pet boarding/kennel recommendations About This Page:

[disneyknut]

We are going to WDW at the end of the month & this will be the first time we had to board our dog.. Unfortunately, no one in my family will watch her & DS1 is away at school & isn't allowed to have her there (or I'd definitely send her to him) so our only option is boarding at a kennel.. We got a couple recommendations from our vet & narrowed it down to 2 Nationwide ones...
Camp Bow wow & Pet Smart Pethotel.
We took the dog to Camp Bow last week for her interview & while she did okay, every time we looked on the web cam it seemed as if Leia was cowering in the corner & would try to jump the fence when other dogs 'ganged' up on her ( not ganged up but a group would approach) The people at camp bow wow said she was shy & a bit scared & tols us to bring her again next week to get her more acclimated.. they also said they would bring her into the waiting area if she became too stressed..
But aI've also had lots of people speak of Petshotel.. DH & DS toured it yesterday & thought it was nice


Now there are pros & cons to both..
Camp bow wow pro.. the day camp is included in the price of overnight boarding.. lots of dog interaction & play.. when we brought Leia home she was exhausted!
It is also on the way to the airport so I could drop her off when we're going
Camp bow wow con.. no one is there overnight so if something should happen to her it wouldn't be found until the next morning.
They also seemed rushed at the interview.. basically booking us & we never toured the facility...
Petshotel pro.. someone is there 24/7. dog suites (with a TV)
negative.. extra cost for day care.. not sure I want Leia cooped up in a kennel all day..
I would love to hear everyones opinions on these 2.. both pro & con..



Please help! I often say I like Leia more than my kids (KIDDING!!!) & want her to have a minimally stressed time while we're away.. I also want myself to be less stressed... I had an actual panic attack when we left Leia for her interview & she looked so scared..

[mimidodaplgo]

I would have to vote for the Pets Hotel..I would be leary of a kennel that did not allow you to tour the facility. My dog is like my child and I most definitely want her to have all the comforts of home when she is boarded. That way I am not stressed during my trip worrying about her and if she is alright. And yes, I would do exactly that. I know you said it was a bit more pricey and out of your way, but the extra cost and time may allow for more peace of mind in the long run.

I really hope you do find a place you and your furry family member can be happy with. It really is a big decision. It's amazing how an animal can capture so much of your heart, but they do. Good Luck!!

[JoanneS]

It doesn't sound like she enjoyed being in the doggie daycare group very much. Maybe she'd be calmer and happier in a suite at Petsmart Hotel. My smaller dog doesn't enjoy being in a large group of dogs either. He's fine with people, but not other dogs. He gets scared and wants to get away from them. So when we board our dogs, Larry goes to daycare, but Rico doesn't.

I think, if it were me, I'd go with no daycare and the 24 hour watch facility.

[Belle*]

I would go with the 24 hours facility. We typically use the Best Friends Pet Resort or our vet when we board our dog. (Best Friends is also the company that runs the kennels at WDW!) I would be cautious of any place that made you feel rushed and didn't give you a full tour.

[disneyknut]

I don't know if it's they wouldn't give us a tour.. & we didn't ask as we were just wanting to hear how Leia did but it seemed as if they were more concerned with us booking than with telling us all the details..
I just didn't leave with a good feeling about the place.

I found out about no one there overnight from a FB friend.. their system wasn't explained to us.. even in the booklets they gave us, there was no routines explained..

My main reason for leaning toward Petshotel is how scared Leia looked on the doggie cam.. my thinking is why subject her to something she isn't going to enjoy... especially for 5+ days... And the people there took the time to explain all of the details to Jim & Jamie .. they took them on a tour of the place.. at Camp Bow wow the furthest I got was the lobby & it shouldn't have been up to me to ask.. they should have offered, or am I splitting hairs?

[Huntermom]

I have never boarded a dog. We have friends that will come in. My son has and has also used a pet sitter when both he and DF are working long hours. His dog is very social and they found she actually did better with only half the socialization time. When she was with the other dogs full time, she ran herself crazy and was exhausted when they picked her up,

If Leia is not used to other dogs, I agree with Joanne, go with the 24 hour coverage and no day care. She'll probably be stressed enough away from you and if a dog is not used to being with other dogs that also creates stress for them. I think it's important for dogs to learn to play well with others, so I would take her to a dog park on a regular basis. You don't want to be limited where you can bring her by her lack of doggy socialization.

ETA: A few years back, I would exchange dog sitting with a friend. She has a very high strung terrier mix. He would not settle down when I was there if he was out of his crate. While at first I hated to do it, I would put him back in his crate after he ate and used the yard and the let him out again before I left. He was much happier in his crate.

[PixieMichele]

I have looked into Camp Bow Wow before we found our pet sitter. Come to find out, our pet sitter used to work there and quit VERY soon after starting because she didn't like or agree with the way things were run. Let's just say things aren't exactly as advertised. If you have questions or want to know more feel free to PM me, I don't feel comfortable saying more in a public forum but wouldn't recommend that place.

I would avoid Camp Bow Wow and try for the other place. Keep in mind that your dog will most likely acclimate to the environment, maybe it would be worth it to pay for an extra day or two of doggie day care while you're still at home to get her used to socializing with other dogs and being involved in the day care setting? Might be worth a try.

leaving your pet is such a hard thing! I've heard good things about Best Friends Pet Care (The Disney one) and did you know that the Kids Nite Out program offers dog sitting as well? I just found that out. Kid?s Nite Out

[Papa Mouse]

Arf, arrrrf, AAArrff. That was my dog Daisy voicing her opinion and votes to drop Camp Bow Wow.

So two of us vote NO. 4 Paws and 2 thumbs down for Camp Bow Wow.

[GATechGal]

Just one other suggestion that sort of dovetails with HuntersMom's post. We have used a company called Critter Sitters that will take care of your dog in your home. That was the best for our pets. They were better behaved in their own home and we didn't have to worry about them catching anything (kennel cough) from other animals. Check it out and see if they have any in your area.

[Teresa]

We've tried every sort of dog watching service available: friends/family taking them to their house (works okay, but came home once to a dog who had been in a skunk fight and no-one had tried to treat/unstink her), friends/family taking care of them in our house, living there (again, works okay, but came home to demands to replace the very expensive tennis shoes and volleyball that had been left out for the puppy to eat - never mind the number one instruction on the sheet I left was "the puppy is still in the chewing stage, don't leave anything down she can reach if you don't want it eaten"), pet-sitters that came into the home to care for the animals (all I can say is thank goodness we had hardwood floors and rugs - since we had to throw out every single rug in the house since the dogs were not let out as often and at the times agreed on). We've done Camp Bow Wow for our Pixie - we tried it out the day care first and never returned. It just wasn't for her. She did not like the "everyone gets to run around in a group" thing. We've tried Best Friends - do not ever try it!! I was not aware that there are NO outside kennel areas - the dogs are stuck in their "suites" all day, every day and only taken out and played with or taken outside if you pay extra - and they just "go" on the floor there.
What we have finally done and what we love is the local kennel - owned and run by a family who lives next door. The owner bought it from his father a few years ago, so he grew up doing it. The rates are good, the staff is friendly, and they play with the dogs.

I think you should go with your instincts; if you don't like the place, find another. If you've got time, explore more options. Use the internet - lots of people are willing to give ratings to places - just take it all with a grain of salt and realize most people who are happy/satisfied don't put up as many reviews as those who are unhappy. And ask people! I'm sure there are people you know who have dogs who have boarded them! Ask them what they do. Call other vets and ask what they recommend. You may get totally different answers than your vet gave. Finally, be sure to give your vet feedback about your experiences - s/he may change their recommendations based on what you can tell them.

[HiddenMickey]

I think the second option sounds better for your dog.

Have you checked with any neighborhood teens to see if they would be able to feed and walk her while you are away. My daughter does that for a neighbor. She watches tv with them, pets them, plays with them and walks and feeds them three times a day, and then puts them in their kennels at night.

[disneyknut]

I went & toured Petshotel yesterday & was very impressed with them so that's where I think we're going to take Leia... The people there were great. I told them that Leia is sorta anti social..& she is not going to do the doggie daycare she is going to do 2x a day playtime alternating days with 1 time playtime..

We booked her in a suite which is a private room with a TV I just think she'll do better without hearing the other dogs bark.

I did like that it's 'in' the pet store so there is a lot of foot traffic for her to see as well.

Please reassure me tho that she will eat & she will not cry the entire time we're gone... Everyone keeps saying dogs adapt but I'm a bundle of nerves...

[Teresa]

Ann - she'll be fine. Our Pixie loves her kennel and gets excited when we turn down the road they're on. She also gets excited and seems very happy when we pick her up.

Are they going to do anything to try to socialize her? Like let her watch the other dogs but not be in with them? Pixie doesn't like other dogs if they are in our yard or house, but she's okay with them outside of home - for short periods.

[disneyknut]

Originally Posted by Teresa

Ann - she'll be fine. Our Pixie loves her kennel and gets excited when we turn down the road they're on. She also gets excited and seems very happy when we pick her up.

Are they going to do anything to try to socialize her? Like let her watch the other dogs but not be in with them? Pixie doesn't like other dogs if they are in our yard or house, but she's okay with them outside of home - for short periods.

Yes, she will have 2 playtimes one day & 1 playtime the next day so she'll get a lot of interaction with the other dogs.. the people at petshotel said they would gauge her reaction to see how long playtime would be.

[Huntermom]

If you have the time between now and when you leave, try to get Leia out and exposed to as many dogs as you can. If you don't have a nearby dog park (I would only go off hours when it is pretty empty) try walking her where there is a good chance she will encounter other dogs or take her to the pet store and let her walk around. the more exposed she's been to other dogs, the easier it will be for her.

We had one dog we did not socialize properly and it really wasn't fair to her. She was fine with our other dog, but had a hard time adjusting to new dogs. She missed lots of opportunities because of that. We could never take her to walk around a park or at a road race because she was inconsistent in her response to other dogs.