Anyone ever boarded their dogs?

We have three dogs and we're going to be leaving the 24th and coming home the 27th. I've never boarded them before but they have a nice place at a new PetSmart by us I was thinking about.

Or......we could get the girl across the street to come over and feed the dogs and let them out a couple times a day instead (which of course would be waaayyyy cheaper). BUT, I would have the dogs gated up in the kitchen the whole time and I'm afraid they'd go crazy.

If you board dogs, do they get them out more? Or do they stay in small kennels all day and just lie around and not get any attention?

I'm just not sure what to do.

if it's the Pet Hotel IN the petsmart..I've used them before and they were fantastic..you can even "call your dogs" if you (or they) get to missing you. You can buy a playday but they do walk them and feed/water them, etc..and they give you a PAWgress report lol...

We've boarded ours a few times..our vet also boards. They have to have a shot for boarding so make sure you let the vet know..it's so they don't get kennel cough.

It's really like doggy daycare

We have a boarding place here, but we've never boarded Bubba. They do require that shots are up to date and that they have the kennel cough shot. Our boarding place here does let them out to run and play - they have dog runs for them. They only crate them when they put them to bed. Not sure what your boarder does.

We have 4 dogs and have boarded them all together at the vets..they're all mini doxies...and our male dog he stops eating etc..when we board him..he's a MESS. We have one of the best vet hospitals here and I guess for me I'd rather leave them at home if i could so they could sleep in a familiar place..but these 4 when they get together are destructive LOL...we have mommy and daddy dog and 2 of her 4 puppies...lol of course they're lets see 4 and 2 years old now...SOOO lol idk I have mixed feelings about it but like Meghan said..if they have a petsmart hotel i'd do that HANDS DOWN...they have ALL types of things they do etc....I looked for one around here but they don't have one YET...when they do it'll be the first place i take them! I've heard the best reviews about it! My 2 cents as always LOL
-Laura

I don't think when mine stayed 2 years ago, that they used crates..they have like glass rooms (although not glass..like an atrium) with a sliding door..and mats for them..you can also bring your own dogbeds or blankies, etc

Laura my oldest dog doesn't like to eat either away from home..she's very shy and sad when we have left her but they coaxed her out of it and she eventually ate..a dog won't starve when there is food around. I sometimes forget that dogs have feelings too..wish I just understood them better lol

Yes, it's a Petsmart hotel. I haven't seen the "rooms" and I don't know how expensive it would be for my three dogs but it looked nice when walked by the other day. I'll have to price it and see. My dogs aren't destructive, and I know I could probably get the girls across the street to come over maybe 2-3x per day. When we are gone during the day, they are in the kitchen so they are used to that but they aren't used to sleeping in there at night.

I think for my 2 dogs for 4 nights (maybe it was 5 nights not sure)..it was like $270 with ice cream treats lol The 2nd and 3rd dog will get a discount with full price for the 1st

also..not entirely sure where you live, but the last boarding i used was near our airport. My Bro is a pilot and boarded his dogs at this same place. A lot of fligt attendants and other pilots board their animals there..was kind of a small joint but I was soooo satisfied with them. I'd check if you have a major airport for a kennel near there that maybe some staff uses. This place came highly recommended and I'm sure most big cities would have them.

Also ask your vet for recommendations.

I board my dog a couple times a year. I use a place where each dog has an indoor space with access to an outdoor fenced space (with a doggy door). It's not a huge space, but it's enough that he can go outside when he needs to go out, and be comfortable inside the rest of the time. The kennel has climate control, so it's heated/air conditioned. They also have a TV they leave on during the day to keep the dogs company. It's expensive, but I know my dog is OK there. I wouldn't leave him somewhere where they put him in a cage all day, so I pay the extra to keep him somewhere that he can have his own space.

We've boarded our dogs in a couple different places. We won't do it at the local hospital anymore - our dog came back with an irritated nose from rubbing against the cage. We tried the PetSuites, and they seemed to like that. You could choose the level of care and "room" for them to meet your price range and they had plenty of space to move around. They just built the PetSmart with the pet hotel near our place this fall, and it seems similar and very nice (but now we probably won't need to board since my mom moved here and is our dog-sitter).

I don't know if there is one of these by you, but I think this is what my aunt and my cousins are using to board the 3 dogs when they are in Hawaii.

www.campbowwow.com