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Camp Woof gets many calls from dog owners who have never boarded their dog before but now must, sometimes on very short notice. They want to do right by their dog but often have no idea what they should look for in a kennel. We confess up front - we are biased. Camp Woof was planned from the beginning to be what the owners always wanted in a place to leave their own dogs - but could never find. The result is our belief that we do have the 12 best spots in central Ohio for your dog when you must board him. But because of our small size, we must often turn folks away because we are full. We encourage everyone to compare facilities and below are some factors we believe you should think about in making your decision.
Size
Based on our own research and experience we know that only small kennels can provide the level of human care and attention most people would like their dog to have when boarded. Some large kennels promise that kind of time, but they accomplish it with either hired help, or by putting many dogs together in a fenced enclosure to exercise with each other. Many kennel employees are good people, but it is hard to dispute that the level of care rises when it is provided by the kennel owners themselves. And we find that dogs that miss their families crave human attention, especially one-on-one. Look first to kennels with fewer than 20 runs so long as the other factors below are in order.
Physical Facility
Dog owners are often persuaded by factors that mean nothing at all to dogs. Dogs truly care little about things like furniture and TVs. Ask yourself whether part of what you are paying for is really just to attract “you” and not something that will make the experience better for your dog. What things should you look for that will matter to your dog? Here’s a brief list:
1. heat and air conditioning
2. indoor/outdoor runs
3. Concrete surface outside and wood or something up off cold concrete indoors
4. shade in the outdoor area
5. privacy between indoor runs
6. strong fencing with no sharp edges
7. one or more fenced outside play areas (best surface is stone or mulch)
8. a non-congested, clean air environment with low traffic and noise
Policies
You want some policies to be flexible and some to be non-flexible. Vaccination requirements are there for your dog and you don’t want a kennel that is loose with them. However you do want flexibility with drop-off and pick-up times. You don’t want a kennel that accepts vicious dogs, but you do want one where the people are dog lovers and not afraid of dogs. We recommend you think about a kennel’s policies and ask yourself whether each is for the benefit of the dogs, or for the benefit of the owners.
People On-Site
By far, the best situation is to have the owner living on site 24/7. If not the owner, a competent staff person should be on site even overnight. Ask yourself if, when a kennel restricts drop-off and pick-up to narrow times, if that might be because no-one is there at other times. Part of this is how a kennel will handle emergency veterinary care. Do they have a vet on call 24/7? Are they willing and especially, available to transport a dog to an emergency facility if needed?
Special Needs Dogs
Ask if a kennel is willing to give medication and provide special diets and if they charge extra for that. When a kennel is willing to accept dogs that are physically impaired or blind or have special restrictions, that says something positive about how that kennel will treat all dogs.
Rates
You can pay a lot for a poor kennel or get a great one very reasonably. We can’t tell you how much to pay, many factors will influence your decision. We hope you will begin with considering what is best for your dog, and then go from there. Convenience is nice, but how much does 20 extra minutes mean when weighed against your dog’s experience while away from you? Are you paying for extras or are they included? What seems like a good rate doesn’t look so good when you add in charges for play periods and walks and giving pills, services that we think should be automatic for every dog. Would you stay at a hotel that charged extra to use the pool or the gym? Some kennels give deep discounts for multiple dogs “if” they are in the same run. Ask yourself why. If you are renting space like a warehouse, you can do that. If, however, a kennel is charging for the service they provide to every dog - the walks, the play with people and the human interaction - expect to pay per dog.
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