Dog sitter or boarding kennel?

elsien

I've used kennels and pet sitters in their own home. The pet sitter I found through a local franchise, and went to see the people and their home before putting mutt there. It was more expensive but mutt was not well and I felt the one to one care was worth it - although I'd used the kennels for years I was worried that it would take them longer to notice if something was wrong, and that there would be less consistency of care with the shifts of kennel maids. Having said that, the times that mutt was in kennels she seemed happy enough, never made a fuss about going there and wasn't upset when she came home.

I think a lot of it depends on the individual dog and what you're looking for. I didn't have to worry with mutt about escaping from gardens etc and I knew she'd love the company, however she had some behaviours I needed to be sure a pet sitter could cope with.
Whereas with TM there's no way in a million years I could leave her with a pet sitter - too many behaviours, unfair to ask it of them, and she's much safer secured in a kennel, even if other dogs stress her out.
With the pet sitter, I grilled the franchisee about all eventualities, and she came to assess mutt and ask lots of questions before placing her. And the people she was with had had 5 dogs previously, had requested big dogs only, and when we went to meet them it was clear they loved dogs but wouldn't tolerate any nonsense, which was just what I was looking for.
As with anything, there isn't a one size fits all. There are good and bad kennels, and good and bad petsitters. Do your homework and have your long list of questions at the ready.

Person_one

Sagz wrote: »

I've had sitters who came to my house and have used kennels, to be honest I worried less when the dogs were in kennels. One of mine is inclined to jump our 7' fence if the wind changes direction and I know he is safe and secure in the kennels. They always have a great time, but then they have each other to play with, it may be different for a single dog.

Personal recommendation is the best way to find a good sitter or kennels, you could try asking on your local facebook pet pages maybe?

That's a good point about them being together. Mine are so devoted to each other, as long as they're together they're not all that bothered about much else!

krlyr

I wouldn't rule out a 4 hour drive if it was practical to take her. I took mine to meet a temporary foster dog the other year - the 45 minute drive turned into a 4 hour jam on the M25, and my two just slept most of it, oblivious! And I often take them with us to family because of Kiki's separation issues, they may take a little bit of time to settle in a new place, but with familiar smelling bedding, some chew toys, a stuffed Kong or bone, they soon settle down and adapt.

Otherwise, as others have said, it's about debating the pros and cons to kennels or pet sitters. I'm fortunately to have plenty of family who'd dogsit for me, but if they couldn't (e.g. family holiday), I would probably err more towards a kennel. My dogs have behavioural issues and I would feel much safer knowing they were securely in kennels, even if the compromise was that they didn't have home comforts. It's only temporary, and a week of kennels is going to have less of an impact than one of them escaping the garden, or getting loose and into a dog fight, etc. if the sitter made a mistake.
A friend of mine has started introducing her dog to kennels, he has a few behavioural issues so it's much safer (45kg dog who's not keen on strangers!), she started by taking him in for an hour, a few hours, an afternoon, a day, a weekend, etc. so he could adjust slowly. Now she's found a trainer who does a residential course though - she's been having a few training sessions with him, not just working on the dog's behaviour but also getting the dog used to the trainer with the idea that she could book him in for a residential course as an alternative to kennels. More one-to-one attention, a quieter environment, etc. so there's another option you may not have thought of, either (do be careful when picking a trainer though, many residential courses are run by people who are a bit "old school" with their methods)

zaksmum

Mine go to family when I'm away but sometimes I would love to have an alternative in place for when it just can't work out to send them to family, for example if we all wanted to go away together.

I really wouldn't want kennels but while they are together it might work as a last resort.

But Padstow got me thinking in her post above about having someone to share her dog with her.

Wouldn't it be great if we could set up some kind of database on here so that we might be able to share the care of our dogs for holidays etc.?

If enough of us in any particular area were interested it might just work out.

_Andy_

Dog sitting every time. I would never ever put my dogs back in kennels now. No way.

Dog sitting/boarding is more expensive but it's much much nicer for the dogs.

I now do dog boarding as well, which is great as I get to make sure the dog gets love, attention, walks etc when their owner is away.

Better than them sitting in some big cage with loads of other dogs barking all day.

trolleyrun

My dog spent a week in kennels earlier this year and she was very happy. She had a basket type bed in a pen and I took her favourite blanket for it. She was safe, well fed/watered, taken for walks and the staff obviously adore dogs. I was a bit worried that she would pick up on barking (mine only gives a warning bark), but she didn't change at all

If you want to have a look at a kennel, don't make an appointment. Just turn up, as then you'll see what it really looks like. Have a good look around, ask plenty of questions and check the "play" area as well.

catkins

I know it's not true of all kennels but I know 2 people who worked for two different kennels fairly close to where I live and they say that although the kennels told owners the dogs would be walked every day in fact they often are not walked at all.

If they are short staffed or get behind on time when cleaning out the kennels they often do not bother and also when it is raining as they do not want to have to deal with wet dogs.

That is enough reason for me never to use a kennel again along with the dog not getting anywhere near enough human company

Jalapee

My boy always goes to the same kennels, as a family we have used the same boarding for 15 years. They love him, and the owner also loves him and sometimes takes him into her home at night- she adores him. (The boarding is a farm and she lives on the farm)

Its about 30 mins from home, everytime we get around 5 mins away he gets so excited. :j

krlyr

catkins wrote: »

That is enough reason for me never to use a kennel again along with the dog not getting anywhere near enough human company

But equally, I've heard of several stories where pet sitters haven't visited the pet every day, haven't done more than walk in and put food down before leaving again, or have even had someone else (so not the "qualified" person you thought you were employing) do the work for them. Doesn't make every pet sitter bad, just like you'll get good and bad kennels.


Ultimately, obviously a pet sitter can offer many more home comforts - especially if they do it within your own home, the dog gets its every-day environment. But sometimes a kennel can be more practical - for example, often dogs that suffer separation anxiety at home may actually be OK in a kennel, so that's less stressful than being with a petsitter who will have to leave them at some point. A dog with human-aggression may not feel comfortable with a sitter, so the isolation section of kennels may allow it to relax slightly more.
It'll vary from dog to dog, and situation to situation, I don't think there's a black and white answer.

aandp_2

I do home boarding in my home for dogs before I take any bookings for boarding I ask that the owner and dog come to my home to meet me, my dogs and talk about their dogs requirements.

Some councils require you to be licenced which I am, have insurance and able to give references.

I would ask your vet for recommendation for people who do boarding or look on

www.petslocally.co.uk