Choosing a boarding facility – Part 1

Most humans who go away, for business or pleasure, want to ensure that their dogs are safe and comfortable while they’re away. Different dogs with different needs might prefer to spend their time in any of the boarding environments that are offered in most places. With three of us in our house, it’s been a harder choice to select the right place for us to stay; we’re all different sizes and all different personalities. Since I’m small (and maybe a little spoiled) it’s been me that mommy has been most concerned about when leaving me for a little while.

This three part series will explore each of the boarding options for your doggies! With this one, we’ll talk about the traditional kennel. Stay tuned for more on boarding in your home, and boarding at a doggie spa, camp or daycare!

Kennel boarding is what a lot of dog owners think of leaving their dogs in first because it’s an option that’s always been readily available. With kennel boarding, dogs stay in cages next to lots of other dogs. It hasn’t been our preferred choice, but we did stay in a traditional kennel once for a couple of days when there was no other option.

Our kennel let us all stay together in the same cage and we were let out to play/walked 4 times a day. Not all kennels give dogs as much free time, or they charge for it. The good thing about it for us was that we got to be with each other, and while in the cage, were protected from other dogs. The bad things were that there was no controlled feeding (they said they’d do it for us, but didn’t in the end), they tried to keep food down for us all day, but Riley would just eat it! This is common at a lot of kennels. Also, I didn’t get to go out and play every time because I’m so small. If there was a big dog that was too active, I was left behind. As a puppy in there, just four trips out of the kennel each day weren’t really enough. My brothers could hold it in between play times, but I was forced to go in our kennel. For comfort, mommy was able to bring us blankets and bones. We didn’t really like listening to all of the dogs barking all the time, but since I really like to bark, the whole time we were there I could bark my head off without getting yelled at!

Kennels aren’t all bad, especially not if you are sending more than one dog and they have company. They are often more affordable, especially if you find one that will charge you by the cage, not by the dog, if you have multiple. They can also be good for dogs that don’t do well with others, since other boarding places may have lots of dogs all in together. Just try to find one that offers at least 2 play/walk sessions without charging extra to get the best deal and make it most comfortable for your dog. Also, here are a few tips when checking out a traditional kennel:

  • Make sure they are very strict on vaccination updates – if they require a potty sample that’s even better. You don’t want your pup coming home with kennel cough!
  • Get referrals from other doggy mommies and daddies.
  • If your pup is crated at home, a kennel with a regular schedule might be a better option and less intimidating
  • Make sure they have an emergency plan and full alarm systems
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2 thoughts on “Choosing a boarding facility – Part 1”

  1. Never thought about that for my dog, but I guess the idea is good. He is not really in to training, just like playing games, but never learn anything, haha.

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