Home boarding or kennels in Exeter?
Of the twenty-two dog boarders, day cares and kennels listed for Exeter, thirteen are home boarders and five run boarding kennels. The rest of the town's listings are premises-based day cares, covered in our day-care-or-boarding guide.
What home boarding actually means
A home boarder takes your dog into their own house rather than a purpose-built kennel block, usually alongside a small number of other dogs at a time. Exeter's thirteen home boarders are St Thomas Dog Boarding, Outward Hounds, Barking Mad Exeter, Ford Farm Dogs and Animals at Home Exeter in and around the city centre and St Thomas; and, through Exmouth and towards Tiverton, Just Purr-fect, The Dog Walking Company, Sandy Paws & Waggy Tails, Exe Valley Dog Walking, Tracks and Tails, Coastal Tails, Devon Doggies and Happy Holiday Dogs.
What boarding kennels means
A boarding kennels runs from purpose-built premises rather than a private home, usually holding more dogs at once, each in its own kennel run. Exeter's five kennels businesses are Orchard End Kennels & Cattery, Lapford Lodge Boarding Kennels & Cattery and Blackdown Boarding Kennels in Crediton, and Bunkersland Boarding Kennels and Tiverton Dog Centre in Tiverton. Three of these five also run a cattery alongside the dog kennels, so they are worth checking first if you need to board a cat at the same time.
Why home boarders are shown by area only
Every home boarder listed here is shown by area and town rather than by a full street address, since a home boarder operates from a private home rather than a commercial premises. If you want an exact location, that is a question to put to the business directly once you are ready to book.
Which suits your dog
A dog that finds kennels stressful, or one used to living in a household, is often better suited to home boarding; a dog that needs a more structured, staffed environment, or a cattery for a cat at the same time, may suit one of Exeter's five kennels better. Either way, ask how many other dogs will be present during your dates and, for a home boarder, whether they are all from one household.
Group size and routine
Home boarding usually means far fewer dogs under one roof at a time than a kennels can hold, and your dog is likely to share the boarder's own living space and daily routine rather than a kennel run. A boarding kennels can usually take more dogs at once, each in its own run with its own exercise slot, which suits some dogs and not others depending on temperament and how they cope with other dogs nearby. Neither option is inherently better; it depends on what your own dog is used to.
See our vaccinations and licences guide for the questions worth asking before you book either kind of care.