A first stay at a Chester boarder or day care

Booking a first stay with a Chester boarder or day care is easier if you know what to expect before the day itself. This guide walks through a typical trial, what to pack, and how handover and collection usually work, using what Chester's own listed businesses say about their process.

Before you book: a trial or a viewing

Several Chester businesses build a trial or a viewing into the process rather than taking a booking cold. Digs for Dogs (Chester) offers a paid trial overnight sleepover before a first full booking. Wynnestay Kennels & Cattery says no appointment is needed to view the kennels, and Oakfield Farm Boarding Kennels and All Creatures both suggest asking about a settling-in visit if your dog has not stayed away from home before. Ask any business whether it offers a trial day or an overnight before a longer stay, especially for a puppy or an anxious dog.

What to pack

Most boarders and day cares ask for your dog's usual food to avoid an upset stomach from a sudden change, plus any medication in its original packaging with clear instructions. A well-worn item such as a blanket or toy that smells of home is commonly welcomed. Ask each business directly what it provides and what it expects you to bring, since this varies by business and is not standardised across Chester.

Handover day

For a kennels such as Oakfield Farm, Calcot Kennels and Cattery, Wynnestay or Warren Wood, handover happens at the premises itself, at a set drop-off time. For a home boarder — Digs for Dogs (Chester), Waggy-tails or Aunty Vikki's Pet Services — the stay takes place at the boarder's own house; as with every home boarder on this site, the exact address is given once you have booked, not published here. Ask what a typical handover covers: feeding times, walk routine, and how the business will contact you during the stay.

During the stay

Ask what a typical day looks like once your dog has settled in. Warren Wood Kennels and Cattery says dogs get three exercise sessions a day; Glenbrittle Kennels has an on-site hydrotherapy pool as well as heated kennels; and Wynnestay Kennels & Cattery is open seven days a week from 9am to 4:30pm, so there is usually someone there if you need to check in partway through a stay. None of Chester's businesses publish a set schedule of updates, so ask in advance whether you can expect a call or a photo during a longer stay.

Collection

Ask about collection times and whether early or late collection is possible, since some businesses run set daily windows rather than being open all day; Oakfield Farm, for example, is open 7am to 6pm. If a business collects and drops off as part of its service, as All Creatures and Canine Capers of Chester both do with their own transport rounds, ask how that round works for your address before you commit to it as your regular routine.

See our vaccinations and licences guide for what else is worth asking before your dog's first stay.