Reserve Your Dog's Overnight Stay!
Call us today to get your dog started with our Temperament Test!
No Kennels, No Lights-Out, No Dog Left Alone
Most boarding stays come down to one question pet owners rarely think to ask: who’s actually in the building at midnight? At Down Dog Lodge, the answer is always one of our caregivers. Our lodge covers 12,000 square feet and runs without kennels or crates, guests spend the night alongside other dogs instead of alone behind a gate, and our team is physically on-site 24 hours a day, every day of the year — holidays very much included. It’s less a kennel stay and more a supervised slumber party.
That distinction matters for Hawthorne households. Plenty of overnight options quietly lock up after the evening pickup rush and don’t check on anyone again until morning. Here, the overnight shift is a real shift, with people on the floor the entire time your dog sleeps.
We opened in 2017 with that model as the whole point. Since then, a small team’s idea has turned into the overnight spot South Bay families mention first when a neighbor asks where to take their dog.
Built Into Every Boarding Night
Here’s what each guest can count on:
- Rooms matched to size: the Mini Lodge is home base for smaller dogs, the Big Pen belongs to the larger crowd, and each one connects to its own outdoor yard
- Space measured in square feet, not crate dimensions: all 12,000 square feet of the lodge are open to roam, so no one spends the night boxed in
- Hydration on every side of the room: water bowls are spread across both play areas, and our team watches the levels and refills them around the clock
- Overnight staff who actually stay overnight: caregivers are scheduled around the clock, every day of the year — holidays too — so there’s always a person in the room with your dog
Rates & Policies
How Much Is Dog Boarding for Hawthorne Families?
Each night runs $100 for your first dog and $92 for any additional dog from the same home. Meals and medications are part of that nightly price, so you won’t find a separate charge for feeding or meds when you check out.
Drop-Off/Pick-Up
Business hours are weekdays 7AM–7:30PM and weekends/holidays 10AM–5:30PM. On a case-by-case basis, and for a fee of $25/dog/service, we can sometimes accommodate a drop-off or pick-up outside those hours. The earliest we can manage is 6AM and the latest is 10PM. Please call ahead to arrange it.
Overnight Boarding
- One dog: $100
- Additional dog: +$92
Boarding Pick-Up
- Pick-up before noon: no additional daycare charge
- 12PM-1PM: $22/dog
- 1PM-2PM: $44/dog
- After 2PM: full daycare = $62/first dog + $56/additional
Peak Rates
Holidays are our busiest times of the year! To keep up with our high demand and increased staffing, an additional charge of $10/dog/day applies to daycare and boarding.
- Ski Week: 2/9 – 2/17
- Spring Break: 4/3 – 4/13
- Memorial Day: 5/23 – 5/26
- July 4th: 7/1 – 7/6
- Labor Day: 9/5 – 9/8
- Thanksgiving: 11/24 – 11/30
- Holiday Season: 12/19 – 1/3
Discounts*
- Veterinary: 10% off
- Military: 15% off
- Police Department: 15% off
- Fire Department: 15% off
- Paramedics: 15% off
* Supporting documents required. Discounts do not apply to prepaid packages.
Your Dog’s First Steps Before Boarding
Every new dog — whether they’re coming from Hawthorne or across town — takes our two-phase Temperament Test before a first overnight. Think of it less as a pass/fail exam and more as a way to learn whether group, cage-free care is genuinely a good fit, so your dog can enjoy the stay instead of simply getting through it. After both phases and one full daycare day, your dog is ready to book boarding.
Got a longer trip coming up — say, three nights or more? We’d suggest scheduling one overnight beforehand. A dog who already knows the routine adjusts to a multi-night stay far more easily than one meeting the lodge for the first time on a weeklong booking, and that short trial is almost always worth it.
First visit? Our New Clients page walks you through everything you need.
The Down Dog Difference for Hawthorne Pups
Going cage-free is the easy part to advertise; staffing it properly is what makes it work, and it’s where plenty of boarding facilities cut corners. Here’s what that looks like for Hawthorne pet parents:
- Playgroups are screened before day one. Each new guest completes our two-phase Temperament Test first, so the dogs sharing space with yours are dogs we already know make a good match.
- One price covers dinner and doses. Meals and medications are part of every boarding night — nothing gets added to your invoice at pickup.
- Daily updates you can scroll. We share photos of our guests on Instagram (@downdoglodge) throughout the day, so you can see how the stay is going from anywhere.
- People on-site, around the clock. Our team staffs the lodge 24/7, 365 days a year — weeknights, weekends, and holidays alike.
Proudly caring for dogs from Hawthorne, Lawndale, El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance, and the rest of the South Bay.
Dog Boarding FAQ
What vaccinations are required for boarding?
All guests must be current on Rabies, DA2PP, Bordetella, K9 Influenza (2 rounds + 7-day wait), and Leptospirosis (2 rounds + 7-day wait). We do not accept Titer Tests in lieu of updated vaccinations.
Spay/Neuter Policy: Puppies between three and six months old are welcome intact. After six months, spay/neuter is required for admittance to Down Dog Lodge.
Does my dog need a Temperament Test before boarding?
Yes, all new dogs must complete our two-phase Temperament Test ($40/dog x 2 days) before their first boarding stay. We also recommend at least one full daycare visit prior to the first overnight.
Can I bring my dog's own food?
Yes, and we encourage it. If possible, we request that owners pre-bag and label each meal separately; this massively helps our team manage an efficient feeding for many dogs. If you’re unable to bring food or run out during your stay, we have dry & wet house food available for purchase.
What are your check-in and check-out times?
Check-in and check-out take place during lobby hours: weekdays from 7AM to 7:30PM, weekends/holidays from 10AM to 5:30PM. Early drop-off and late pick-up outside of these hours are available for a flat fee of $25/dog/service.
What are Peak Rates?
Holidays are our busiest times of the year! To keep up with our high demand and increased staffing, an additional charge of $10/dog/day applies to daycare and boarding.
- Ski Week: 2/9 – 2/17
- Spring Break: 4/3 – 4/13
- Memorial Day: 5/23 – 5/26
- July 4th: 7/1 – 7/6
- Labor Day: 9/5 – 9/8
- Thanksgiving: 11/24 – 11/30
- Holiday Season: 12/19 – 1/3
Can I pick-up or drop-off outside of business hours?
We always prefer drop-offs and pick-ups to fall within our normal business hours, since that ensures the smoothest possible transaction with our Front Desk.
- Weekdays: 7AM–7:30PM
- Weekends/Holidays: 10AM–5:30PM
We understand that certain circumstances call for an early drop-off or late pick-up. Outside those hours we can sometimes accommodate a drop-off or pick-up as early as 6AM or as late as 10PM, on a case-by-case basis. Any early drop-off or late pick-up incurs a flat fee of $25/dog/service. Please give us a call to arrange it.
Other Services We Offer
Dog Daycare near Hawthorne, CA
Rather start with days instead of nights? Daycare uses the same size-matched, cage-free playgroups, giving your dog a day of staff-supervised fun — great on its own and a smart way to get comfortable before their first night with us.
Dog Grooming near Hawthorne, CA
Pair any stay or daycare day with a bath or a quick nail trim, and your dog comes home fresh as well as happily worn out — no second appointment needed.
Puppy Program near Hawthorne, CA
Young pups don’t have to wait on spay or neuter to get started. Dogs aged three to six months can join our Puppy Program and begin supervised socialization during the stage when it matters most.
What Hawthorne Dog Life Looks Like — and Where We Fit In
In Hawthorne, off-leash time for most dogs means one place: Memorial Dog Park at 3901 W. El Segundo Blvd, the city’s fenced dog area at the Memorial Center. It’s a well-equipped spot, with a climbing feature, an agility seesaw, water fountains, and double gates, but it’s also unsupervised, so who shows up and how they play is anyone’s guess. Beyond that, the daily routine in neighborhoods from Holly Glen to the blocks around Holly Park tends to be leashed walks and quick loops of the local parks.
Down Dog Lodge fills in what that routine can’t: structured, staff-supervised play with dogs your dog’s size, both indoors and out. When a trip or a long stretch of work comes up, the same space doubles as an overnight home where someone is on duty all night long. And getting here is refreshingly simple — Memorial Dog Park and our lodge sit on the same road, El Segundo Boulevard, so for many Hawthorne households the drive is one steady stretch heading west.
How to Get Here from Hawthorne
Coming from central Hawthorne, start out toward Hawthorne Boulevard, then double back to set off west on El Segundo Boulevard. From there, there’s nothing else to navigate — no turns, no lane changes to plan for, just one straight 2.8-mile run out of Hawthorne and into El Segundo. Watch for us on El Segundo Boulevard at 1501 E. El Segundo Blvd, El Segundo, CA 90245.