How To Pick The Right Boarding Facility For Your Dog If You’re New In Town
When you are new to an area and have a dog, it can be hard to arrange care for when you go out of town. When you don't have a lot of friends who can watch your dog, that means you need to find a boarding facility to watch your dog when you go out of town.
#1 Ask for Suggestions
Just because you don't have a lot of friends in town yet doesn't mean you can't get recommendations for dog boarding facilities. Take your dog with you to the dog park and talk to some of the other owners. See if they have any suggestions for places to board your dog. Take your pet with you to the pet store and ask other owners and store employees for suggestions for boarding facilities. Often the easiest way to find a place is by asking for suggestions.
#2 Visit the Facilities in Person
Once you have a few suggestions, schedule some time to go and check out the facilities in person. Stop by after work and take a tour. You want to see how the place is laid out. Seeing the layout and structure in person is the best way to determine which boarding facility fits best with your dog's personality and needs. When you are there, be sure to find out how the facility is staffed throughout the night. Find out what type of medical care they provide onsite. They should have a vet service that they contract with for emergency medical care.
#3 See About a Private Room
Oftentimes, boarding facilities put two dogs together in a kennel together. They do this to save space, to provide each dog with company, and to make boarding more affordable. If you don't want your dog to share space with another dog or you just want your dog to have some extra space, see if you can rent a private room or single space for your dog.
#4 Ask About the Dog's Day
Next, be sure to find out how your dog will spend their day. Most kennels have schedules that they stick to in order to manage and provide care to many animals at once. Find out how much free time they have to play and if they will get one-on-one time with a trainer or if their free time is just unstructured time to run around the yard. Find out if the dinner times are set in stone or if they are flexible and can fit with the feeding schedule you have established for your dog. Try to find a kennel who has a schedule that matches the one you have at home as close as possible. This will make the boarding experience more comfortable for your pet.
Ask around at the dog park and pet store to find a boarding facility. Most people will be happy to give you a recommendation. Visit the top facilities in person, learn their schedule, and see if your dog can get a private room. Choose the pet services facility whose schedule and feeling most closely matches your dog's home environment.
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