Whether you need a place to take the furball for the afternoon or you’re looking for something longer-term, local providers stand ready with cuddles, open play, and photo updates on their websites or Facebook feeds. Many pet boarders also offer day care, a good way to let pet and parent get comfortable with a place in shorter spurts. Be it your beagle or bearded dragon, Portland’s got you covered.

Dog Hotels

Handy for travelers, boarding options Stay Pet Hotel and 3 Dogs are each just a few minutes from the airport. The owners of 3 Dogs, a kennel-free pup palace where “guests” sleep on futons in a pseudo-living room, also recently took over midcentury-mod-branded Stay and plan to bring additional kennel-free play time to Stay’s more traditional setup. At either place, expect to pay $41–44 per night for boarding or $19–28 for half- or full-day care for one dog, with discounts for multiple pooches. Stay: 3606 NE Columbia Blvd, 503-288-7829; 3 Dogs: 5430 NE 42nd Ave, 503-206-3029

An Odditorium

“If people have a bearded dragon, maybe the neighbors are like, ‘You want me to watch what?'” says Jessica Hagemeier, a longtime employee at Cedar Mill’s Pet Barn. If you can’t find a neighborhood tween to feed roaches to your gecko or even just clean the hamster cage, pick up the whole habitat and take it to Pet Barn, where for $8–10 birds, reptiles, and other small pets (but no cats or dogs) can overnight at the store. During the day, those who like attention might be placed around the shop for customers to see. 12675A NW Cornell Rd, 503-641-9443

Pick-Up Artists

The five-year-old mobile service Dog Adventures Northwest can come get your dog while you’re at work for leashed walks and off-leash adventures (the latter start at $40) to dog paradises in the city or out in the Columbia River Gorge. Your pal comes home towel-dried, clean-pawed, and “blissfully exhausted,” says owner and founder Kerry Ryan, whose staff is made up of certified trainers. The service also offers dog-sitting ($75 a night for one dog in-home; $100 a night for boarding, including two adventures). Care for any additional, noncanine pets in the house (cats, birds, hamsters, etc.) is thrown in for free. 503-307-8087