boarding kennels??

[shanetez1]

just wanted to know how you guys feel about boarding kennels? ive heard some horrorid storys but vet has told me they are a good idea?????? im going away in august for only 4 nights but i am unable to take echo with us. i dont have any family to allow echo to stay with but i dont want to put her somewhere im going to be worried about? if i have no joy then i shall cancel our holiday as i really wanted to take her with us.

[valkyries]

Sorry i can't help i've never used one. if i did not have the 3 i'd offer to mind him for you xxxx

[shanetez1]

thanks to be onest im not sure im going to do it its just the whole concept of leaving her with strangers who wont ever know her like i do not sure i could stay away from her either as ive always felt you get a dog to keep and look after not palm off onto others lol.

[valkyries]

lol i know what u mean, our holidays now are camping so dogs come as well xxxx

[adjam]

We've used a kennels once for logan when we went to amsterdam (where i proposed to Lyn ).

we made sure we checked out a few different ones first and also consulted friends who have dogs.

We found a great one near where we live , it was very clean , had nice kennels for the dogs each with their own run, we supplied our own food , and Logan was walked three times a day.

From what we saw of Logan there he loved it, loads of new friends to talk to and go on walks with, he didn't go off his food , and looked very happy when we picked him up..

So its not all bad when it comes to kennels , you just need to find a good one . Word of mouth is your best guide

Adam

[Lil Miss Bump]

well said adjam!!! word of mouth is always the best way to find out about places.....have you asked around where you walk your dog??? as i'm sure a lot of the people will have used kennels in your area before and know some good/bad ones? i'd love to have him here but we're too far away for you xxx

[shanetez1]

round my area isnt really the best place to ask for that sort of advise unfortunatly im sorrounded by chavs and complete twats and most of the people who ask me what breed she is while walking look very puzzled when i say husky???? shes the only one of her breed ive seen in this area. i even now travel to tonbridge wales which is 40 min drive away to walk her just because the people are much more alive and with it lol

[rose]

There is a good husky boarding kennels we use but its in cambridgeshire, the owner is a member on here but dosen't come on often, i can give you her details if u like, think sqwidge on here has used them too, its called ''osbourne place'', we have used them for years, dogs are very happy there. They race their huskies in the winter.

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

try and find 1 thats used 2 huskies and knows the breed OR possibly hope sum1 on here can maybe look after her for u

[KERNOWHUSKIES]

I used 2 kennel mine 2-3 xs a yr (only for 2-3 days at a time, once 4 a wk) i found 1 in the countryside at a farm. Biggest tip i can give u is the 1st reaction the owners have 2 ur dogs if they kinda blank u n go straight for ur babies n coo n fall in love etc thats wot did it 4 me! u can always tell people that r in it 4 the money......... get u in out money talks etc steer clear.

What u want is a gentle 1/2 hr wanderin about meetin the dogs already there n c if U feel comfortable.

Hope this helps

[Alex T]

Weve had our ups and downs with kennels!

The first we used seemed brilliant for our GSD - made a fuss of the dog when we went to look around, left the money talk until the end. Unfortunately when we got back after a weeks holiday our GSD was not the same dog that we left a week earlier. She basically crawled over to us on her stomach, refused to eat for a whole week, then had to be gradually weaned back on to her old food (still to this day havent got a clue what she was fed) and flinched at every move that we made.

The second kennels that we used however, made a fuss of the dog straight away, practically ignored us for about 10 minutes as they took our GSD to play in their enclosed field, and then came back and said what a wonderful dog she was. As she seemed so happy with them we asked to look at the kennels, asked about feeding, and if I remember rightly it was us that asked about the cost. We were so nervous when we went to collect her, but soon realised that we had nothing to worry about as she bounded out of the kennels and was all over us and the owners of the kennels.

So far we haven't boarded Isis - as we now mainly go the my parents caravan!

[Tweddz]

Heya,

I have used a kennel for my dog, although it is prolly not like anything you have heard of before lol

I paid for lunar to spend a couple of days at Centre Barks... yer you read right lol to be honest its quite possibly the best kennels I have heard of the dogs get treat amazingly well and I would recommend you use them if you live near one.. there is loads of options you can choose for your dog to do like activities and such and the owners at the one we used are just born to look after animals.

My dog had a trip around the farms and went on a bit of hike around the sorrounding areas we even got a messages of what the dog had been upto during the day..

About a week after our dog stayed there we got a diary posted to us from the owners with telling us all about her trip and even included photos of lunar playing with animals and out on the farm and stuff... it was like a holiday for her lol

Not sure how many of these sites there are but if you have a centre barks around were you live i would certainly not hesitate to send the dog there

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

wow centre barks (pmsl lol sorry) sounds great

[dygosamikita]

I use a pet sitter for mine. You can either have the person stay at your house or you can have them come in a set number of times during the day to feed, water and spend time with your animals. There are quite a few around, at least up here there are. That way you dog can stay in their own home and not have the upset of going somewhere new. Plus I don't trust any kennel to hold my two, I would do nothing but worry if they were somewhere else.

[Val (Zebedee)]

we used a kennels in our village a few years back who were really good with Myshka but we've not used them since, we holiday with the dogs now

[Wizadora]

i wouldn't mind dog sitting, since i couldn't get a sitter for Luna for my holiday im home all year now. ~

[Sqwidge]

i will second Osborne Place as well...http://www.boardingkennels.org/details/kennels.php?recordID=3047 here is a link to them, it would take a couple hours from Kent, so if that would save you cancelling your holiday i would say deffo worth it!

[shanetez1]

so far so good found a private one through my vet! this place is only 20 minutes from us and we never heard of it but they already hold the contract for boarding our local police forces dogs such as sniffer dogs and such and have a great rep. as soon as i said the breed he said because of there sensitive stomach im must supply my own food. so clearly has an understanding of the breed and has asked me to take echo along for the viewing, he has also promised daily contact too. i mentioned that at the moment she isn't to great on the lead and he also does training so its looking pretty positive. we havnt spoke money yet but to be onest if this place is as good as it sounds i couldn't care less what it costs lol. view during the week cant wait fingers and paws crossed

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

thats great terri - let us no how things go

[valkyries]

That sounds great just what you need xxxx

[Sid_Wolf]

there are very few people i trust to look after Kira, one of them knows who she is lol as i've said it before.

I would worry if someone who didnt actually own huskies was looking after her... only a husky owner really knows huskies!!!

[Austinville]

Have to agree with Sid, there are very few who are qualified to look after any husky, let alone mine! LOL. Fortunately, I seldom had to leave Bo anywhere. If I couldn't take him, I most often didn't go. I rarely even let my adult children take care of him as he could push their buttons and knew their weak points better than they. He knew who he could escape from!

That said, there are times when you have no other choice. I would def. look at cleanliness and what experience they might have with huskies. I would also look for an attached play area. I say attached because I'm one of those 'what if' people.

What if my husky escapes on the way to the exercise/play area? His selective hearing with me will only be more selective with someone he is unfamiliar with.

Do they walk the dogs? If so, does that person have the confidence and control required to have my husky out of his kennel?

What is the veterinary policy? If there is an emergency, do they use my vet? Or theirs? I wouldn't want anyone other than my own vet work with my dog. He knows exactly what lengths I will go to (or won't go to) with my husky. And he knows exactly how to calm my frightened or injured husky.

Can I take his own food? We all know what touchy stomachs our huskies have. Are they willing to feed what I feel is best and the amount and times that I chose?

If staying over the weekend, is there someone in the facility at all times? What are their emergency proceedures? By this I mean what if there is a fire or other emergency there? What is their back up plan?

Yes, I was very protective of my boy. But, he always got the best care and he could count on me to keep him safe.

I suggest you visit two or more times at different times of the day before you leave your husky - you'll get a better picture of what's actually going on there. If you have to schedule your visits, I would consider looking elsewhere....like childcare, you should be able to visit to check the facility out at any time of day....

Best of luck!

[shanetez1]

had a really bad day with the kennel hunt!! dark damp and horrid!!!!!!!!!!!! 2 even refused just because shes a husky because of the howling upsets the other dogs?????? i only was looking for 5 nights so i could go to cornwall where my nans ashes are scattered. but im not leaving her in any of those i wouldn't even leave my husband there! on the bright side checked out that centre barks and it sounds great even i would go there for a holiday!!!!!! but it would take us all day to get there

[Val (Zebedee)]

we found a lot wouldn't take huskies due to the howling & awoowoo-ing! It does start other dogs barking! Hope you find somewhere suitable, x

[SarahNukka&Shadow]

I have a very dim view of kennels... I worked in one for work expereince for about 2 weeks and it was a very expensive one that called itself a pet hotel and had tvs in the rooms etc but once the owner was gone they didnt walk to dogs or anything hardley even went in to see them! I wasnt allowed to walk them so I'd spend all my lunchtimes going into each dog for 5 minutes to cuddle them!

I know their must be some good ones but to be honest I worry when shes with my family and they understand what she means to me so Id think Id go frantic if I had to leave her somewhere both of us didnt know very well!

Teri is there no way you can find a way to take her with you? is it the place your staying as I know there are some places where they'll let you take your dog, google dog friendly britain and you should find a website that will list places that will let you stay with your dog by location.