14/03/2025
Hi everyone! Posting this for anyone who comes across my page looking for a home-from-home boarder, as I've had an influx of enquiries lately - everybody booking their summer holidays, so exciting ☀️✈️. I am always happy to reply to enquiries on the off-chance that I will have availability, but in case I can't cover your dates, below is my advice...
Some dogs are better suited to a small home boarding set up, some fare better in kennels with their own space, some might be more comfortable with a petsitter in the dogs own home. Each to their own, all dogs are different. When looking at home boarders, there is a huge variety, a big variance in services provided, and it can be daunting trying to find the right one. And most book up well in advance, especially during the school holidays.
Here's what I would be asking when researching which home boarder to choose, hope it's helpful:
📍 Location - is it easy to travel to, for meet & greet, trial, holiday, and also for your emergency contact to get to if needed?
🏡 Premises - is it clean, dog-proofed, secure?
🐶 Do they offer a Meet & Greet and a Trial? - get a feel for the place, see if your dog settles ok
👩🏼 Experience - do they have their own dogs, do they have experience with your dog's breed, if there are medical issues or age issues (senior/pup) do they have appropriate experience?
📄 Insurance and First Aid - hopefully nothing will go wrong but better to have the reassurance
❤️ Reviews and Recommendations - might not always possible, eg, if it's a new business, but try to speak to someone who has used them or another local dog professional who knows them (dog walker, dog groomer) - the best recommendation comes directly from someone who has used them before, whose dog came home happy, clean, healthy and well-loved and cared for
📸 Evidence - look at their socials for videos and photos of daily life in their home, see what kind of stay your pet will have with them
🐾 Exercise - do they have a yard, garden, field - is this secure? Do they walk the dog daily (if that's what its usual routine is - where will this be, will it be on lead)? Or an alternative, a good run around, enrichment activities and boredom busters...
💤 Where will your dog sleep? If your dog is crate trained, do you bring your own crate? If it doesn't use a crate, where is its safe/secure space if it needs it? If your dog usually sleeps on the sofa or in the bed with you, can they accommodate this?
🍲 Feeding routine - can they maintain your dogs feeding routine? (Some won't feed raw food, some can't accommodate 'grazers', or may need to make adjustments to provide for this)
🛋️ If your dog will be left alone at any stage, how long would this be for, and where would it be kept? (If your dog has separation anxiety and can't be left alone for even 5 minutes, let the home boarder know!)
🤳🏼 How often will you get updates? I tend to send daily updates, I like to take lovely photos as a memento of your pet's holiday with me. Some people prefer less, have a quick discussion at the meet & greet to make sure you get the communication you want
📞 What if your dog doesn't settle, or has any issues? Under what circumstances will they use an emergency contact?
🐕 How many other dogs will be there when your dog is there? Do they have daycare clients mixing with boarding clients? How will they be introduced? What if they don't interact well together, can they be separated?
There's a lot to think about when leaving your dog with a stranger. Been there, done that. Have worried, have cried. It's a big responsibility, and should be prepared and planned for.
Make sure you are happy. Make sure your dog will be happy. Get organised well in advance and book in those meet & greets, trials, short stays, etc, so that when you go on holiday you can switch off and know that you will be coming home to a happy, healthy dog who has found it's second home 💙🐾
🗓️ As all of my regulars know, our availability is limited to start with, and we are pretty much fully booked for the rest of this year. We already have lots of enquiries for Christmas and for 2026, but our diary isn't open that far ahead just yet (need to plan our own trips first). I sadly have to say no to quite a few enquiries daily as I don't have the availability this year. We limit our numbers because the dogs stay in our home with our family, so we prefer to only have one or two guests at a time.
I am happy to send details of similar home boarders when I can't cover your dates, but a lot of them are also booked up well in advance. I can't stress it enough, please please book your home boarder (or petsitter, or kennels) when you are booking your holiday. We really hate saying no to anyone, but we simply can't accommodate all requests. Thanks 🫶🏼
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