A first stay at a Shrewsbury boarder or day care
Whether your dog is booked into Fairfield Boarding Kennels & Cattery near Astley, one of Shrewsbury's three home boarders, or a day-care premises nearer the town centre, a first stay usually goes better with a shorter visit first, so both sides can see how the dog settles before a longer booking. Ask whether a trial day or meet-and-greet is available even where a business's own site does not mention one.
Before you book: ask for a trial
House of Hounds, in the Shrewsbury south and Meole Brace area, states outright that new dogs must complete at least one day of day care before they can be booked in for an overnight stay, and offers a free half-day trial session to begin with — a useful model for what to ask any of the other eight businesses here, even if they do not advertise a trial themselves. Wags Day Care Shrewsbury publishes a £25 trial day-care session for a new dog, separate from its ongoing day rate.
What to pack
Take your dog's usual food for the length of the stay, any medication with clear written instructions, a bed or blanket that smells of home, and a lead and collar with an up-to-date tag. AristoDogz, a home boarder in the Shrewsbury north villages area, takes a maximum of five dogs overnight alongside two resident cocker spaniels, so it is worth asking how your dog is likely to settle among the boarder's own animals as well as any other guests.
Handover on the day
Give the person taking your dog a clear account of feeding times, any health issues and how your dog behaves around other dogs, since this is the point at which a boarder can adjust its plan for your dog specifically. Maggie's Mutts, which trades as Shrewsbury Doggie Day Care, uses no kennels at all and returns dogs to their owners at the end of each day rather than boarding overnight, so check whether the business you are booking works the same way before assuming an overnight stay is on offer.
Collection and drop-off
Ask what happens if you are early or late, and whether a bank holiday changes the price. Fairfield Boarding Kennels & Cattery opens Monday to Saturday, 9:30am to 5:30pm, and Sundays and bank holidays 10am to 4pm, closing over Christmas and Boxing Day. Netley Boarding Kennels & Cattery keeps a narrower daily window, 9am to 10am and 4pm to 5pm, for collection and drop-off, and Lower Mill Boarding Kennels & Cattery keeps separate Monday-to-Saturday and Sunday windows, closing over Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day. Ask about timing before you book if your own schedule is tight.
Meeting a home boarder first
Three of the nine businesses here board dogs in the boarder's own home rather than a kennel block or day-care premises, so their address is only given once you book, not published on this page: House of Hounds, Maggie's Mutts and AristoDogz. Use a meet-and-greet to see where your dog would actually stay, ask how many other dogs might be there at the same time, and find out what a typical day in the house looks like, rather than relying on a description alone.