Notice we made GREAT all caps in the post’s title, above.
That means we want to discuss not what makes a kennel good, but what makes a kennel fantastic!
Seven things we think make a boarding kennel GREAT!
- The best kennels have a low dog-to-staff member ratio. That is, there are a good number of team members to take care of your pet compared to the number of dogs staying at the kennel. When looking at a kennel, you should – at minimum – look for one that has at least a ratio of 1 staff member for every 10 dogs. GREAT kennels have 1.5 or two staff members for every 10 dogs.
- A GREAT boarding kennel doesn’t place your dog in a crate or cage at night, but rather lets your dog sleep with other dogs in a spacious corral or large pen.
- A GREAT kennel has little – if any – doggy smell about it. There are no poop or urine smells or “wet dog” smells. Neither do urine puddles or droppings stay on the ground for long before being cleaned.
- A GREAT kennel has a veterinarian on staff, or has a veterinary technician to dispense your pet’s needed medications. If there’s no veterinarian on staff, the kennel should have a close and on-call partnership with a veterinary clinic nearby, in case of emergencies.
- Good kennels have indoor runs; GREAT kennels have large indoor and outdoor runs (such as we do here at Barney’s Ranch).
- A GREAT kennel encourages its staff members to go out and have fun with the kennel’s guests, to interact with the animals as much as possible (so long as the dogs want to).
- Good kennels and GREAT ones alike sometimes offer grooming, bathing and even training services.
Barney’s Ranch fits most of the criteria above. Of course, the owners of our animal guests are the final arbiters of whether or not we are a GREAT kennel. Contact us at 469-450-7040 to learn more about our services or send us an e-mail at info@BarneysRanch.com so that you’ll be able to make this assessment for yourself.
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles/FreeDigitalPhotos.net