Grooming, Daycare and Boarding for Bohemia and Sayville
Lillian Ruff Pet Spa
If you live in Bohemia or Sayville, the awkward part of dog ownership usually isn't any one service. It's that the groom, the workday and the week away all get handled by different places, on different schedules, with three sets of paperwork. Our Ronkonkoma building does all three at one address, and it's open seven days a week.
835 Portion Rd, Ronkonkoma. Grooming 9am–5pm every day of the week. Daycare 7am–7pm, seven days. Boarding at $60 or $75 a night, with a full day of daycare included in every night's stay. Prices for all three are published, not quoted on request.
Why one building beats three separate appointments
The practical case is boring and it's the whole argument: your dog is already known here. The same team that bathes him knows he doesn't like the dryer on his face, and that shows up again when he's here for a Tuesday of daycare or a week of boarding. You fill in the health record once. You learn one booking system. You make one journey instead of three.
It matters most at the edges — the week you're away and he also needed a groom, or the stretch of days when the house is chaotic and he's better off somewhere with a routine. Those are the moments where juggling two or three businesses stops being an inconvenience and starts being the reason the thing doesn't get done at all.
There's also a retail shop in the same building, which mostly matters on the day you realize you're out of something and you're already standing here.
Grooming: prices published by weight
Grooming price ranges are published on the site rather than held back until you call. Where your dog lands inside a range depends on size and coat — a big, easy, short-coated dog and a small, dense, tangled one are not the same job, and pretending otherwise just produces a surprise at pickup.
| Service | Published range | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Bath & Brush | $35 – $120 | Wash, dry and brush out. No haircut. |
| Full groom with haircut | $70 – $155 | Everything above, plus a clip or scissor finish. |
Here's the honest part: plenty of dogs don't need the full groom. A short-coated dog who gets brushed at home is often perfectly served by a bath and brush, and paying for a haircut he doesn't have hair for is money you can keep. Ask for the cheaper service if that's what fits. We'd rather have you back four times a year than sell you one job you didn't need.
We don't groom cats. We don't do creative coloring, show grooming or hand-stripping. If that's what you're after, you want a specialist, and it's better you find that out from a blog post than from a phone call at 4pm.
Daycare and boarding under the same roof
Daycare is priced by length of stay, with passes if you're doing it regularly. Passes carry no expiration date, which is the difference between a pass being useful and a pass being a small bet on your own schedule. They are non-refundable. Sales tax of 8.75% applies.
| Daycare option | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Full day, 4+ hours | $35 | — |
| Half day, under 4 hours | $30 | — |
| 5-day pass | $162.50 | Saves $12.50 |
| 10-day pass | $300 | Saves $50 |
| 20-day pass | $550 | Saves $150 |
Boarding is $60 a night for a regular 4x4 private kennel and $75 a night for a premium 4x6. Every boarding night includes a full day of daycare at no extra charge, so a boarded dog isn't sitting in a kennel all day waiting for you. Meals run at 8am, 1pm and 6pm, and custom schedules are available for puppies, seniors or medical diets. Bring your own food or let us provide it at $5 per day, per dog.
Boarding suits a dog who
- Is comfortable settling in a kennel
- Is non-aggressive and can socialize
- Has no bite history
- Takes any medication within a 7am–10pm window
Look at other options if
- A kennel genuinely distresses him
- He needs dosing overnight or at fixed hours outside 7am–10pm
- He can't be around other dogs safely
- You're away one night and a sitter at home is simpler
Suffolk County Code § 302-13 governs boarding kennels here. Before a dog can be accepted, the owner must supply a current health certificate from a licensed veterinarian showing vaccination against rabies, distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza, parvovirus and coronavirus within the previous year — unless an approved three-year vaccine is certified by the vet — plus bordetella within the previous six months. That six-month bordetella clock is the one owners most often let lapse without noticing, because everything else runs annually. Facilities must keep records for each dog for 12 months after the last day of use. Confirm your dog's current status with your vet, and with us, before you travel.
It does not fully prevent kennel cough. What's called kennel cough is properly canine infectious respiratory disease complex, with roughly eleven contributing pathogens according to the AVMA. The vaccine is required and worth having; it isn't a guarantee. Anything that looks like illness is a conversation for your vet, not for us.
Open seven days a week, including Sunday
Ronkonkoma runs seven days. That is the part that makes a single trip work for people whose weekdays are already spoken for — a Sunday groom is a normal booking here, not a favor.
Daycare pickup after 7pm runs $5 per 15 minutes, so it's worth knowing your own timing before you commit to a full day. Long Island MacArthur Airport is in Ronkonkoma, the same hamlet as the salon — if you're timing a boarding drop-off around a flight, work out your own route and give yourself the check-in window rather than the last ten minutes of it.
One address, one health record, one booking screen. That's the entire pitch.
Booking your first visit
Book online
Grooming appointments go through the booking system at lillianruffpetspa.com/grooming. Pick the service and the day.
Do the Meet & Greet
Daycare and boarding start with a 30-minute first-visit evaluation. It exists so the first real day isn't also the first time your dog has seen the place.
Sort the paperwork early
Get the vet certificate in hand before the trip you're planning around, not the week of. Check the bordetella date specifically.
Say what you actually want
Tell us the length you want left, the areas he hates being handled, and whether you'd rather have a bath and brush than a haircut. Specific instructions get specific results.
Questions people actually ask
Can one trip cover a groom and a daycare day?
Sometimes, and it depends entirely on the day's schedule. Say what you're hoping to do when you book, and we'll tell you honestly what's possible on that date rather than after you've driven over.
Does boarding cost extra for daycare?
No. A full day of daycare is included in every boarding night at both the $60 and $75 rates.
Why is the grooming price a range instead of a number?
Because weight is only half of it. Coat type and condition decide the rest — a matted coat is a longer, more careful job than a clean one at the same weight. The published ranges are $35–$120 for a bath and brush and $70–$155 for a full groom with haircut; ask where your dog is likely to land when you book.
What vaccinations does my dog need to board?
Suffolk County requires a current vet health certificate covering rabies, distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza, parvovirus and coronavirus within the past year (or an approved certified three-year vaccine), plus bordetella within the past six months. Confirm the current requirements with your vet and with us before you book.
My dog has never been in a kennel. Should I board him?
Maybe not, and the Meet & Greet is where you find out. Boarding here needs a dog who is non-aggressive, comfortable in a kennel, able to socialize and free from any bite history. If he doesn't settle, a sitter at home may genuinely be the better answer, and we'll say so.
Do I have to bring his food?
You can, and most people do. If you'd rather not pack it, food is $5 per day per dog. Feeding runs at 8am, 1pm and 6pm, with custom schedules for puppies, seniors and medical diets.
Book the groom, then sort the rest.
Pick a service and a day online. For daycare or boarding, ask about the 30-minute Meet & Greet and we'll set it up.
See pricing & book ›835 Portion Rd, Ronkonkoma, NY 11779 · Open 7 days, 9–5
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