Hi All,

We have a 6 month old JRT bitch, happy, friendly, little monkey - we are going on holiday in May for 2 weeks and are now considering where he will go whilst we are away.

We lost our old dog last year aged 14 (also a JRT bitch) and whenever we went away on holiday she was kennelled and she was fine with it except she would come back hoarse from barking! Also, as she belonged to my hubby before I came on the scene she was a kinda 'man's' dog. Not allowed up on the furniture, mostly kept outdoors etc and was never a lap type dog - she was quite a 'hardy' little terrier.

Our new pup I have to admit is quite spoilt and loves to follow me everywhere and spends most of her time at my side.

So.....we went to another kennels in the area to have a look around - they have a good reputation and the owner has had nearly 40 years experience with dogs. My heart sank - although perfectly clean I could never imagine my girl stuck in a 6 x 4 pen all day with barking dogs all around and only 1 walk a day.

So....I'm looking into pet boarding at home locally - they are at home all day, dogs have access to the garden at all times, 2 walks a day and home from home comforts.

Now this is where hubby & I disagree. he thinks she should be kennelled, especially as she is young and she will become used to it (he says), also if the pet sitters locally stop or are full then we may find ourselves later on with an older dog that's never been used to being kennelled.

Also our new pup never barks and I prefer it that way - if someone comes to the door she will run up for a look but without the cacophony of barking & madness we had with our other dog - I wondered if kennelling her will start her barking at everything.

So what are peoples thoughts? I'm torn between kenneling her whilst she's young and adaptable to avoid problems in the future as we go away twice a year or using pet sitting and possibly storing up problems in the future if they stop etc.

What I really want to know is.....how stressful is kenneling? Would pet sitting be stressful? ( she's bound to wonder who the new people are and be unused to their home too).....am I over reacting and do dogs cope well with this sort of thing?

A JRT that doesn't bark? wow

Personally, I would get her used to kennels - you never know when you may need them in an emergency - and far better to put a youngster in kennels than have to worry about how she will cope of 3, 4 5 etc.

We tend to put human emotions onto dogs, in my experience, having worked in boarding kennels for a number of years, and also having kennelled my own dogs, 99.9% of them come through totally unscathed and adapt much quicker than you would think.

Having 6, kennelling is a major expense for me - but a couple of years ago, we went to see my SIL in Dubai - I have a girl here who is VERY human and comfort dependent - and I was really concerned how she would cope (I had four then, but really wasn't concerned about the other three - one of whom had been used to kennels since quite young).

Aart from the fact she really did give me killer glares for a few days when she got back - she was none the worse for her experience and this was in the middle of winter.

Providing you are 100% happy with the kennels and the standard of care, I really would personally bite the bullet and do it.

Also, I didn't notice any difference in their barking habits after a kennel stay.

my sister had similar concerns about her Goldie - and nothing materialised from that either

Thanks!

Yes, I was perfectly happy with the cleanliness, facilities etc. We visited unnanounced and everywhere was spotless.
The holding pen had a small raised area with a radiator underneath that she would sleep on then a little door that opened up into the 6x4 run. It looked out onto a brick wall though (to stop dogs eyeballing each other the owner said).

It just seemed to be so prison like....

Also, being young and a JRT she's really inquisitive, gets bored very easily and will start to destroy things if she's left on her own for too long.

Although at the moment she was spayed 3 days ago and so it a little quieter at the moment !!

It's the thought of her grieving at night, in her little pen with strange noises all around whilst we are on holiday having a good time that kills me.......

You will be surprised - it's unlikely she will even notice - the majority of dogs adapt really quickly, in 5 years of working in kennels licensed for 64 dogs, I can only ever remember one dog who pined.

You will get the mother of all welcomes when you get back

Don't get me wrong, I don't think there is anything wrong with using pet sitters or home boarding if you can afford it, but I am also a great believer in getting them used to kennels - as otherwise, the concerns you have now could become very real when she is older.

Regarding the barking, or lack of, many dogs don't begin to discover their territorial voice until they are ~6-12 months old, even with guarding breeds, so don't count your chickens just yet, there is still plenty of time for her to discover it

Oh dear......I was wondering!!

Well, I hope this helps ...

We have a 4 month old JRT/Lakeland cross, and she's just been to kennels for the first time.

The kennels we use sounds just like the one you visited, jessmum.
We know it's good and the staff are lovely - our old dog used to love it there, and it's the place our vet puts her own dogs in when she goes on holiday.

Leaving our pup there was horrible - she looked so small and scared as she was led into her run, and we almost cancelled our break on the spot!
While we were away, we rang the kennels, who reassured us that she was fine.
And ... she was.

We picked her up and although she had that horrid kennel smell [swift bath required!] within an hour or two it was as if she'd never been away. Oh - and her occasional bark is still just an occasional bark - there was no hoarseness at all.

If anything, the experience has been good for her, I think - despite my misgivings!

I do agree with sue51 - it's as well to get young dogs used to kennels - there'll always be times when you need doggy care at short notice.

And have a lovely holiday!

Maybe it would be a good idea to put her into kennels just for a weekend, well before your two week break , so both of you can have a chance to get used to the idea?

i have two dogs, a 3 year old male boxer/bull mastiff and a year old female pug.

Neither of them have been kennelled in their lives.

I visited 3 local kennels and found them all to be clean but devoid of the human touch. Physical needs were taken care of (barely) but there was a complete lack of love and attention.

Remember this is a business to these people, the idea is to make as much money with the minimum of output, both financially and emotionally.

I found a lovely lady in my area who brings the dogs into her own home and treats them as her own. My dogs get proper interaction with her dogs and sleep in their baskets beside the aga. 2 walks a day and lots of playing in the garden. They love her and she loves them.

Result = guilt free holiday. They go bonkers in the car when we turn into her road, and they also go bonkers when I arrive to pick them up.

Just my opinion .......

I am sure there are some kennels like that - but then there will also be dogsitters like that - you only know what you get told happens unless you have someone watching them.

Having worked in kennels - the entire day revolved around the dogs; likewise, my eldest girl loved going on her 'holidays' almost as much as she loved coming home again.

Not everyone can afford private sitters - and no-one would suggest they leave their dogs with anyone they are not 100% happy with - these days on the rare occasions I need kennels, I use show breeders who have small kennels - but I have both worked in, and used mainstream boarding kennels and been more than happy with them (other than as mentioned above), the dogs can be a bit whiffy when you pick them up.

The day possibly does revolve around the dogs, but at high holiday season, just how much one on one time does each dog get ? 10 minutes individual attention if they are lucky would be my guess.

My pet sitter is actually cheaper than our local kennels. She sends me photos of the dogs every day and a mutual friend of ours actually visits them. The manic whining and tail wagging when they arrive would suggest they enjoy going there.

I am definitely not tarring all kennels with the same brush, maybe those in my area are just not up to standard. (My standard possibly ?)

Pretty poor guess in many kennels believe me - and yes, I can speak form experience, both from working in them and friends running them.


So what, the rest of us have lower standards?


Again, human emptions onto a dog. I get manic whining and tail wagging every time mine know they are getting out of the car - whether it be kennels, the beach, visiting family, a show or coming home, not to mention when returning to the car after putting fuel in and permanent tail wagging at home except when they are sleeping - and testimony to why we have nothing breakable or potentially dangerous at dog level.

Maybe if yours don't, it suggests they are not as happy as your obvious higher standards than the rest of us suggest.

Are you always this prickly Sue when someone has the temerity to disagree with your opinion ?

The OP has asked for dog owners views on kennelling. I have offered her mine and you have offered her yours.

The kennels you have worked in obviously sound better than the ones in my local area. If you had read my post you would see that I am not lumping all kennels in the same category. Like any profession, I'm sure there are good ones and bad ones.

With a little more thought you may have also understood that what I meant was my standards are definitely higher that what was provided by the kennels IN MY AREA. I simply would not leave my dogs in a concrete cubicle with no interaction with others of their kind for a fortnight.

For that I make no apology.

The OP will do whatever she thinks is best for her dog, as I do with mine and you do with yours.

BTW, did you really think that the only time my dogs wag their tails is when they go to the pet sitter or were you being facetious ?

We solved the problem by always taking our dogs on holiday with us

Thanks for all your replies!! I'm still totally torn.

I rang the kennels to ask if they'd take the dog for a weekend trial and although they were happy to do so the owner said it takes a few days for the dog to settle in anyway so he didn't recommend it. Just bring her for the 2 weeks he said......she'll be fine!! Not sure I like the sound of that ....

Diversity of opinion is fine, what I didn't like was the intimation (in brackets) that your standards must be higher than anyone elses.

I can fully understand anyone being nervous about leaving their dogs in kennels for the first time - and at no point did I infer otherwise.


Read how you worded it - for most dogs, well certainly mine, that behaviour is standard wherever they go (including the vets). Dogs don't have the ability to make visual associations over long periods. their predominant method of association being by scent.


If you feel that uncomfortable, which you clearly do - then look elsewhere, Word of Mouth is by far the best way to find somewhere suitable.

I understand totally where you are coming from, we have been looking to rehome one of my youngsters to somewhere she will be trained to work and out on a regular basis as she doesn't like the showring, and it's unfair to leave her behind.

The people I had been talking to about taking her were very blase - sort of "throw her into x's car when they are coming this way" - NO CHANCE.

There's a wealth of difference in being uncertain about the concept of using kennels and being uncomfortable with one or more elements of the humans running them.

If you have plenty of time before you go away then you can check out other options as it doesn't sound like the kennels would be your ideal choice.

I found my pet sitter using my local Gumtree online. She advertised her services and I gave her a ring. I asked her for telephone numbers of her other clients who all gave her a glowing report.

I asked if I could come and see her and she said anytime. I turned up unexpectedly at 10am a few days later to find her and her 3 dogs plus 3 guests running around her agility course in the field beside her house. She took me inside her home and I met her children and saw the dog baskets clustered around the aga in the kitchen. All feeding bowls were sparkly clean and lined up in the utility room ready for use. She never takes in more that 4 dogs at any one time to ensure lots of individual attention.

I really cannot recommend shopping around highly enough, as if you go away and worry about your dog, the holiday will not be as enjoyable.

My dogs are used to constant company as both my OH and I and my 2 children are self employed and work flexible hours. To leave them in kennels would be heartbreaking for all of us. Soppy I know, but hey, that's what dog owners usually are.

Good luck !

I would never kennel my 4 dogs. If you're not happy listen to your gut instinct, ask yourself if you'll enjoy your holiday if you're worrying about your dog then go off and investigate home boarding.
Ask if you could speak to anyone else who leaves their dog with them for a reference.
There are a few people near me who use home boarding and they are much happier than leaving their dogs in dog prison. I also know a few people who look after dogs in their own homes informally because although they love them, for various reasons they can't have one full time but love to look after other peoples dogs. i also know a couple of people who do it as a business because they love animals. Must be better to be in a warm home with people than in a kennels.

I have kennelled dogs in the past but found it very hard to find one that I would leave my dog in and ended up travelling a long way to find a decent one. My dog at the time was happy there but it has since closed and I've never found one as good since so now if the dogs can't come, we don't go.

Same here, infact we have just come home from a lovely holiday in County Durham. Danny loves to go on holiday..

If for any reason we have to go somewhere and we can't take him, either my parents have him or a freind of mine, who happens to be a dog sitter/trainer/walker will look after him for me

I put my last dog in kennels for one day once when we were on holiday and my young daughter wanted to visit Alton Towers, It was a better option that leaving him in a hot caravan, but I just spent the whole day worrying about him

My olduns (5 of them) have always gone into kennels. I haven't had problems with any of them but the most recent set - been going there 7+ years - is definitely the best:
the lady who runs them looks like she doesn't know what a comb is for herself, and the house looks shabby from the outside: but the kennels are spotless, and she would defend the dogs to the death. It's now a 20+ mile round trip to kennel them but it's worth it.

My dogs are (as far as a human can tell) very happy to go there, and exhausted when they come out - each kennel has a big, long run, and they race up and down all day. I recommended them to a colleague one day, who has a pampered pooch, and she refused on sight because the runs 'looked like prisons'. They've kind of got to: wire mesh to separate them one from another, concrete runs for hygiene, individual kennels and the block with bolts on the doors so the dogs don't get out and no-one can get in - they're all things I welcome about where I leave my pups.