Important Health Update: Working Together to Keep Our Space Healthy & Safe

Dear Sit Social Family,

After 13 wonderful years caring for the incredible dogs (and humans!) of Chicago, this is the first time we’ve faced multiple illnesses amongst our pack/specifically giardia challenges. We saw a small wave of cases this past March, and unfortunately, we’re now addressing a second occurrence that required us to temporarily close daycare reservations for deep cleaning and disinfection.

While we’ve taken every step possible to reset our space and protect your pups, the reality is that giardia is common in urban dog communities—and while we are doing everything in our power to reduce the risk of recurrence, we want to be upfront: we cannot fully guarantee that future cases won’t arise.

What we can do is partner with you to make it as difficult as possible for this parasite to cycle back into our facility.

New Requirement: Negative Giardia Test to Return

All dogs must now present proof of a negative giardia test before returning for daycare or hotel stays.

We’re asking this of every client as an essential step to safeguard the health of our entire pack.

How You Can Help Protect Your Pup—and the Community

✅ Limit visits to high-traffic dog parks, relief areas, and public potty zones where proper sanitation isn’t guaranteed. These areas are common sources of giardia transmission because many of these spaces do not use regular or proper sanitizing tools.

✅ If you live in or frequent a high-rise or apartment building with a shared dog potty space, kindly advocate for the use of sanitizing hoses (not just water) to properly clean these areas.

✅ Wipe your dog’s paws and backside after walks to reduce the chance of carrying invisible contaminants home or into daycare.

✅ Maintain routine fecal checks every 6 months as part of your dog’s regular veterinary care, in addition to this required giardia test.

New Policy: Strict Illness Enforcement—No Exceptions

To protect every dog and prevent the cycle of giardia from continuing, we are enforcing a firm new policy:

🚫 Any dog arriving with loose stool, diarrhea, or vomiting will be sent home immediately and will not be allowed to return until they present a clear fecal test result from a veterinarian. This includes hotel stays moving forward, so please have an emergency backup person to pick up your pup.

🚫 Please do not bring your dog to Sit Social if they are experiencing digestive upset or illness.We kindly ask that you treat this as you would a child attending school—you wouldn’t knowingly send a sick child to class, and we deeply appreciate you applying that same care to Sit Social for the health and safety of all.

Looking Ahead: Honest Expectations

While we are doing everything in our power—including professional-grade sanitation, space resets, and these new health requirements—we want to remain transparent:

Giardia is an ever-present risk in any community where dogs gather, and despite best efforts, we may see additional cases in the future. Our promise is that we will remain vigilant, proactive, and communicative every step of the way.

Your help makes all the difference. By avoiding high-risk, unsanitary dog areas and staying mindful of your dog’s health, you can reduce the chance of giardia being picked up and unknowingly brought into Sit Social again.

Daycare Reservations Reopening - Monday June 16

We are thrilled to welcome your pups back—daycare reservations will reopen starting this Monday! Please remember: a recent negative giardia test is required for all returning dogs.

If you have questions about fecal testing, what to discuss with your vet, or how to reduce exposure risk, please reach out—we’re here to help.

Thank you for being an essential, caring part of this community. With everyone doing their part, we can keep Sit Social healthy, safe, and a joyful space for all.

With gratitude,

Victoria &

The Sit Social Team