dog

[homerbart]

Well everybody = I went and booked my dog into kennels last Saturday but I am not really happy with them.

Whilst the kennel girl was very friendly and happy - there were 4 dogs in the kennel.

I thought the dogs were walked at some time. But it seems to me they are watered and fed. Then they stay in this tin kennel where there is an opening for them to run in a runner. I cannot bear the thought of my dog being cooped up so much. Also they are looked in around 6.00 pm and that is it until morning time.

Can anybody tell me is the correct format for kennel running otherwise I will look elsewhere. Also because they were tin they were very cold. Thanks for any answers. Perhaps I am worrying unnecessarily.

[coco pops]

If you are not happy look at other kennels. Any kennels my mums dog has been in have provided proper walks at least once a day and some heating in the kennel

[woofgang]

no that is NOT right...please please be careful where you kennel your dog, one stay somewhere bad can have repercussions for rhe rest of your dog's life. They should be warm, comfortable have good space to exercise and or regular walks. I believe that metal kennels were?are something to do with quarantine rules and easy disinfection but they should still be heated and dry...If they are left so long, your dog may also lose his housetraining through need to go while he is confined

[Snappy]

I would NEVER use kennels, too many issues im not happy with. Have you thought about a pet sitter?

[lankeela]

Well as we have already been through the 'to kennel or not to kennel' debate, and the 'to kennel' side won, I would say check out other kennels in your area until you find one you feel happy with. They should all welcome visits from you, even if they stipulate visiting times (they do have work to do, and visitors can upset the dogs making them bark). If you let me know the area, I will ask on another group for recommendations.
One thing I would say, all kennels should be licensed by the local authority, and have annual inspections. They have to meet certain minimum criteria (which are very stringent nowadays). You local Environmental Health Department will tell you whether your choice of kennel is licensed, although it should be displayed in their office or reception area.

[wolf63]

I used to put my dog into kennels that had pretty small cages/cells whatever. But the lady who ran them was lovely and used to walk the dogs over the fields every day.

However if you are not happy with the place look elsewhere. As Lankeela says the kennels are controlled by the local authority - none of them will be bad for your dog. But you want the poor wee mite to be happy and to treat it as a canine holiday home.

Go and ask questions - the well run kennels will be only too happy to answer all your queries.

[woofgang]

Well they may be local authority licenced but that doesn't mean they won't be bad for the dog.
We had to kennel our bitch years ago when she came into her first season early (long story) We visited a local boarding kennel on a cold february day and found that they had hosed out the cages (walls and celings too) and put the dogs back in again to the dripping wet concrete and metal. There was no heating and no bedding and the poor dogs just stood there and shivered. Some people we knew did put their dog in there and the poor thing ended up at the vets with faecal impaction because they weren't let out often enough and he wouldn't go indoors.
Happy ending, our bitch went into a place that also bred red setters. She went in cage with another young bitch in the "in season" facility which had its own field and play area and had a lovely time.

[homerbart]

thanks everybody for your replies. the kennel maid certainly showed me at once the kennels but by God they were freezing. When I look at my pampered pooch. He lies at the bottom of my bed and I put a baby blanket all around him like a baby. I am very aware that I wont get this treatment for him in a kennel but I did truly believe they were walked. My dog is absolutely fabulous with a ball and literally ANYBODY who plays with him with his ball is a friend for life. I am contemplating now just having my niece and cousin come up to the house at lunch time and tea time and then my niece and her friends will stay with him throughout the night giving him a bit of a carryon. He loves the young ones.