Day care or boarding in Shrewsbury?
Day care and overnight boarding solve different problems, and several of Shrewsbury's businesses offer both. Of the nine boarders, day cares and kennels listed here, six list day care among their services: Waggy Warehouse Shropshire, House of Hounds, Wags Day Care Shrewsbury, Maggie's Mutts, AristoDogz and Whitley Crest Boarding and Doggy Daycare.
When day care fits
Day care suits a dog that would otherwise be alone through a working day rather than one that needs to stay overnight. Waggy Warehouse Shropshire runs from a 12,000 sq ft indoor and outdoor unit close to Shrewsbury town centre and streams live on Facebook so owners can check on their dog during the day. Wags Day Care Shrewsbury, on the edge of Shrewsbury, publishes a £25 trial day-care session and also offers private field hire at £15 an hour. Maggie's Mutts, trading as Shrewsbury Doggie Day Care, uses no kennels and returns dogs to their owners at the end of each day, opening seven days a week, 7am to 6pm.
When overnight boarding fits
Three businesses here board dogs overnight only, with no day care listed among their services: Fairfield Boarding Kennels & Cattery near Astley, Netley Boarding Kennels & Cattery near Dorrington, and Lower Mill Boarding Kennels & Cattery near Pontesford. All three run boarding kennels rather than home boarding, and all three also take cats.
The ones that offer both
House of Hounds, in the Shrewsbury south and Meole Brace area, offers day care and home boarding together, but requires a new dog to complete at least one day of day care before it can be booked in overnight. AristoDogz, a home boarder in the Shrewsbury north villages area, offers home boarding, day care and dog walking, taking a maximum of five dogs at a time. Whitley Crest Boarding and Doggy Daycare, near the Welsh border west of Shrewsbury, runs boarding, day care and a cattery together from the same site.
Ask which one you actually need
If you are not sure whether your dog needs a day or a night away, describe your situation directly: how long the dog will be away from you, whether it has been left with strangers before, and whether it needs medication or has any anxiety around other dogs. A kennels stay and a day at a day-care premises are licensed differently by Shropshire Council, so this is also a question worth asking as part of checking a business's licence.
Cats and other pets
Four of the businesses here also board cats alongside dogs: Fairfield Boarding Kennels & Cattery, Netley Boarding Kennels & Cattery, Lower Mill Boarding Kennels & Cattery and Whitley Crest Boarding and Doggy Daycare. If you need cover for more than one type of pet at the same time, ask directly whether a business can take both under one booking rather than assuming a dog-only business will.
Where each type sits
Day care here leans towards Shrewsbury's south side and the town centre; overnight-only kennels sit further out, in the north and west villages. See our area-by-area guide for the full breakdown of where Shrewsbury's nine listed businesses actually are.