Picking the Perfect Boarding Kennels
If you are heading off on holiday and there isn’t any option to take your dog with you or leave them with family or friends, a boarding kennel is the next best option.
How do I choose the Perfect Boarding Kennels?
Choosing the right one can be a challenge, especially if you have not previously had to do this before. Here are our tips for narrowing down the options.
Ask Around
If you have family or friends who are also dog owners, they have probably used boarding kennels at some point. See if they can recommend a good choice based on their experiences. They may also have some tips on boarding kennels to avoid.
Visit in Person
A good boarding kennel will encourage you to visit them before deciding whether to use them and will be happy to show you around (as long as you don’t time it for the busiest parts of their day). This is a golden opportunity to look around the facilities and see the standards of care. It is also a good chance to meet the manager and staff and assess the relationships that they form with the dogs in their care. Meeting the staff also allows you to discuss your dog’s requirements with them and ensure that these can be met by the boarding kennel.
Check Certification and Licensing
Boarding kennels must be certified and licensed by their local council. The certification for this should be on display on the premises. Bear in mind that licensing only requires them to meet minimum standards of hygiene, feeding, accommodation and care and should therefore not be used as a deciding factor in your decision.
Vaccinations
Good kennels will make it a mandatory requirement for all dogs to be vaccinated before they can stay, and will insist on seeing up-to-date records to prove that vaccinations for the likes of distemper, parovirus, hepatitis, leptosprirosis and kennel cough have taken place. Be wary if vaccinations are not insisted on – not least because this significantly increases the potential for your dog to pick up diseases from dogs who have not had the jabs.
Kennel Enclosures
Kennels should be individual with no chance of sharing with another dog. They should also be secure, with solid barriers to prevent spread of disease and draught-free. There should also be heating in winter and air conditioning during the summer months. There should be a generous water supply in each kennel.
All dogs should have access to separate exercise runs and have use of these at least once per day (preferably more).
Do you have any more tips for choosing the right boarding kennels for your dog? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
[Photo Credit: purplemattfish ]