A first stay at a Farnham or Haslemere boarder or day care
A first stay with a new boarder or day care goes more smoothly with some preparation on both sides. None of this is veterinary advice, and this directory cannot guarantee how any one stay will go — it's a walkthrough of what tends to happen, based on how this town's own listed businesses describe their process.
Meet-and-greets and joining conditions
Zena D Dog Walking advises allowing one to two weeks from first contact for a meet-and-greet and paperwork before a service can start, and only takes home boarding clients who already use its walking or day-care service. Unleashed K9 Adventures similarly asks for at least one walk together first, to build a bond, before other services are used. Not every business here works this way, but building in time for an introduction, rather than expecting a same-week first stay, is worth planning for generally.
What to pack
- Your dog's usual food and treats, to avoid an upset stomach from a sudden change
- A lead, collar or harness with an up-to-date ID tag
- Any medication, with clear written instructions on dose and timing
- A bed or blanket that smells of home, if the business allows it
- Emergency contact details for you and, ideally, a second person who can be reached if you can't
A good handover
A good handover works both ways: the business asking about your dog's routine and any anxieties, and you asking what a day or night there actually involves — feeding times, walk frequency, and how a dog that doesn't settle straight away is handled. This matters more for an overnight stay than a single day, since a dog left overnight for the first time has longer to feel unsettled before you're back. This is also the moment to raise anything from our vaccinations and licences guide you haven't already covered by phone.
Collection
Miss Walkies charges a small surcharge for collection outside Bordon itself, which is a reminder that collection isn't always free or unlimited; ask any business what its own collection area and charges are, and what time you're expected to collect, before you assume it matches your plans. K9 Conundrums similarly caps its day-care collection to roughly a three-mile radius of Frensham, so a business a little further away may still cover your postcode even if its own page doesn't say so — ask directly rather than ruling it out.
After the first stay
Ask the business how your dog settled and whether it has any notes for next time. A short conversation on collection is often more useful than a written report, and it's the point at which most businesses will tell you whether a longer or more frequent booking would suit your dog better.