More and more people board their dog at a kennel while traveling, due to our increasingly busy schedules. Whenever I leave town, I ask myself who is going to take care of my mutt. Friends and family are a good option, but only if they are reliable enough and they actually want to take my dog for a week. I don’t want to ruin a good relationship by burdening someone with my dog. My friend and I often take care of each other’s dogs while the other is away, but not everyone has that option.
For many dog owners, boarding is the best and sometimes the only option. There are a lot of really bad kennels out there. Trust me, I worked at one. That’s the very reason I started dog boarding in Fargo through my pet-sitting business.
Do your research before boarding your dog anywhere.
1. Tour the facility.Never leave your dog anywhere without touring the facility. If the staff will not allow you to see where your dog will be, that is a really bad sign. They have something to hide. It might mean the cages are too small, the building is unclean or rundown, or maybe more than one dog is crammed into one kennel. I have seen this happen.
Just because a staff member tells you the facility holds 40 dogs, don’t believe it unless you see it. The business owner could be illegally cramming 200 dogs in a small area, just to make more money. If the staff member lists certain hours when tours are given, that is fine. But ideally you should be able to stop by anytime and someone should be happy to show off their great business. By seeing where your dog will be, you will instantly have a feeling of whether or not you are comfortable leaving your dog there.
Trust your first reactions. But on your tour, here are some questions to keep in mind:
2. How clean is it?An area with several dogs in it is never going to smell good, or be totally clean. But are the staff members making an effort to pick up all visible dog poop? Is the ground dry? Are there any abnormal odors, other than what you’d expect?
3. How many dogs are there?Ask the staff member how many dogs the facility can hold, and then count for yourself how many are actually there. If most or all the kennels hold two or more dogs, you should immediately ask why. The staff member might tell you that dogs from multidog families are boarded together. But they can’t all be from multidog families, right?
4. How are the dogs identified?The dogs should be identified in some way, maybe with a card and photo on their kennel, or with a labeled collar. You know what your black lab looks like, but with nine other black labs, do you think someone could get her mixed up with another dog? The answer is yes. You don’t want to pay for extra treats or playtime sessions, only to have them go to another dog that looks just like yours. And you don’t want your dog to get sick from eating the wrong food or receiving the wrong medications.
5. Is there a play area?Don’t believe there is a play area unless you see it. And don’t believe the dogs actually play in it unless you see dogs playing in it. Ask how often the dog will be let out, and if there is any extra cost. The kennel I worked at charged an extra $4 per 15-minute play session. But because of our limited staff, there was no time to actually follow through with these “play sessions.” Guess what? The owners were still charged, and they had no idea their dogs sat in a kennel all week other than to get out to go to the bathroom.
6. How many staff members are on site?Ideally, you want to have at least one staff member for every 10 dogs or so. If there are less than that, it is not a good sign. It is not possible for one person to properly care for more animals than that. You want your dog to receive as much attention as possible. If a fight were to break out between two or more dogs, it would not be easy for one person to break it up. There should be enough staff members so the place remains clean and the dogs get plenty of exercise and affection.
7. What is the cost per day and what does that include?If the kennel charges $20 a day, ask what this includes. Most will charge extra for food, baths, playtime and treats. Don’t assume that the fixed rate covers everything or anything extra at all. Ask if you can bring your own food. A good kennel will encourage you to bring your dog’s regular food, to keep her schedule as close to her typical routine as possible. Just make sure you know what you are paying for. The charges add up fast and you don’t want to come home from vacation and receive a kennel bill higher than you expected.
8. What will happen in an emergency situation?What will happen if your dog gets sick? Will you be contacted? Which vet will see him? Is there a vet on site? Will you be responsible for all the costs? Is there any circumstance where your dog would be euthanized without your approval first?
9. Ask all the questions you can.If there’s something on your mind, ask it. You have every right to get the answers you want. You are trusting strangers with your pet, and you deserve to know everything you can. You should leave your dog feeling comfortable that she is in a safe place and well taken care of. If you have any doubts, move on to another boarding facility.
10. Tip the kennel staff.You want your dog to get the best treatment, right? Well, why not slip the staff member an extra $10? This will go a long way. He or she will remember you tipped, and will likely give your dog a little extra attention, whether it’s a few minutes of ear scratching or some extra time in the play area. It wouldn’t hurt to tip them again when you pick up your dog.
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February 27th, 2008 at 8:57 am
#1 is so important yet so many people never see where there buddy is going to be.
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February 27th, 2008 at 10:15 am
Like you say there are so many bad kennels about. Poor condtions and dogs that get left locked up with no exercise.
You did a great job covering all the key points to consider.
Tom
Tom – PugsCorner.com’s last blog post..Pug Gifts – The Way to a Pug Owners Heart
February 27th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
My vet has a kennel, but not a play area. They walk the dogs a few times each day, but that is it.
My wife and I have two small dogs – a Pomeranian and a silky terrier. How do kennels typically handle play time with smaller dogs?
We are thinking of bringing our dogs to a kennel while they are young, just so they get used to it.
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February 27th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Most kennels provide optional playtime for the smaller dogs as well as the big dogs. Usually, you can ask to have your dogs play with other dogs that are a similar size and have a compatible energy level to your dogs. Or, if your dogs would rather not be around other dogs, a staff member might provide supervised playtime for just the two of them. Many kennels have wading pools, plenty of toys and sometimes obstacles or playground equipment. Other kennels don’t have a play area at all. Basically, always ask, and don’t assume anything.
February 27th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
I used to have a pair of Pekes, and I now have cats. I am very fortunate that they could/can stay home in their own environment. Friends come by each morning and early evening, not just to feed and water them, but to sit and engage with them. This usually means watching the 6:00 news, or just sitting out on the patio with them. I reciprocate for them.
I can’t imagine leaving them with a facility because I have SEEN horrible conditions. I’d go to a pet-friendly hotel if I didn’t have friends who loved my pets (almost) as much as I love them!
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February 27th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
Good points. I haven’t boarded my dogs in years… we have too many now and it is too expensive. But we usually pay more and have them go to one of the higher end boarding kennels.
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February 27th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
I had to leave my lab with a kennel for a week and her tail was all the way down because of fear. All the dogs were barking non-stop at the kennel and I guess being a lab isn’t all that used to the noise.
February 29th, 2008 at 1:15 am
Look for “family style” boarding. No kennels unless the dog needs “alone time”. Someone on site 24 hours a day. The dogs sleep in a big room with toys for the dogs and a tv, couch, kitchen, bed, etc. for the staff. We have one here and we’ll take our dog there for the day to tire her out.
February 29th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
Hi :
I’m Aby, happy to see honest people here.
Hasta la vista.
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November 1st, 2008 at 2:21 pm
These are some great tips. I personally leave my dog with family. I know that a kennel is a solution but I haven’t ever found one that I thought was worth while. i guess I spoil my dog too much.
February 6th, 2010 at 6:48 pm
This is for everyone who would like to get the background information about where they are keeping their pets.
Of the three kennels I have worked at, all three of them have had problems. The worst kennel is located in South Fargo. This business has an owner who is not interested in the animals but rather the money. She does not keep the propery nice and the horses that also share the land are poorly kept. The gates that keeps the dogs in had holes and the kennel is sometimes unclean. If the owners take a tour of the facilities, it will be obvious that this is not a great place. If the owners do not mind the looks/upkeep of the business then they should be aware of the actual employee behavior. Although I did my job well, interacted with the dogs and made the business as good as it could possibly be… many of the other employees did not. One of the early morning workers would show up a half hour late everyday. When he got to work, he would throw the dogs outside (he did not make sure they got along) and would sleep on the dryer. When his shift ended, he would feed the dogs and put them back. He never cleaned the kennels, did dishes, interacted with the dogs or made any effort at all. The boss was aware of his behavior which I believe shows lack of respect for customers and their dogs. While I worked there, I was extremely careful with the cleaning, pairing of dogs and more, but when I left for a week vacation, all hell broke loose. The day I came back, the kennel was a mess. All the runs had been soiled (even the ones that werent occupied), dogs were out of food and the animal cops had stopped by twice. Their are alot of negatives about this place but the positives are decent. First, it is cheap but I can certainly say that you get what you paid for. Second, your dog will get plenty of outdoor interactions, which I find many boarding kennels lack. Third, the stress level for the dogs is low (meaning they are not barking, clawing, howling, pacing or other stressed activities. These dogs will lay down and sleep or chew bones). Fourth, aggresive dogs are allowed. I am not sure how the business is run today, it may have changed but I am willing to bet it has not.
February 6th, 2010 at 6:59 pm
The second kennel is located near downtown Fargo. Unlike the first kennel, this place has a daycare. The daycare is fairly well run, with plenty of playtime and supervision. The dogs are not trying to escape all of the time and do not get into many fights. The boarding dogs have to stay in small crates overnight (unlike the first kennel I talked about where the dogs stay in large runs). The employees are required to have training, safty packs (filled with leashes, spray, treats…) and a spray bottle filled with water at all times. People are always on time and moderatly professional. The dogs hardly fight. I found that the boarding dogs are stressed but the actual daycare dogs were not.
The business is very clean and has an outdoor run that is used.
A negative is the lack of disipline for dogs. The squirt bottle works very well and manages to break up tough play and obessive barking but if there is a problem dog the employees will put them in a “time out”. Time outs DO NOT WORK!!! Although it calms the dog down, the moment the dog comes back out to play, all chaos ensues. The second problem is the way the outdoor run is set up. It is small and does not provide great shelter. This business also says that they have weekly activities for your dog (such as a pool day, fetch or peanut butter licking contests) but this is not true. The manager tries to get the employees to follow through the the employees are too lazy.
February 6th, 2010 at 7:12 pm
The third kennel is located in South Fargo. It is probably the highest rating kennel in Fargo.
This owner obviously cares about her customers and their dogs. She goes above and beyond to make sure that everyone is happy. She follows Cesar’s Way but something I quickly found out is the employees do not… I am very quick to make sure that I do though. What I noticed is that the boarding is GREAT but the daycare is only decent. This is because almost all of the dogs are over-excited or stressed.
When I work, I try to make sure the animals are relaxed. I do not tolerate obsessive barking, pacing or whining. I only pet the dogs that are laying down, sitting or calming standing at my side. I am sure to ignore the dogs that are jumping up at me or demanding attention. After about an hour, all the dogs are resting at my feet and getting a nice tummy rub from me. The moment another employee walks through the door or a dog gets excited, I have to start all over. It is very difficult and the dogs are VERY stressed. Of all the kennels I worked at this is the place with the most stressed dogs. The problem is because the employees think that in order to keep a dog happy, they need to play with it (in other words, make it excited). They also tolerate behavior that creates high energy and eventually a fight. Since the workers are not trained well, no one is on the same page for the disipline of a dog. This place also does “time outs” which as I said before, do not work!
They do not have dogs outside often but they are offering dog walking services for customers. This is helpful as long as the walk is done long enough and correctly.
Something that people NEED to look at when checking out daycare or boarding kennels is how the dogs interact. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE check this out. I would not want to pay money to keep my dog at a place where she/he is very stressed out. If you notice that the dogs are barking, pacing, jumping, snapping, growling, shedding excessivly or etc, DO NOT BRING YOUR DOG THERE!!! Your dog will come out with more problems than they went in with. If you want to board your dog, look for a place where a majority of the dogs are resting or interacting calmly with eachother. Trust me, it may not look like fun from your eyes, but your dogs will enjoy it.
February 6th, 2010 at 7:14 pm
Sorry about my spelling errors. Feel free to ask any questions.
February 6th, 2010 at 7:31 pm
Thank you for the information. Since I’m from Fargo, I know exactly which kennels you are talking about and what you say is about what I expected. It’s hard to run a large kennel and not have dogs that are overly excited and stressed. And in all honesty, most owners will want to see their dogs panting and jumping around. They think this means their dogs are happy when in fact the dogs are anxious.
From my kennel experience, unfortunately a lot of what the business says about dog activities do not actually happen. The kennel I worked at encouraged owners to bring dog beds and special toys for their dogs. However, all of the belongings actually went into a closet until the dogs were picked up. The runs where the dogs stayed were too dirty to put the beds in. The only reason to encourage owners to bring beds and blankets for the dogs was to make the owners happy. The dogs never actually got playtime sessions either. However, the owners were still charged $3 per play session.
February 6th, 2010 at 7:46 pm
I know what you mean about the over-excitement. It is not just hard on the dogs, it is hard on the employees. Keeping the dogs calm can be done, it just requires hard work and cooperation from all the employees. I am currently working on a study to determine the stress levels of dogs at a daycare vs. those that stay at home all day. The tests will be done on fecal with dogs through the FM and Minneapolis area. If I ever start my own dog behavior center, I will be sure to create a proper dog kennel. Think Cesar Millan… his dogs are never panting, jumping fences or barking excessivly. That is how a kennel should be run.
Many employees are also allowed to bring their dogs. What I often find is that the employee dogs get better treatment then others. I only brought my dog to the first kennel, which worked out great. I was able to pair the dogs well and make sure everyone got plenty of excersize. This was before any ‘greeting’ issues that I have with my dog today.
I don’t think I could ever do boarding/doggy daycare for my dog. If I did, I would pick Sheyanne (sp?) Kennels. I like they way they are run plus how they choose to hire and train employees is very well thought-out.
February 6th, 2010 at 9:07 pm
Sheyenne River Kennels is a different experience because the dogs are kept separated from one another. I have left my dog there a few times. He doesn’t like it (he doesn’t like any kennnel because he’s a big baby). But that’s where he goes when I need to board him. I do wonder how often the dogs really get outside though. The runs are not indoor/outdoor runs. The dogs have to be taken out by leash. The kennel I worked at was much like you described where employees would show up late and not do their jobs, so I worry about any place I leave my dog. That’s why I do pet sitting, so people can comfortably leave their dogs at home and have me check on them, or they can leave their dogs with me.
I’d be interested in hearing the results of that study!
February 6th, 2010 at 9:19 pm
Thanks for the info on the different kennels in Fargo! I take my dog to a day care every now and then…and I am very frustrated and disappointed when I pick him up because he is always overexcited and none of the staff try to stop it. And, they never tell me how it went or what happened unless I ask specific questions, even if I ask was how he was, I usually get a “oh fine, he played with the other dogs.” Wel DUH he played with the other dogs! What they have told me (after a few months of taking him there was that he gets anxious when the other dogs start to go home, and then they put him in a kennel to calm him down, but I’m sure that does not work b/c if he’s not in a calm state when he goes into the kennel, he’s not going to relate the kennel with being calm! I’m sure they don’t understand that concept though, one of the employees told me he was pushing at the door with his paws to try to get out. Another thing that bothers me is that they did not let me tour the facility, in fact I have no idea what the kennels in the back look like, and there is probably a reason for that! After I learned of his anxiety issues, I decided it was better for him just to stay home while I am at work then to go through a whole day of being unstable and anxious. Thanks again for all of your info. If I need to board my dog for a length of time in Fargo I will probably look at a personal, at home business like Lindsays.
February 6th, 2010 at 9:57 pm
When I went to interveiw at Sheyenne, they walked me through their procedures. It is like you said, they put the dogs on leash and walk them out. They said that they will leave the dogs out for about an hour at a time and then switch dog rounds.
The only reason I liked it is because the limited dog to dog interactions will prevent my dog from picking up bad manners.
I am very excited to review the results of the experiment. There are so many variables so it is hard to set up in the first place. I need to figure out if the owners walk their dogs at home (and if the dog leads or not), I need to know if the dog is free fed, if the dog has any issues at home and etc. Perhaps I could compare with your business too by having a few dogs spend a day in daycare at a chosen place and collect their feces. Then have those same dogs spend a day with you, collect their feces. I am hoping to compile plenty of information from stress levels to appropriate behavior that allow owners to have scientific data of what atmosphere the dog is healthiest in.
Amanda, very interesting comment! I actually have a story that is relating to that. The second place I worked at had a boston that liked to hump other dogs. It was very frusterating to work with this dog and when the owner came to pick him up, she asked “How was he today?” I told that he was very anxious and seemed to release his tension by humping. She gave me this look like I just slapped her across the face. She said, “Really? Usually he is so good!” Uh… no. I guess everyone has been telling her that he is such an angel! She thanked me for my honesty and actually wanted to know how she can work on his problems at home. Later on, my manager came up to me and handed me a write up. The manager was mad that I had told this owner the truth!
If I had an ill-behaved dog at daycare, I would want to know!
February 7th, 2010 at 9:26 am
I don’t want to rip apart the kennels in town. It really all depends on the specific owner, the specific dog and the specific routine of the kennel. Some dogs love being boarded. Some dogs love daycare. Some dogs are hyper no matter where they go because their owners never walk them. And it’s hard for a daycare or boarding facility to keep everyone happy when there is such a variety of dog owners. The best thing to do is be honest like you said – honest about what goes on, the schedules, how the dogs behave. Then the owners can make up their own minds of what is best for their dog.
Thanks Amanda and “Kennel Worker” for your comments