How Paw Places Check-Ins Work

Last reviewed: September 14, 2026

A Paw Rewards check in turns a real outing with your dog into a small record of the life you are building together. When you arrive at a dog-friendly park, patio, pet store, groomer or another place you are genuinely visiting, you can check in through Paw Places, earn Treats under the current rules and create a share card featuring your dog.

The feature is designed to connect three parts of Paw Rewards: discovering places through the Canadian Business Directory, celebrating everyday time with your dog and helping Canada’s dog community notice the local places that welcome them.

What is a Paw Places check-in?

A check-in is a time-and-place activity connected to one dog on your Paw Rewards account. It says, in effect, “My dog and I are here right now.” It is separate from tracking a walk, logging a training session or writing a review.

Examples include:

• a dog-friendly patio or café;
• an off-leash park, private dog park, trail or beach;
• a pet store, independent retailer or nutrition shop;
• a groomer, trainer, daycare or other dog service; or
• another real place you and your dog are visiting.

If you are still choosing where to go, start with our guide to finding dog-friendly places near you. A Directory listing is a discovery tool, so confirm current pet policies, hours and seasonal restrictions directly with the business or location before visiting.

How to check in with Paw Rewards

There are two simple ways to begin in the signed-in Paw Rewards experience.

1. From your dashboard: choose your dog, then select Check In in the dashboard’s quick actions.
2. From Adventures: open Start an Adventure, choose your dog, select Check In, then select Check In Here.
3. Allow or decline location: if you allow it, Paw Rewards looks for nearby places. If location is unavailable or you decline, you can still type the place name.
4. Select the right place: choose a nearby suggestion, search for a Directory listing or enter the place name yourself.
5. Confirm the check-in: Paw Rewards records the visit and tells you how many Treats were added.
6. Share only if you want to: after the check-in, you can create a card using your dog’s profile photo and share the moment.

If you have more than one dog, check that the correct dog is selected before confirming. The check-in becomes part of that dog’s activity, while the base Treat limit is applied to the member account and place.

How location permissions work

When the check-in window opens, Paw Rewards asks your browser or device for your current location. Permission is your choice.

If you allow location access, the app uses your coordinates to look for active Paw Places nearby. The current check-in experience searches within approximately five kilometres and displays the closest available suggestions first. You can also begin typing a business or place name; when location is available, matching Directory results are ordered with closer places first.

If you do not allow location—or your device cannot provide it—the check-in does not have to stop. Enter at least two characters of the place name and select a matching result, or use the option to check in with the name you entered.

When you grant location access, the coordinates can be recorded with the check-in. The share card uses your dog’s photo and name, the place, city and Treat result rather than a raw map coordinate. You decide whether to share it. Avoid checking in at a private home or posting a real-time location when that could affect your privacy or safety.

How many Treats does a Paw Places check-in earn?

Under the current live rule, an eligible first check-in at a place earns 100 Treats. The base award is available once per place, per member, per day.

That means:

• Your first check-in at a real place that day can earn 100 Treats.
• A second check-in at the same place on the same day is recorded, but it does not earn another base 100 Treats.
• Choosing a second dog does not reset the member-and-place daily limit.
• A check-in at a different real place is evaluated separately under the current rules.

During an active Paw Quest, a check-in may also count toward that Quest or unlock an additional campaign bonus when the live Quest details say it does. Quest rules, dates and eligibility can change, so read the campaign screen before participating.

For the larger rewards picture, see how to earn Treats in the Paw Rewards app and the overview of how owners can earn rewards for walks, training and everyday dog life. The confirmation shown in the app is always the final source for a specific activity.

Paw Places Saturday and the sharing bonus

Paw Places Saturday gives the community a weekly reason to visit and celebrate dog-friendly places across Canada. Under the current event rules:

• the first qualifying check-in at a place earns 100 Treats; and
• the first recorded external share of that specific check-in can earn an additional 100 Treats on Paw Places Saturday when you use the in-app sharing flow and tag @pawprivilegesrewards.

On other days, the current first-share bonus for a check-in is 50 Treats. Share awards are one-time for that specific check-in. The app can record that you used a sharing action, but it cannot automatically confirm that an external post was successfully published or that the account was tagged, so shares may be reviewed by the Paw Rewards team. Follow the live event prompt because promotional values and requirements can change.

You may also choose Share to Community Stories. Paw Rewards turns the square check-in card into a story-sized image and posts it to Community Stories for 24 hours. Posting a Community Story is a separate choice from using an external social-sharing button; do not assume it earns an external-share bonus unless the live confirmation says it did.

Listed Paw Place or manually entered place?

Both options let the outing continue, but selecting the correct Directory listing creates a cleaner connection to the place.

Check-in option	When to use it	What to check
Nearby Paw Place	The correct place appears in the nearby suggestions.	Confirm the business name and distance before selecting it.
Directory search result	You know the place but it is not in the first nearby list.	Type at least two characters and check the city or province.
Manual place name	The real location is not yet listed or location access is unavailable.	Use a clear, accurate name and avoid private-address details.

If a Canadian dog-friendly business is missing from the Directory, you can recommend it for consideration. If a listing exists but contains outdated information, report the correction rather than creating a misleading check-in name.

How check-ins support local dog businesses

A check-in is not a paid endorsement, a guarantee or a substitute for an honest review. Its value is community visibility.

When owners select the correct Paw Place and share an authentic outing, they help other Canadian dog families discover a patio, retailer, trainer, park or service they may not have known about. That visibility can be especially meaningful for independent businesses.

You can make the activity more useful by choosing the correct listing, using the business’s proper name, tagging the location accurately and following up with an honest review based on your real experience. Positive or critical, a specific and fair review helps more than generic praise.

Check-ins reinforce the larger Paw Rewards goal: connecting dog owners, responsible breeders, Canadian businesses and practical resources in one community.

Responsible check-in etiquette

• Only check in when you are really there. The feature is for genuine outings, not remote entries.
• Respect the place. Follow leash rules, posted boundaries, staff direction and local bylaws.
• Consider your dog. A place can be dog-friendly without being the right environment for every dog.
• Protect privacy. Be careful with private addresses, travel routines and real-time social posts.
• Keep entries accurate. Choose the right listing and avoid duplicate or joke place names.
• Verify current policies. A check-in by another owner does not guarantee that today’s hours or dog rules are unchanged.

Troubleshooting a check-in

Paw Rewards cannot find my location

Check whether location access is enabled for Paw Rewards in your browser or device settings. You can still search by name or enter the place manually if you prefer not to grant access.

The place is not in the nearby list

Use the search field and type the business name. Nearby suggestions are limited, so a place may exist in the Directory without appearing in the first group. If it is genuinely missing, use a clear manual name and recommend the business to the Directory.

I checked in but did not receive another 100 Treats

The most common reason is that you already checked in at the same place earlier that day. The visit can still be recorded, but the base reward is issued once per place, per member, per day.

My share bonus is different from the check-in bonus

The check-in and the external-share action are separate. The current base check-in is 100 Treats; the current first-share award is 100 Treats on Paw Places Saturday and 50 Treats on other days. Check the live confirmation and any active Quest details.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need location permission to check in?

No. Location helps Paw Rewards suggest nearby places, but you can search or enter a place name manually when location is unavailable or declined.

Can I check in twice at the same place?

You can record another check-in, but only the first check-in at that place by your member account that day earns the base 100 Treats.

Can I check in at a place that is not in the Paw Rewards Directory?

Yes. Enter the real place name manually. You can then recommend a missing Canadian business so it can be considered for the Directory.

Will a shared check-in reveal my exact coordinates?

The generated share card uses the dog, place name, city and Treat result rather than printing a raw coordinate. However, a recognizable place and real-time post can still reveal where you are, so share thoughtfully.

Make your next stop count

Paw Places check-ins are intentionally simple: go somewhere real with your dog, select the right place, record the moment and share only when it makes sense for you. The Treats are a bonus; the larger value is helping Canada’s dog community see the parks, patios, services and independent businesses that make life with dogs better.

Check in at a Paw Place, or explore the Paw Rewards Directory to plan your next dog-friendly outing.