Selecting a Kennel You Can Trust

 

For many of us, our animal companions are more than just pets, they are family members. We talk to them, trust them, we even prepare special meals for them as we provide every aspect of their daily care. We treat them and often love them as though they were our own human children. How many times have you seen or heard someone be anthropomorphous with a pet? It's the term that describes the projection of human traits, abilities or characteristics onto an animal. We do this every time we speak in a contrived voice for an animal as though the animal itself spoke, felt or thought with the same gestures, emotions or actions of a human.  Most everyone does it. You might say that it's human nature.

It should come as no surprise then, that we humans will go to most any length to ensure the comfort, safety and happiness of our animal companions. This might explain the surge in popularity of facilities offering daycare for dogs.  Popularity typically breeds variety, so if you are evaluating various daycare facilities or overnight kennels for your pooch, consider the following points during your research of dog daycare providers.

• Does the facility conform to applicable kennel ordinances required by your city?
• Do dogs play in an uncrated environment where they are segregated by size or play-style?
• Are play rooms supervised adequately by thoroughly trained, responsible humans?
• Are play areas diligently cleaned when dogs relieve themselves?
• At indoor facilities, are dogs provided with intermittent, supervised outdoor playtime?
• Is fresh drinking water continually available to all dogs?
• Are special dietary needs catered to and are medications administered by the facility?
• Are humans allowed to view play areas when visiting the facility?
• Are current vaccinations required and monitored by the facility?
• Is there a staff member who is trained in animal first aid, CPR and/or emergency care?
• Does the facility have an emergency plan in place and available for review in the event of fire, flood, weather and other disasters?
• Does the facility appear and more importantly, smell clean?
• Does the facility provide appropriate toys in play rooms?  Note that toys can be both enjoyable and problematic.  Dogs may become toy possessive or toy aggressive, defending or claiming toys from other dogs with aggression.  Encounters of this sort can quickly escalate without immediate human intervention.
• Are dogs required to pass a temperament evaluation prior to being admitted? (Evaluations should be conducted away from the owner and should include being collared, following a lead, being crated and reacting to both individual dogs as well as the "pack" environment of an uncrated daycare play room.)
• Does the facility deny certain breeds with less predictable temperaments, like Pit Bull Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers and Rottweilers? (These breeds can often be acceptable playmates, but should be more closely scrutinized by the facility during evaluations.)
• Minor injuries during play are often unavoidable. How does the facility treat such injuries and what is their policy regarding liability toward pet owners?

Many facilities now provide cameras that allow owners to view play areas at any time over the Internet. This feature can be very reassuring regarding the treatment your pet receives throughout their visit. Staff members are aware that their every action is being viewed and/or recorded while supervising their canine clientele. While unlikely, anyone prone to abuse would be dissuaded from such unacceptable behavior or caught by cameras and removed by the facility's management if handling a dog inappropriately.

Keep in mind that your canine companion will likely act differently when not in your presence. Their behavior may be surprisingly unexpected, in fact. For this reason, temperament evaluations should be conducted out of your presence so that your dog's actions and reactions are more in line with what can be expected during a typical daycare or overnight visit. Dogs that have not been well socialized by exposure to other dogs are probably not well suited for daycare in an uncrated environment. The stress of being without you in unfamiliar circumstances may result in aggressive behavior that is unacceptable in daycare. Even the friendliest dogs toward humans can be surprisingly aggressive toward other canines, or even other humans, when not accompanied by their owner. Issues if fear, insecurity and dominance are realities for dogs in daycare. Most manage these emotions quickly and acceptably, but some do not. Don't take it personally if your excessively coddled Chihuahua, who is accustomed only to 2-legged friends, does not pass a temperament evaluation. Some dogs truly are better suited for human companionship.

Canine puppies (under 1 year old) in daycare should be closely monitored.  Large breed puppies may be too large or too rowdy for small breed play groups, yet too small for large breed play groups.  Be prepared for your pooch to come home with occasional minor scratches and/or bite marks, especially on the ears, where other dogs can easily nip.  Scratches and marks are more obvious on dogs with short coats.  Part of the socialization process is for adult dogs to “correct” inappropriate behavior in young dogs.  Encounters typically do not escalate into dangerous aggression as a young dog will usually yield appropriately to an adult dog or dominant dog when being corrected.

If you plan to leave your dog at a kennel overnight or for an extended stay, don’t wait until the last minute to drop off your dog on your way out of town.  You may find that the facility won’t accept dogs that are not actively enrolled in their daycare program.  Kennels should also require current vaccination certificates and a temperament evaluation if dogs are kept in an uncrated environment at any time during their stay.  Such requirements may be difficult to meet at the last minute.  Call in advance to reserve space for your dog’s stay and to determine whether an advance visit is needed for an evaluation.

Dog daycare can be very beneficial for dogs of all kinds.  Physical exercise, mental stimulation, relief from separation anxiety and socialization with other dogs and humans are the obvious benefits that your canine companion will gain from a facility that is staffed by trained individuals who place the well-being of their canine clients at the very top of their priority list.

My own canine kids frequent daycare and always come home with tales of new friends made and exhaustive play.  See, even this author cannot resist anthropomorphizing.