While your cats can be safely left home alone for a few days, dogs cannot. Cats have their litter box, and they don't typically require as much human interaction as a dog does. This means that anytime you are going to be gone, whether for a vacation or a business trip, you must have someone you trust to either come to your home and watch them, or send them to a professional dog boarder. Here are three steps to finding a kennel that will be right for your furry four-legged friend.
Where Does One Find A Trustworthy Kennel?
The best place to start is by asking any of your pet owning friends where they take their dogs. A personnel recommendation from someone you know can go a long way in instilling trust. Another great option is to see who your dog's veterinarian recommends.
Should The Kennel Be Visited?
Yes! Once you have found two or three possibilities, call them and schedule an appointment to come and tour their facility. When you walk in the door, note the odor. While a boarding kennel may have a slight odor, there should not be an overwhelming smell of urine and feces. Note the noise level as well. Obviously, dogs, particularly when grouped together, can be quite vocal, but you ideally want a place where the acoustics are such that the noise is kept at a tolerable level. This is especially important if your pet is easily agitated.
Ask the kennel facilitator what the ratio of kennel workers to dogs is as well as their average occupancy rate. The busier they are, combined with how many employees, will determine the level of personalized interaction and attention your dog gets. You will also want to ask them what the walking and potty schedule is. Check to see if the current boarders have clean bedding, ample water, food, toys, and look happy, content, and healthy.
What Do The Staff Seem Like?
While you can't run a background check on everyone, you can ascertain a lot just by visiting and interacting with the staff members while you tour the facility. Do they seem like caring people? Are they just doing a job, or do they appear to be true animal lovers? Check to see if the facility has web cams, too. It can allay a lot of your fears if you know you can log in anytime and see your pet and how he is being cared for.
Share26 December 2017
Hello everyone. My name is Vern Mitchell. Welcome to my website about pet care. When I was a young kid, I helped the neighborhood families take care of their pets during the vacation season. As my neighbors went on their trips, I would go by their houses to feed and play with their pets. Throughout this journey, I learned about the care techniques required for almost every step of pet. On this website, I would like to help others understand how to care for pets of all kinds. Thank you for coming by my website about pet care. Come back soon!