smile, this is for you. Put your rates, your license and your vet on a St Louis Near Me Directory listing where owners comparing kennels can find you and become customers. See how it works →
Written by a dedicated team of St. Louis locals who live, work, and play right here in the St. Louis metro. Founder Lane Forman and team are committed to building the region’s most trusted directory by verifying listings and connecting local businesses with loyal customers across Missouri and Illinois.