A first stay at a Blackpool and the Fylde coast boarder or day care
A first booking with a new boarder or day care works best as a short trial before the day you actually need cover, whether that is a working day or a week away. Several of the thirteen businesses listed for Blackpool and the Fylde coast set out their own opening hours and routines, and looking at how they run gives a fair idea of what a first visit and handover usually involve.
Before the first visit
Call ahead rather than turning up: home boarders in particular are often out on a walk or with another dog during the day. St Anne's Kennels & Cattery, for instance, opens Monday to Friday 9am to noon and 4pm to 6pm, weekends 9:30am to noon, with bank holidays by appointment only; Balmoral Boarding Kennels & Cattery keeps a similar split shift, Monday to Friday 9am to 1pm and 4pm to 6pm, weekends 9am to noon. A day care built around all-day drop-off, such as Holly Wood Hounds (7:30am to 6pm) or Dog World Boarding's day-care hours (8am to 4pm, with overnight boarding running 6pm to 8am), works differently again. Ask what a first visit looks like before you book: some places offer a short trial day, others a meet-and-greet at drop-off or collection time.
What to bring
Most boarders and day cares ask for the basics: your dog's usual food, since a change of diet mid-stay can upset some dogs, a lead and collar with an up-to-date tag, any medication in its original packaging with clear written instructions, and a bed or blanket that smells of home if your dog settles better with one. Ask the business directly what it wants you to bring and what it already provides, since this varies from a home boarder with a houseful of toys to a kennels with its own bedding.
A good handover
A calm, brief handover usually suits the dog better than a long goodbye. Use the drop-off to confirm the collection time and day, leave a contact number you will actually answer, and check what happens if your dog needs a vet while in the business's care — who decides, and who pays. This is a fair question for a kennels or a home boarder alike, and one none of the businesses listed here answer on their own sites, so it is worth asking directly rather than assuming.
Collection
Ask what time collection is expected and whether a late pick-up carries a charge, particularly outside the hours a business has stated. If your dog is coming home from an overnight stay, ask whether it has already been fed and walked before collection, so you know what to expect for the rest of the day.
See our guide to what to ask before booking for the licence and vaccination questions worth covering at the same time.