More than 30 million small dog owners annually take advantage of full-time, knowledgeable and experienced boarding kennels to provide dependable, secure, and safe pet care, according to petmd.com.
There are approximately 9,000 kennels throughout the United States and Canada that offer their services to more than 30 million small dog and other pet owners annually, the website reports.
When selecting the right boarding kennel for your small dog, a rule of thumb for adequate staffing is to have, at minimum, one employee per 10 to 15 dogs, according to the website aspca.org.
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The animal welfare organization recommends owners look for the following before boarding your dog:
• The facility should be
compliant with OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) guidelines and regulations, and it should have emergency training and plans.
• The
facility’s play area should ideally provide 75 to 100 square feet per dog.
• The facility should be
clean, sanitary and organized. It’s recommended the owner visit a kennel more than once. The first time, you may come at a good or bad time. It should be cleaned daily, or twice a day. There shouldn’t be any lingering odors, and dog waste should be removed immediately.
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The ASPCA also recommends reviewing health policies, such as the following:
•
Toys and objects in the play yard: Toys and other objects a dog may value can be problematic for dogs that are aggressively possessive of things. Find out if the intake evaluations screens for such things.
•
Floors and fencing: The floors should have wall-to-wall, washable rubber mats. The dogs should not have direct access to doors that lead to unfenced outdoor areas.
•
Collars: Some facilities remove all collars, while others just remove choke chains and prong collars. This is done to eliminate the danger of dogs accidentally choking each other or getting a paw or jaw stuck in a collar.
•
Behavior assessments: Many day cares conduct an initial behavior assessment to determine how a dog behaves around other dogs and people. An assessment may give staff a rough idea of your dog’s behavioral tendencies.
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