Dog boarding is a service I hadn't used in a long time. Years ago, when Icy was young we used to board her when we went on vacation. We used the PetSmart near our home and it was fantastic. They had trained her since she was 16 weeks old, and she went to doggie daycamp 3 times a week for years. All the staff there knew her and loved her. We trusted them completely and we really liked them so much as people. They became like family. But when we moved, it was challenging to choose the right dog boarding facility for our dog.
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| I want my dog to be safe and comfortable in a dog boarding facility |
Fast forward two moves across the country and several years later, we no longer had a pet boarding facility we could trust with our dogs. It hadn't been an issue since we began road tripping with our dogs about 10 years ago. We no longer needed to send our dogs to a boarding kennel. But that changed last month.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT DOG BOARDING KENNEL
If you follow the blog or our social media accounts, you probably know that Icy, our nearly 15 year old Husky, has been experiencing some common senior dog health issues. We have had to pay very close attention to her health needs and make quite a few accommodations for her.
We had planned a Summer vacation in the Blue Ridge Mountains, which we took our dogs to last year. But we felt torn. We felt strongly that Icy should have another fabulous road trip, possibly her last one due to her advancing age and growing limitations. Our other dog Jessie, who we adopted 2 years ago, is much younger and super energetic. They are not exactly close, unfortunately. Jessie is fearful of other dogs, something we didn't know when we adopted her. The rescue organization wasn't entirely forthcoming about her many "quirks", which is why it's so important to thoroughly research the animal shelter or pet rescue organization you adopt a dog from.
Because of the less than ideal dynamic between Icy and Jessie, and Icy's advancing age and special needs we decided not to bring Jessie on the trip. That may seem unfair to some of you. Traveling with two dogs can be a lot of work as it is. But when you throw in dogs with special health needs or incompatibilities, it is that much more unpredictable.
We moved here during the Pandemic and have very few family or friends living here. I'm not fortunate enough to have family or friends who are able (or willing) to dog sit for more than a weekend. None of my family or neighbors could take Jessie for the 10 days we would be away, so we looked for a dog boarding facility that could care for her while we traveled with Icy. I looked at several places and finally decided on one that met all my requirements and more.
🐾They provided a full tour of the facility well in advance, and answered all my questions
🐾They offered one free day of day camp or boarding so we could check out the facility and see how Jessie would do there. She did very well!
🐾They have a couple of different room choices for the dogs
🐾They provide two play sessions daily, both indoor and outdoor play areas
🐾They have veterinary care on site just in case it's needed
🐾And here was the clincher for me - they have Live Web Cams! I could go online and check in on all the play areas during the day. Rather than have to call them every day to see how Jessie was doing, I could pop into the web cam and see her myself. Ok, so I did call them a couple of times just to get the full report on how she was eating, pooping, and overall getting along. I'm a Dog Mom, of course I went on the web cam every day and called a few times!
I feel confident that I did the research and made the right choice of a boarding facility for Jessie. If you need to board your dog, be sure to thoroughly check out the facility well in advance.
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I had thought about a pet sitter, but I felt safer having Jessie in a secure facility where she had supervision 24/7, and veterinary care available on site if needed. There are some amazing pet sitters, and they are a great fit for many pets but I felt a facility was the right choice for Jessie.
If you want to board your dog, in addition to what the facility has to offer they will have requirements for you to meet as well. Make sure you know all their requirements, restrictions, etc. well in advance of booking.
DOG BOARDING REQUIREMENTS
Requirements for dog boarding usually means that your dog must be current on the following vaccinations. This is to protect your dog as well as other dogs at the facility that may come in contact with your dog.
In a kennel situation, diseases can spread fast so you want your dog to be protected against the most common canine contagious diseases. These vaccinations usually include:
- Rabies Vaccine
- DAPP (or DHPP) Vaccine (Distemper, Parvo, Parainfluenza, Adenovirus)
- Leptospirosis Vaccine
- Bordetella (aka Canine Kennel Cough) Vaccine
Some dog boarding facilities may also require that your dog be vaccinated for Canine Influenza Virus (Dog Flu). I have never had to get my dogs vaccinated for Canine Influenza, but definitely make sure you are aware of all the requirements.
Be sure to get your dog the required vaccinations in plenty of time for your dog's boarding check-in. I have found that most facilities require pets to be vaccinated about 7 days prior to check-in. You also want to leave some time just in case your dog has an adverse reaction to any of the vaccinations.
Some dog boarding kennels may have additional requirements such as only accepting dogs that are friendly towards people, have no bite history, or other behavioral restrictions. Make sure you know all the requirements and restrictions before making a dog boarding reservation.
Also be sure you find out all the dog boarding charges you may incur, over and above the daily boarding fee. Know exactly what the daily fee includes. You probably need to bring your dog's food, with every serving pre-measured and packed up separately.
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Give yourself time to find the right situation for your dog, whether that be a dog boarding facility, pet sitter, family member or friend. Do you vacation with your pet, or do you use a dog boarding facility, pet sitter, family member or friend? Leave us a comment and share!
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