A first stay at a Doncaster boarder or day care
Whether your dog is booked into a kennels, a day care site or a home boarder’s own house in Doncaster, a first stay is usually the point where you find out whether the arrangement really suits your dog, so it is worth knowing what to expect before the day itself.
Ask about a trial first
Hannah’s Happy Hounds states that every dog must complete a trial stay before a paid booking is accepted, and it is worth asking any of Doncaster’s other eight listed businesses whether they offer something similar even where their own site does not say so. A trial lets a kennels see how a dog settles among others, and lets a home boarder see how a dog behaves in a house alongside their own pets and family.
What to pack
Take your dog’s usual food for the length of the stay, any medication with clear written instructions, a bed or blanket that smells of home, and a lead and collar with an up-to-date tag. Ask whether the business you are using provides bedding and bowls itself or expects you to bring your own.
Handover on the day
Give whoever is taking your dog a clear account of feeding times, any health issues and how your dog behaves around other dogs; this is the point at which a kennels or home boarder can adjust its plan for your dog specifically. Oakwood Boarding Kennels & Cattery, in Toll Bar, runs a separate phone line for its day-boarding service alongside its main kennels number, so check which one to call before you arrive.
Collection and drop-off windows
Several Doncaster kennels only take dogs in and out at set times rather than any time of day. Bryce Boarding Kennels welcomes viewings between 10am and noon or 2pm and 4pm with no appointment needed, and Mayflower Boarding Kennels and Cattery, in Bawtry, opens for drop-off and collection between 8:30am and 11:30am and again from 2pm to 4:30pm, with a minimum two-day stay and full payment taken at the time of booking. Ask what happens if you are early or late, since a narrow window can matter more here than at a business with all-day reception.
Time off over Christmas
AD ASTRA Kennels and Cattery, in Thorne, closes over the Christmas period from 23 December to 3 January and reopens on 4 January for cats and day care only, so a dog booked in over that period needs a different plan; ask any Doncaster business directly about its Christmas and bank holiday dates rather than assuming it runs as normal.
Meeting a home boarder first
Doncaster’s three home boarders, Hannah’s Happy Hounds, Paws 4 A Break and Jake’s Adventures Pet Care, give the carer’s address only once you book, so the first proper look at where your dog will stay is usually at a trial or meet-and-greet rather than before. Use that visit to see the home and garden, ask how many other dogs might be there at the same time, and find out what a typical day looks like, rather than relying on a description alone.