If you’ve never boarded your dog overnight with a kennel before, or even if you believe yourself to be a seasoned “pro” at it, you may be making some mistakes that make your trip or make your pet’s stay at the kennel less enjoyable.
So we’ve put together a short list of some of the top four mistakes we’ve seen people make when they board their dog with us. Take a look below:
Not visiting the kennel with your dog before dropping him dog off for his overnight stay.
We understand that sometimes trips happen on short notice. But if you’ve never boarded your dog at a specific kennel and/or especially if this if your pet’s first-ever stay at a kennel, you’ve potentially set the stage for a miserable stay for your dog.
Not all kennels are a good fit for every dog. It’s best if you can bring your pet to the kennel and let him sniff around and (as we do here at Barney’s Ranch) run around with other dogs in the kennel’s dog run to get a feel for his home-away-from home.
If you feel the kennel isn’t a good fit for your dog’s needs, visiting it a few days before your departure allows you to visit one or two other kennels.
Booking too late.
Many people take vacations during Christmas, Spring Break, and during the summer, etc. If you book just a couple of days before your departure, you may find yourself scrambling to find another place to board your dog.
We recommend that you book a spot for your pet at least a week in advance. If you’re leaving during a major holiday, it’s best to book at least three weeks – or even earlier – than your day of departure.
Forgetting that your day of departure isn’t your dog’s.
If your flight leaves at 8 a.m. on a Tuesday, when do you expect to drop your dog off at the kennel? At 4 a.m. Tuesday? For one thing, the kennel’s reception may not be available to register your dog and secondly, you’ll be in a rush to get to the airport.
Instead, understand that if you leave on Tuesday, you should bring the dog in on Monday. If you return on a Friday, your dog probably should stay at the kennel until Saturday morning.
Not checking to make sure your pet’s vaccinations are up to date.
Of course you truly believe that he’s up to date, but have you actually checked? It would be bad news indeed if you’re dropping your dog off for a much-anticipated trip to Paris only to find his vaccinations have expired. Kennels just won’t board animals that aren’t up-to-date on their vaccinations so save yourself some major stress and actually call your pet’s veterinarian or look at his records to make sure he’s all up to date.
If you’ve never boarded your dog at all, or have never boarded him here at Barney’s Ranch come on over! We’d love to show you and your pet our facilities and let you know what makes us better than any other kennel in Carrollton and the surrounding area.
Give us a call at 469-450-7040 or send us an e-mail message at info@BarneysRanch.com.
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