minimum acceptable standards in boarding kennels?

zaksmum

Caroline...that's terrible! Drugging your dog?? Words fail me. Presumably he was kicking up a bit of a fuss and they wanted him quiet? Oh my God...I'd be FURIOUS!! I hope he made a good recovery. Spreading the word is a good revenge. Can you name and shame so others can avoid those kennels? Thanks for the regulations link.

Thanks chelle. I'm working through the list of merseyside sitters.

Dogsbody - thanks for that information. I hadn't considered that kennels owners might actually lie about how often the dogs are walked...and it's not like the poor dog can tell us.

Glad you agree that 530pm is ridiculously early to close the kennels. My dogs are used to having company and contact and wouldn't know what hit them if they were left somewhere like that. You say you could go on and on...please do. Information from someone like you who knows first hand what goes on is totally invaluable. Thanks again.

Sid Wolf...thanks very much for your kind offer but I see that your location is Ipswich and that's just too far from Merseyside to travel. Much appreciated though.

zaksmum

Tropez wrote: »

I found these people based in St Helens - http://www.keepwagging.co.uk/Services.php

I would like to make it clear though, having had no experience with them, that I am not advertising, promoting or in any way recommending them but if they're anywhere near the correct area for you it can't hurt to check them out.

I once used a live-in pet sitter. It wasn't cheap but worth every penny. The agency were reputable and sent a lovely young woman over a couple of weeks before my holiday to socialise herself with my dogs. She visited for about an hour every few days so that they would be comfortable with her and when it came to the big day, she brought her own bedding (although I had already made up the spare room for her) and food (although I had left some stuff in the fridge for her out of courtesy). She seemed to genuinely enjoy being with dogs and mine certainly seemed to enjoy being with her. I received a few text messages throughout the week letting me know that everything was okay and when I got home she had even cleaned the house, put my mail in my office and watered the plants.

Hi tropez, thanks. I contacted the people you suggested and they say they can't have my male dog as he's not been neutered, and besides that they have 2 cats:eek:!!

Tropez

zaksmum wrote: »

Hi tropez, thanks. I contacted the people you suggested and they say they can't have my male dog as he's not been neutered, and besides that they have 2 cats:eek:!!

Uh huh... Well I can understand folk being reluctant to take on an unneutered dog but offering a pet sitting service and turning people down because they have cats is just a tad strange!

Methinks their website may be grossly out of date!

zaksmum

That's what I thought. The lady emailed me back and said they can't help due to Jack being unneutered, as he may "mark" in the house, and quite apart from that she has two cats...! So as you say, it seems odd to offer dog home boarding without specifying that you can only take neutered males...and cat-loving neutered males at that...!!

Tropez

zaksmum wrote: »

That's what I thought. The lady emailed me back and said they can't help due to Jack being unneutered, as he may "mark" in the house, and quite apart from that she has two cats...! So as you say, it seems odd to offer dog home boarding without specifying that you can only take neutered males...and cat-loving neutered males at that...!!

Yeah. To be honest, I thought their website was a little... unpolished... but I figured they probably don't know much about web design. Ahh well, hopefully you'll find something because the "luxury" kennel in your OP sounds like a concentration camp.

I'd give you the contact details of the in-home pet sitter agency I used but they're not a national service unfortunately.

Frugalista

At the kennels where I work, the last feed is approx 5pm and the hatches to the runs are shut at around 10pm (depending on the time of the year) and opened at around 7am. The owners live on the premises but the staff finish at around 5.30 - Surprise! We have lives too!!

How much do you think it would cost to board your dog (per day) if 24 hour staffing was required? Presumably you would be happy to pay for "unsocial hours" rate? And what happens to all the other boarders whilst your dogs are getting all this one-to-one attention? Maybe you think kennels should employ one kennelperson for each dog? Which brings us back to the cost - how much would you be prepared to pay?

elsien

Mutt's kennels which she has always been happy at are a pretty much 8.30-5.30 type set up, with the owner living on the premises in case of emergency. I think the run gets closed off at about the same time, although I've never asked as the owner commented once that he doesn't go down there too late without good reason as he doesn't want to set them all off barking for hours. I do think it's the norm rather than the exception.
And to be honest although mutt is housetrained, having to do it in her run or the kennel overnight really doesn't seem to worry her - she doesn't come back traumatised, or having accidents in the house.
She gets interaction when the staff are around cleaning the kennels etc - only a quick hello as they go past, but at least it's someone around. Any more than that seems to depend a bit on which staff are on duty. She spends some time barking at the other dogs. She has the 2 walks a day - I'd rather proper exercise like that than being stuck in a small compound with other dogs, being lazy. (Although due to her bad habits she can't be in with other dogs anyway.)
And from all the kennels I visited before I chose this one, it seems to be what they all do. In fact one place I visited doesn't do any walks at all.

It's not ideal, it's not what she's used to at home, but she likes going there and trots off without bothering to say goodbye so I'm happy to use them when I need to. What we would prefer for our dogs, and what they can live with quite happily if they need to are 2 different things.

I used a dog sitter last time because mutt was ill and needed an eye on her all the time, which is just not practical for a kennel (which is a business at the end of the day) to do. It cost £20 a day and was well worth it, but I'd still use the kennels again if I had to.

And you have 2 dogs, so they have each other for company. It's not ideal, it's not going to suit dogs with mega separation anxiety, but you might be surprised at how well they do cope - they might be our babies, but they're dogs, not people and amazingly adaptable.

Have you considered doing a trial run over a weekend to see how they get on?

There_Goes_Trouble

Frugalista don't be like that! It's not an unreasonable request.

I know kennels where the staff work on a rota between 7am to 10pm. Some start early and finish early, others start later and finish later and it's split over a 2 week rota including weekends. It's not rocket science. Yes of course kennel staff have lives too, but those are the hours stated when the jobs are advertised so if anyone doesn't like it they don't have to apply! And yes, I do think that kennels should employ enough staff to be able to give some attention to the animals in their care during the day beyond the basic cleaning out and feeding. We're talking about the animal's welfare, which includes mental and emotional welfare.

This thread confirms to me exactly why I would never use kennels for my dog. Especially DogsBody's very enlightening post! I know I am lucky that I have family and friends who will help me out and threads like these make me appreciate them even more!

elsien

Dogsbody, I've never seen a kennel with webcams, certainly none of them around here do. How common is it, to your knowledge?

zaksmum

frugalista - yes, I do think the dogs in kennels should have increased staffing levels...certainly enough to give more than two 20 minute walks a day, anyway. As to how much I'd be happy to pay, I'd say about a maximum of £35 for both dogs per day. That's £245 for a week which would give nearly £500 a week per 4 dogs. Surely enough to guarantee way more stimulation/interaction than the dogs are likely to get at the best of places?

The kennel owner I spoke to was charging £28 a day for both dogs anyway.

Elsien, yes, I agree that kennels are not ideal but if you HAVE to use them the dogs can live with that...but I do want to make sure I avoid the worst ones and find the best I can for my dogs.