Advice re boarding kennels please.

To be clear.......I'm not asking for recommendations.

That would be a bit pointless seeing as I'm in South Wales.

I'm just asking what your experiences of kennels are.

I have adopted a four year old border collie. Had her for the last seven months.

My daughter lives abroad, and I'm struggling with the idea of putting her in kennels for a couple of weeks. (Not the daughter,lol)

My only experience of kennels is looking around the many re-homing kennels to find the right dog for me.

That was a sad experience, listening to the constant barking of homeless dogs.

I worry that the trust and love I've built up over the last months would be lost if I was to leave the dog in kennels.

I wouldn't like to think of her barking constantly for two weeks, stressed, etc.

Do you leave your dog in kennels?

We try to leave our dog with family if we can but to be honest he gets grumpy for a few days after whether we leave him there or in kennels. It's nothing lasting though. We feel guilty for leaving him but it's unavoidable at times.

The kennels we use were also where we got our dog from. He seems to like going back there to see and play with his doggy family and happily trots off and leaves without so much as a look back at us. He gets groomed and walked daily and knows all the staff from when he was a puppy. I think it's a lot about finding the right kennel. When we drop ours off we don't hear constant barking.

I am quite lucky in that my Dad only lives 5 minutes away and he looks after my dogs for me when we go away and they stay at home. I have a very good friend who has helped me out too. But we still have to use kennels sometimes.

The first time was a few years ago when we got married, so all the family were with us in Gretna Green. We used a kennels near to where we lived. The place looked nice and I popped in a couple of times and they were friendly people. However, when we returned, Alice our cocker had lost her voice due to barking so much and she was very distressed. They all smelled strongly of urine and Skye, our great dane who is a very clean dog who will try and hold her wee for 10 hours if you don't force her to go out (she loves her bed and hates the rain lol), and there was wee at the gate of her kennel - I know she was in a unfamiliar place but I strongly believe that she would have only done that if she hadn't been let out.

We then tried another kennel one time, in Sheffield, and our dog was taken from us - we didn't see the kennel she stayed in. And she came back with diarrhea and kennel cough - despite having had the kennel cough vaccine - and she had lost weight and smelled really dirty.

I have also used Corinna at Croft Farm and I have to say, this was a totally different experience. Skye has been there, on her own without our other dogs, and she has come back as clean as we sent her and not at all stressed. When we arrived, there were lots of dogs in the massive runs outside and the kennels themselves are huge.

If Skye wasn't dog-aggressive, I'd prefer to use a home boarder, just cos I think it is a less scary experience for the dog.

If you're planning on going away for two weeks, I would recommend putting the dog in kennels for a weekend first, then a long weekend, before you go away, to give them the chance to get used the place and so they understand that you are coming back for them.

I've never put my dog in kennels and I never would. She spent enough time in them before I adopted her. And I know she must have hated it. Luckily, my mum and sister live around the corner so if I ever need to go away without my dog, my sister and her boyfriend come and stay at my house. During the day while they're at uni, my mum pops round to walk her.

If for some reason my family couldn't help, I would probably put my dog somewhere like this: http://www.doggiesinwonderland.com

It's a boarding place but not kennels. The dogs stay with the people and their own dogs in their home and sleep in heated bedrooms. They get walked during the day and playtime in the garden.

There must be something similar to this where you live?

Thanks for the link Angel.

I've found kennels close to me but not visited yet.

To be honest, I'd rather spend the extra on fuel, leaving the dog where you suggest, and fly from Manchester.

Plenty of time to investigate further. I'm thinking of a September visit overseas.

We have always used kennels in the Sheffield area at Wath Kennels near Rotherham, Gill there is amazing and the prices are great, they also do a visit you at home service while you are away.

Our dog is also from rescue kennels and therefore I would never consider putting her into boarding kennels, I just don't think it's right as I imagine she would think she's being abandoned yet again.

It sounds like deep down you know that isn't what you want to do with her, and I completely agree with Angel....if you have access to that kind of place rather than kennels then I'm sure both you and your dog would be much happier as you wouldn't be fretting about her all the time you're away.

I'm sure you'll know straight away when you walk into the right place. Good luck!

Our dog is also from rescue kennels and therefore I would never consider putting her into boarding kennels, I just don't think it's right as I imagine she would think she's being abandoned yet again.

 

It sounds like deep down you know that isn't what you want to do with her, and I completely agree with Angel....if you have access to that kind of place rather than kennels then I'm sure both you and your dog would be much happier as you wouldn't be fretting about her all the time you're away.

 

I'm sure you'll know straight away when you walk into the right place. Good luck!

That's precisely why my two little Jack Russell terriers go to a dog boarding house, too.

I would not want the boy, particularly, to go back to the kennels, if I can at all help it, because, like your dog, I adopted him, just a year ago, from a rescue- kennels, and I would not want him to think I have dumped him back there.

Don't get me wrong, he was cared for whilst he was in the rescue kennels, and they did a lovely job if playing with him, walking him, and generally caring for him, but I'm his "Forever Mum" and I wold not want him to think, for one minute that he was not my "Forever Lad" any more. (The same for my girlie:- although she is a rescue, she was a private rescue, and, thankfully, she didn't have to suffer being in kennels)

I would not normally holiday where my furbabies could not come with me, but I'm going away with my father for a few days as he has been ill again recently, and we can't have them with us :( .

So out of necessity, they are having a "holiday" too. They are going to stop at a lovely lady's house, in S17, with lots of playing, and lots of "walkies", which will be a home from home, where they will have a whale of a time.

It's a bit like looking at a care home. Check out, is the place clean? Does it smell of wee or poo? Does it look like there might be neglect?

Are there other dogs already there? and do they look happy and content, or are they stressed?

I went, to check things out, at this lady's place, and there were three lovely, happy little dogs. who were there till next weekend, having a fabbo- little "holiday" there, my two had a smashing playtime with them, in the lady's secure garden. She boards small, neutered canines, only.