If you own a dog and sometimes travel without her, it is important to find quality boarding care while you are gone. Here are some tips on how to find it.
When you own a dog and must sometimes travel without her, you will want to find a quality boarder who can provide dependable care in your absence. While it can be difficult to locate a reputable dog care center in your area, here are a few tips that might be helpful.
1. Check the yellow pages, classified ads, and veterinarian offices in your neighborhood. Then call several boarders to ask for information, such as a dog's daily schedule, medical supervision, experience or qualifications, and cost. Compare data from several centers to narrow your list to a few of the best. Location, ad information, and word-of-mouth referrals can help you narrow the list.
2. Visit several centers, with or without your pet, for an on-site inspection. You can learn a lot by talking with the owner or associates, like their attitudes toward dogs and dog care and the way they pay attention to or ignore the animals they work with. Note whether they seem affectionate or disdainful toward the dogs and their job overall. Also check to see how many dogs are boarded, whether they get along, and how they are managed while there. Find out where your dog will sleep and get a copy, or at least a verbal description, of your pet's daily schedule.
3. Look for indicators of good care. These include individual cages with beds for each boarder, outdoor fenced-in exercise area, and clean quarters with toileting facilities outdoors preferably. There should be little or no evidence of pet odor or fur since the facility should be kept clean and neat. Ask about toys for the animals. Some centers play television videos featuring dogs that some pets seem to really take to. Others offer 24/7 closed screen room monitoring. You might even find an audio monitor for night-time use in case an animal becomes sick or needs attention.
4. Check out facilities at your destination as well as at home. You may want to keep your pet close by while you're out of town, which means you should look for boarding centers in that area rather than in your hometown. Get on the Internet to look at sites offering competent care in your intended location. That way, you can travel with your dog, and if something should happen, you will be close by.
5. Ask ahead of time about terms of payment and service. Never assume that you can pay by the hour unless it is specifically stated in the brochure or price list. Find out what is meant by a day--is it 12 or 24 hours? Also determine whether you can pay by check or must provide cash or a credit card. Neither you nor the boarder wants any surprises at the last minute. Get a receipt and keep track of additional expenses, such as food, grooming, etc.
Boarding a dog can be traumatic for the pet and owners, but you can alleviate some of that anxiety by planning ahead and collecting information that will make things run smoothly when you travel. Keep the number handy for future reference or emergency need.
