Home boarding or kennels in Margate, Thanet and Swale?
Of the eighteen businesses listed across Margate, Thanet and Swale, nine are home boarders and eight take dogs overnight at their own premises rather than into a home; the remaining business, The Paw Seasons in Birchington, runs day care only and offers no overnight stay at all, so sits outside this comparison — see our day care or boarding guide for where it fits.
Home boarding
Nine home boarders are listed: Amble Dogs and MrDogStar in Margate & Cliftonville; Auntie Kirsty's Canine Care in Ramsgate; CallyWags, Milton Paws, Nic's Dog Retreat and Pals With Tails in Sittingbourne; and Paws 'n' Play and Sandy Tails on the Isle of Sheppey. Several specialise: Milton Paws takes one booking at a time and focuses on puppies, seniors and nervous or post-operative dogs; Sandy Tails offers specialist care for dogs with intervertebral disc disease; Paws 'n' Play has a dedicated quiet room and a sensory garden. As home boarders, all nine are shown here by area and town only; the exact address is given once you book.
Kennels and similar premises
Eight businesses take dogs overnight at a premises rather than a home: Bedima Boarding Kennels, Birch Abbey Boarding Kennels and Manston Boarding Kennels & Cattery in Margate & Cliftonville; Rosie's Retreat, a purpose-built 16-room kennels near Sandwich; Tawnyhill Boarding Kennels, licensed for up to 60 dogs, and Jasmil Kennels and Cattery, both near Sittingbourne; Butterstone Pet Boarding, a ten-acre site near Faversham; and Doggy Dream Garden Retreat near Ramsgate, which boards dogs in a 120-foot secure garden rather than a home. Manston, Jasmil and Butterstone also board cats. A premises-based business usually has room for more dogs at once than a home boarder, with set kennel or run space rather than the run of a house.
Which suits your dog
A dog used to a quiet single-dog household, or anxious in a stranger's house full of visitors, is often better suited to a home boarder taking one dog or one household at a time, such as Milton Paws or Nic's Dog Retreat. A dog that is confident around other dogs, or needs specialist facilities such as Rosie's Retreat's paddocks or Tawnyhill's scale, may do better in a kennels. Either way, ask how many other dogs will be on site or in the house during your dates, and from how many households.
Read more about how home boarding works and how boarding kennels work across the whole directory.
Cats and other add-ons
If you also need a cat boarded, Manston Boarding Kennels & Cattery, Jasmil Kennels and Cattery and Butterstone Pet Boarding all take cats alongside dogs, so one call can cover both animals; none of the nine home boarders here mention taking cats. Auntie Kirsty's Canine Care and The Paw Seasons both also offer grooming, and Butterstone extends to small animals such as chickens, so ask what else is available if your pet needs more than a bed for the night.