Dog Boarding

When it comes to dog boarding, there are a number of things to consider to ensure your pet is well cared for at a reasonable cost. Some pet owners make the mistake of selecting a boarding service based primarily on price. The result can often be the appearance of undesirable changes in your pet’s behavior, or worse, illness or injury.

Dog Boarding Options

When choosing a boarding facility, you may have several options depending on where you live. These choices may include veterinary clinics that provide boarding services and commercial kennels that specialize in pet boarding.

Alternatives to Boarding Outside Your Home

You may also want to consider the services of a professional pet sitting service. Most pet sitting services will allow you to keep your pet at home during your absence. Professional pet sitters typically offer a wide variety of services and charge accordingly. In addition to feeding, watering a pet sitter may also offer to walk or exercise your pet and spend time playing and socializing with them. They may also offer to collect your mail and, in general, keep an eye on your home while you’re away.

Choosing a Dog Boarding Facility

If you choose to have your pet boarded away from home, you owe it to yourself and to your pet to do a little up-front investigative work.

If possible, talk to other pet owners who have boarded their dogs with the facilities you’re considering. Find out if they were satisfied with the services they received and if they would patronize the facilities again. Don’t be afraid to ask specific questions. Most people are happy to discuss businesses that have provided them with exceptional service.

Don’t discount the advice of trusted friends and neighbors who own pets. They may have a preferred boarding service that they use. If so, their familiarity with you and your pet may provide additional insights into whether their boarding service would be a good fit for you.

You might also consult your veterinarian. Even clinics that offer boarding services typically have associations with other local kennels and are usually happy to make referrals when necessary. Pet stores are another good source of information, as are the local Better Business Bureau and Chamber of Commerce.

Inspecting the Boarding Facilities

Make an in-person visit to any kennel you are considering. It’s a good idea to call and schedule your visit ahead of time. You don’t want to show up during a particularly busy time of day when the staff might be too busy attending to existing customers and boarders to provide adequate attention to your inquiries.

If possible, bring your dog along on the visit and see how the staff interacts with your pet. Take note of the facilities cleanliness, roominess, safety and security features, and temperature and ventilation.

Be sure to thoroughly discuss the pricing during your visit. Some facilities provide tiered service levels that may include varying kennel sizes and options that may or may not enhance your pet’s boarding experience. Some upscale dog boarding services even offer such amenities as televisions tuned to your pet’s “favorite channel”.

Most kennels will request that you provide adequate food for your pet to last their entire stay. They may also allow you to bring along a favorite toy or blanket to make your pet feel more at home in their temporary surroundings.

Plan Ahead

Once you’ve decided on a boarding service, remember to confirm your pet’s stay as far in advance as possible. Boarding facilities tend to book up well in advance during holidays and in the summer, when many families travel.

Most reputable boarding services will ask that you provide them with vaccination records. Among the vaccinations typically required are distemper, rabies, bordetella, hepatitis, parainfluenza, leptospirosis, tracheobronchitis and parvovirus. They may also require additional immunizations against conditions like kennel cough. Be sure to allow adequate time to comply with their specific requirements.

If time and budget allow, it’s a good idea to conduct a short trial run before boarding your pet for an extended period of time. Leaving your pet with the boarding service overnight may provide you with insights into how well your pet responds to the experience.

Finally, it’s a good idea to make a check list of items to bring along when dropping your dog off at your boarding service of choice. That list should include food and toys, if permitted, as well as any medications your pet may be taking.

You’ll also need to provide the kennel with contact information including a phone number where you can be reached 24-hours a day during your absence as well as the contact information for your veterinarian. You may also want to provide the contact information of a trusted friend or relative who can act on your behalf in the event that you are unreachable in an emergency.

Be sure to confirm the boarding services hours of operation as well as drop-off and pick-up times.

Some Final Thoughts

Finally, when dropping off or picking up your dog, don’t be alarmed if he seems overly excited or anxious. Most pets will experience some level of anxiety when being left in unfamiliar surroundings. Excessive panting and pacing is not uncommon and is not an indication that the kennel is in some way lacking. In most cases, pets calm down and adjust very quickly to the boarding experience.

With a little research and advance preparation, dog boarding can be a convenient, cost-effective and positive experience for both you and your pet.