While traveling with your dog, cat, or other pets has become easier and more accessible than ever, it’s not always the best idea for you or your pet to go on vacation together. Not every vacation is built for our four-legged fur family, so sometimes the best option for you and your pal is to let them stay at a pet boarding kennel for a short while.
Unfortunately, not all boarding kennels are built or maintained equally. With that in mind, our team here at Wags to Wiskers Pet Supplies has put together a few pet boarding tips to keep in mind when looking for the best boarding experience for your pet as this summer’s holidays start to come fast and thick.
Make a Visit
Leaving your pet is a stressful experience, as we’re sure all of our wonderful customers know. You miss them acutely, and constantly want updates and pictures and information on how they’re doing. Our number one piece of advice for finding a boarding kennel is to make a visit and do your research.
When you visit, make sure that you get a tour of the kennel, speak with the manager and staff, ask questions about meals and playtime and medical care. Do your research by looking at reviews on Google and Yelp and asking your network of pet owners for recommendations in the area. Feel free to ask a staff member at your local Wags to Wiskers Pet Supplies stores in Ann Arbor (2270 W. Stadium Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI, 48103) or Chelsea (1192 S. Main St, Chelsea) for more information on some of these recommendations:
Chelsea
Ann Arbor
Prep your Pet
Your little guy or gal will probably be in close contact with a lot of other animals, so make sure you schedule a quick checkup with your veterinarian beforehand. Ensuring that your furry friend is up to date on vaccinations and that you are fully stocked on any medications they might need are critical steps in getting prepared for pet boarding.
If your pet has never boarded before, you may also want to practice getting them used to a kennel, especially for sleeping. To go along with our first tip, see if you can schedule a tour of the facilities with your cat or dog to get them familiar with the place.
Bring The Necessities
There are a handful of items that the boarding kennel should remind you to bring, but we’ll do our best to preempt all of that for you here:
Food
Medications
Emergency Contacts
Behavioral triggers or indicators
Comfort items (if boarder allows)
Blanket
1 or 2 toys
Pillow
Your boarder should let you know if they need anything else specifically!
Talk to the Staff
Before and after boarding your pet, it’s critical to have open lines of communication with the staff at the boarding facility. Make sure you go over your pet’s behavior and personality. Some major areas worth covering are food schedules, what they like and don’t like, what to look out for, what type of personality they have, who they normally do and don’t get along with, and so on.
When you pick up your pet, you’ll also want to take a moment to talk about how things went. This will go a long way in making sure that your pet’s next stay is as smooth and comfortable as possible. If everything goes well a first time, it’s likely to continue to go well in the future and you’ll have successfully gotten through the obstacle of finding a great place to board your pet while you’re gone!
Have you had any great experiences with boarders in the Ann Arbor or Chelsea areas? We’d love to know your thoughts and recommendations! Hope to hear from you.