10/24/2025
Hello Play & Stay Customers!
I’m Kait Fowler, the Area Manager for The Gold Leash™, and I’m thrilled to share some exciting news with you! Beginning Friday, October 31st, Play & Stay in Ottawa will officially become part of The Gold Leash™ family — a locally owned, premium Pet Hotel & Daycare brand serving hundreds of happy dogs every week across Chicagoland.
While ownership is changing, our mission stays the same: creating a safe, loving, and enriching environment for every dog that walks through our doors. 🐶✨
What’s Changing (and What’s Staying Great!)
New Management, Same Care: The Gold Leash™ brings years of proven success from our Naperville and Carol Stream locations — known for clean facilities, personalized care, and outstanding customer experiences.
Facility Upgrades: We’ll be completing upgrades in phases over the next 4–6 months. The most important improvements will come first, ensuring comfort and safety right away, followed by aesthetic and amenity upgrades to enhance your dog’s stay even further.
In addition, we have a dedicated three-person maintenance team on staff who work year-round across our facilities, constantly upgrading and repairing as needed to maintain the high level of care and cleanliness our brand is known for. You’ll see their work in action right away as we bring The Gold Leash™ standard to Ottawa.
We’re also fortunate to have a large, experienced support system — team members from our other locations will be assisting during this transition to help our Ottawa staff and ensure everything runs smoothly for you and your pets.
Extended Hours & Added Flexibility: We’re expanding the facility’s hours to provide more flexibility for drop-offs, pick-ups, and boarding schedules. We know how busy life can get, and our goal is to make your experience as convenient as possible while keeping your pet happy and cared for.
New Booking System: We’ll be moving to our own modern system, MoeGo, for all bookings, payments, and communications. This means faster responses, easier mobile access, and better day-to-day visibility for you.
Same Friendly Faces, Supported More Than Ever: We’re proud to share that the existing Play & Stay staff will be staying with us, and we’re eager to support them in every way we can. At The Gold Leash™, we strongly believe in nurturing and growing talent from within, and we’re committed to giving this incredible team the tools, training, and leadership support they deserve.
Pricing Transparency: For now, pricing will not immediately reflect our other Gold Leash™ locations. We plan to keep Ottawa’s current rates for a short period as we transition and make upgrades. Over time, pricing will gradually adjust to align with the value, experience, and quality that The Gold Leash™ brand is known for — as well as increased operational costs that come with our standard of excellence.
That said, we fully understand that each community has its own market rates, and we want to assure you that Ottawa’s pricing will remain nowhere near the levels of our other locations. Our pricing philosophy is built around Affordable Luxury Service — we always aim to deliver a premium experience without overcharging. Our goal is simple: to provide exceptional care while helping you keep as much cash in your pocket as possible, so you and your pup keep coming back happily.
Our Commitment to Health & Wellness
The current health warranty program previously offered will not continue under The Gold Leash™. Instead, we operate under a “Satisfaction Guarantee” philosophy — and this comes at no extra charge to our customers.
Our company-wide policies and procedures are designed with health, safety, and wellness as our number one priority. If an emergency ever arises, our first focus is always the dog — ensuring they receive immediate attention and transport to a veterinarian if needed.
We take every situation seriously and work diligently to get to the root of any problem. And if we are ever at fault, you can count on us to stand by our promise and do whatever it takes to make things right for you and your pup. That’s what being part of The Gold Leash™ family means. 🐾
Training, Services & More
The Gold Leash™ is proud to offer world-class training led by our professional trainer Jim, who has trained thousands of dogs and worked closely with Cesar Millan, the world-renowned “Dog Whisperer.” Jim’s behavioral correction programs are some of the most effective and respected in the country, helping dogs of all temperaments become their best selves.
In addition to training, The Gold Leash™ Ottawa will also offer a full suite of services, including:
Doggy Daycare
Luxury Boarding
Cat Boarding
Critter Boarding (small pets welcome!)
Spa & Grooming Services
We invite you to visit our website and explore more about who we are, what we offer, and the level of care that defines The Gold Leash™:
🌐 www.thegoldleash.com
You can also see videos and photos of our facilities on our Instagram page:
📸 Instagram.com/TheGoldLeash
A Note From Our Owners
Behind the scenes, our owners Christian and Anastasia are deeply involved in every part of The Gold Leash™ brand. They’re passionate about hands-on leadership, quality control, and making sure every customer and every dog feels seen, valued, and cared for.
They may not be the first ones you speak with day to day, but they’re never far away — and they love getting to know our customers and dogs personally whenever they can.
To help introduce themselves and answer any questions you may have, Christian and Anastasia will be hosting an Open House on Saturday, November 1st, from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM at our Ottawa facility. You’re invited to stop by, meet the team, and chat with them directly about The Gold Leash™ vision and what’s ahead for Ottawa.
As a thank-you for your continued trust during this transition, we’d also like to offer you one free day of daycare or one free night of boarding at either our Naperville or Carol Stream location within the first two weeks of November. This invitation is our way of giving you a firsthand look at the quality of care and experience we’re bringing to Ottawa.
We understand that change can feel uncertain, especially when it comes to your pet’s care — but rest assured, you’re in good hands. Our reputation is built on trust, consistency, and a deep love for dogs.
We can’t wait to welcome you to The Gold Leash™ Ottawa Pet Hotel & Daycare and show you everything we have planned!
Warmly,
Kait Fowler
Area Manager | The Gold Leash™ Pet Hotel & Daycare
🐾 Where Dogs Stay, Play & Shine
🌐 www.thegoldleash.com
📸 Instagram.com/TheGoldLeash
📍Coming Soon: The Gold Leash™ Ottawa Pet Hotel & Daycare
The Gold Leash offers affordable luxury pet boarding, dog daycare, cat boarding, grooming & training in Carol Stream & Naperville, IL. Schedule a tour today!
