Boarding Your Pet - Evaluating a Kennel

After finding your local kennels, you can determine the one to use by making a personal visit to the kennel. It is essential to determine whether the kennel will be satisfactory. 

During your visit ask about the following:

The kennel should look and smell neat and clean. Kennel operators are proud of their kennels and like to show them off, but some of them do not permit visitors in areas where animals are housed. There are two key reasons for establishing a "No Visitors" policy. First, some dogs react unpredictably to strangers. They become excessively fearful or aggressive. Kennels with a "No Visitors" policy should provide you some type of viewing window, so that you can see where your pet will be staying.

During your kennel visit, look for sturdy, well-maintained fencing, gates and dividers between runs. If your dog is a climber, digger or some other type of   "escape artist" tell the kennel operator so that extra precautions can be taken.

Proper supervision is the key to good boarding.