putting your dog in kennels?
31 Dec 2008
my family and I are going away for a weekend, cos we have no one to take care of our dog, we have to put him in kennels, is there anything is should look out for when i go and check the place out?
my family and I are going away for a weekend, cos we have no one to take care of our dog, we have to put him in kennels, is there anything is should look out for when i go and check the place out?
15 Responses
2009 Jan 02
my dog came back from a kennel with a bunch of flees, and my friend’s dog came back with some ticks. so just check your dog all over and be careful!
2009 Jan 05
General hygiene of the place?
Are the animals checked out at night?
How often do they get walked?
Are they insured for vet fees?
Which vet do they use?
Qualification of the staff?
Can they present any testimonial?
Good luck
Rik
2009 Jan 09
There are a ton of people who pet sit for a living they will either watch your dog at your house or bring the dog to their house. It probably cost the same as a kennel would cost. My friend actually does that as a second job, just make sure that they are responsible.
2009 Jan 09
Heres wat to look for:
-Make sure its a nice clean place, not moldy or damp.
-Make sure windows are open so that fresh air gets in.
-Ask the people as many questions as you like, but be sure to ask how long they’ve been in the buisness, if anything happened to a dog in their care, if they have a vet on call (they can come right away) and ask anything that your concerned about.
-Make sure that theres no spots for your dog to escape.
-Leave your vet number just incase.
-Request that they feed your dog his own food (things are getting “iffy” with the dog food recalls.)
-See that your dog feels comfortable there.
-Make sure that theres no toxic stuff laying around.
-Ask to look all over. If the people are responsible, they will let you look ALL OVER just to check.
Don’t be shy to ask, look, peek, smell and inspect. It’s like leaving your child at a baby sitters, so dont be scared to be concerned!
Good Luck!
2009 Jan 12
Really just the cleanliness of the place and size of pens if they have an inside and outside run , have they all got water , and make sure you are happy with the people and the answers they give you … and tell them if there is anything special you want for your dog … I never like mine to be walked on the road with strangers so I just check they have an excercise area and ask how often they are allowed out ………Sure he will be fine enjoy your weekend ..x
2009 Jan 15
i wouldnt like the idea but if i had no choice i would check different places out. see how clean the places are. are the other dogs in good shape ? are there bowls filled with food and water? is there poo everywhere? do they sleep comfortably or on cold hard concrete? hope you find a nice place for your doggy
2009 Jan 18
yes, there are a few things you should look for and ask.
1. Be aware of the staff, are they friendly toward animals and you? people who work with dogs really have to love em.
2. cleanliness, ask for a tour of the facility, to see where your pet will be staying. is the area roomy do they offer bedding? can you bring your own bed/toys? any reputable facility will give you a tour as they should have nothing to hide.
3. Ask about the food they feed their boarding pets, if it is not the food your pet generally eats, ask if you can bring your own food to avoid any digestive upset while boarding. Any reputable kennel will be more than happy to feed your pets regular diet. Don’t forget to provide feeding instructions for your pet.
4. If your pet is on medication, make sure they are willing to give as perscribed.
5. Make sure that the facility requires that you provide your pets current vaccination history for rabies, distemper and kennel cough, these are a must for all boarding pets.
Hope this helps!
Hope this helps!
2009 Jan 20
2009 Jan 23
I would check that the kennels are happy for you to visit to see what they are like and that you do not need to amke an appointment - if you do then they ahve a chance to clean up whereas if you just pop in you see the real deal.
I would check what their policy is on walking the dog - one kennel to me locally makes owners pay an additional £2.00 per walk others include walks in the daily fee.
Check what the food policy is - again a kennels close to me will only feed a very cheap food - and if you want anything else you ahve to provide it - and you get charged for the privilege because it is more work for them! The kennels I use feeds the dogs own food - and they keep a wonderful range in stock and even go out and buy food if they don;t have it..
But I would ask your fellow dog owners who they use and what they think.
I would also say don;t go on first impressions - the place I use looks run down and the owner is an anti-social person until you get to know him - but the kennels are kept beautifully clean, the prices are reasonable, the dogs are well cared for, taken for walks in lovely countryside by a large band of volunteers,, dogs are fed their own food and when my dog was ill they were second to none.
They spotted he was losing weight, so they blamed my other dog and put them in separate kennels for feeding (which meant they had extra cleaning to do) realised that Sam was only eating half his food (my other one had cleaned up the leavings!) so went out to buy fresh chicken breast cooked that for him to tempt him to eat - he seemed well in himself just not eating and losing weight so they thought he was pining - turned out he had cancer, but he could not have been better cared for. I won;t put my dog anywhere else because they are so good…
2009 Jan 25
MAke sure you get your dog vaccinated for kennel cough. My dog goes regularly to good kennels and he is well looked after but unfortunately came home with kennel cough the last time he was there. Not their fault really as I should have had him vaccinated.
2009 Jan 26
yeah make sure its a reputal place ask to look around first check that the place is to your liking dont leave your dog in a place that you dont like the look of make sure the kennels are nice and clean it shows that the staff care try and find a kennels that have an indoor sleeping area and an outdoor run make sure the kennel isnt to small. ask to go with your dog when they put him in the kennel so you no where hes going and ask to go to the kennel to pick him up that way you see how he was looked after by how he reacts to the staff alternativley you could use a pet sitter
2009 Jan 28
make sure ur dog gets well looked after!
2009 Jan 30
Check for cleanliness, fleas and ticks.
Also, check their dog food to make sure it’s not part of the recall.
2009 Feb 01
Recommendation is the only way to go! Ask your vet and local groomers for recommendations, ask as many people as you can think of and you’ll probably find the same name cropping up time and again. Then go and visit, if possible without letting them know you’re coming. See if the dogs are happy, clean and have good bedding and exercise areas. Use your eyes, ears and nose, you’ll soon know if it’s the place for your dog. I put mine in a kennel years ago and they were spoilt rotten, when we went to pick them up the lady cried and made us promise to take them back for a visit. Now that was a perfect kennel! If you happen to be in the Lancaster area let me know and I’ll give you the details.
Good luck and have a great weekend.
2009 Feb 02
okay well one you should check to see if the place is sanitary and none of the other dogs are coughing because they can be sick with what is called kennel cogh and it is CONTAGIOUS and dogs can get sick from it and some times if left untreated they can die. Also if you are going to leave your dog there ask if any of the dogs recently has had fleas or ticks. But if you dont have anyone to take care of it then i guess leaving your dog in a kennel is the only option.