A first stay at an Exeter boarder or day care

Most of Exeter's twenty-two listed dog boarders, day cares and kennels will want some kind of introduction before a first stay, whether that is a paid registration meeting or an informal visit. What follows is a general walkthrough, not a promise about how any specific business runs its own process; ask each one directly what it actually requires.

Before you book

Have your dog's vaccination status, any medication, and your dates ready when you call. Some businesses charge for the first meeting itself: Barking Mad Exeter, for example, publishes a £45 initial registration meeting for one dog, plus £10 for each additional dog, before boarding starts, and a separate £49 charge for its own collection and delivery service. Not every business charges this way, so ask what a first booking involves before you assume the ongoing day rate is all you will pay.

What to pack

Typical items a boarder, day care or kennels will ask for include your dog's usual food, any medication with clear dosing instructions, a lead and collar with an ID tag, and a bed or blanket that smells of home. A kennels and a home boarder can have different expectations here, so ask each business directly what it wants.

A good handover

A handover, whether at a registration meeting or on the first day itself, is the point to see where your dog will actually stay, meet whoever will be caring for it, and hand over your vet's contact details. For a home boarder, ask how many other dogs, and from how many households, will be in the house during your dates. For a kennels, ask how dogs are grouped or separated and what the daily exercise routine looks like.

Collection

Ask what time collection is expected, whether early or late collection carries an extra charge or needs to be booked as a separate service, and what happens if your dog needs a vet while in the business's care. None of this is something this directory can confirm on a business's behalf, so settle it at the handover conversation.

Settling in

A dog boarding or attending day care for the first time can take a session or two to settle, whether it is joining a home boarder's household, a kennels run, or a day-care group. Ask the business how it introduces a new dog and whether it will call you if your dog seems unsettled rather than waiting until collection to raise it. This is also a fair moment to confirm any breed policy the business applies, including for an XL Bully with a valid exemption certificate, so nothing comes as a surprise on the day.

See our Exeter prices guide for what a registration meeting or trial can cost before you commit to a longer booking.