A first stay at a Bristol boarder or day care
A first stay works best when both sides know what to expect, especially in Bristol, where twenty of the twenty-four businesses listed are home boarders, meaning your dog would stay in someone's house rather than a kennel block. What follows is a general walkthrough rather than advice specific to one business; every business runs its own booking process, so treat it as what to expect and what to ask.
Before you book
Ask for a trial visit or a meet-and-greet before a full stay, especially with a home boarder: it lets the boarder see how your dog settles and lets you see the house, the garden and any other dogs likely to be there during your dates. A home boarder's full address is normally given once you have booked rather than published here, so allow time before your dates to arrange this first meeting.
What to pack
Take your dog's usual food for the length of the stay, since changing diet suddenly can upset a dog's stomach; its regular bed or blanket; a lead and collar or harness with a current ID tag; and any medication, clearly labelled with dosage and times. If your dog has a fixed routine or a specific fear, write it down and hand it over rather than explaining it all at the door.
Handover on the day
Cover feeding times and amounts, any medication and how it is given, your vet's details and what should happen if your dog needs to see one while you are away, and how you can be contacted. Ask how the business confirms who can collect your dog, and what happens if your plans change and the stay needs to be extended or cut short.
While your dog is there
Ask in advance how often to expect an update, whether a message, a photo or a call, since this varies a great deal between businesses. For a home boarder taking more than one dog at a time, ask which other dogs will be there and from how many households; Cottage Kennels & Cattery and Latchets Kennels & Cattery, Bristol's two boarding kennels, run individual kennels rather than a shared house, so ask instead how dogs are exercised and supervised.
Collection
Confirm the collection time and who is collecting in advance, and ask whether the business charges more for a late collection or a bank holiday. Keeping your dog's food and routine the same as before the stay, at least for the first day or two, tends to make the return smoother than changing everything at once.
If plans change
Ask each business what happens if you need to extend the stay at short notice, or collect your dog earlier than planned, before you book rather than after. This matters more for a home boarder than a kennels, since a home boarder is often looking after just one household's dogs at a time and may already have another booking starting the day you were due to collect.