kennels - what to look for?

angeldaisy

I think this year I'm going to need to use kennels for our two dogs.
Never needed it before as family members have looked after them, but I'm not really happy with that now. They have less time to spend with them so the dogs would be on their own most of the time.

What do I need to look for when I'm looking for kennels?
I'm in limerick so any recommendations would be great, but I also need to know what to bear in mind and of course what to avoid!!

Bicycle

Lorna in Ballycar Kennels, Newmarket on Fergus, is great. She always sends a text after a few days to let you know your dog has settled in. Its very reassuring if you are worried.

Work with your gut instinct. Make sure the dogs are walked. One year we left it too late and the dog we had at the time was left in a place we ended up being very unhappy with. But our gut instinct when we visited was "this owner is SERIOUSLY odd". The dog wasn't walked. The dog came back dirty.

Also look at the numbers of people using the kennels. If there is a lot of repeat business, then you know people are happy.

Note if they ask about the dog's likes and dislikes. Do they let you bring out their comfort stuff like their blankets and toys. Do they like dogs? The person in the second paragraph didn't appear to like dogs very much.

Hope this helps.

jayobray

There are two we use (they're in Wicklow, so no point in actually recommending them to you). One is on a large area of land, so the dogs are free to roam and play as much as they like, and it is enclosed. The other is a kennels, and the owner walks the dogs at least once daily. The dogs are happy in either, and are well looked after.

As bicycle mentioned, gut instinct is important. How interested in the dogs the owner is should be apparent fairly quickly. Do they separate other dogs that are a little more aggressive? Do they ask about any special food requirements, are they happy for you to drop in to have a look around the place first? Both of the owners we deal with requested that we drop in when there were other dogs there so that we could see how they were being cared for. It also allowed us to look at the owners and whether they were genuinely interested in the dogs in their care. For the place that walks the dogs, we asked about routes they took, and they asked about how much our dogs needed to be walked.

We originally had family members looking after them, as we were a little nervous of giving them over to strangers, but the dogs turned out to loving being away for a few days, and always come back happy and healthy.

Good luck, hope this is of some help.

Am I Evil?

Give Paul a shout http://www.crocodiledundeesgks.com

Absolute gent and top class groomer too :pac:

Clonroad

I would have to disagree with the above about Crocodile Dundee kennels after being part of a dog grooming/ behaviour class at this establishment. I saw him groom three dogs and he never once showed any bit of kindness to the dogs and actually stated that he liked them to know he is the boss. He uses Cesar Milan training methods and forced a dog to roll over that did not want to have his nails done. He stopped when the dogs tongue turned blue which he said was due to stress. He uses washing up liquid to wash the dogs which he said is good for getting rid of fleas.

He said he asks the owners when they bring the dogs to kennels if they walk the dog and if they say no he doesn't bother either "in case they pull a muscle". Its hard not go get the feeling that he doesn't like dogs.

He also ridiculed a well regarded animal welfare organisation in Limerick.

If you care about your dog at all I would encourage you to think twice about going near these kennels.

Am I Evil?

That's shocking tbf. I've only ever had a good experience with them but clearly (if true) you've seen what could possibly be going on behind the scenes.

Hoping its not but I may need to look around for future needs.

Clonroad

Unfortunately it is true, I would swear to it in a court of law and I regret to this day not doing more about it at the time.

muddypaws

I would recommend people not to believe everything on websites or FB pages, people can claim to be members of various associations and/or governing bodies, but please check if they actually are. I couldn't find that kennels in either Limerick or Clare in the list of members of the Irish Professional Dog Groomers Association. I also can't find any organisation called the Irish Kennelling Association, of which they are apparently a member, there is the Irish Boarding Kennels and Cattery Association (IBKCA), no members in Clare and not on the list for Limerick. A kennels near me proudly proclaims that they are members of the Irish Boarding Kennels Association, again, can find no evidence that such a body exists, and they aren't members of the IBKCA.

Crocodile Dundees is very open on their website about exercise, as it states that any dog needing exercise will use their treadmill.

angeldaisy

muddypaws wrote: »

Crocodile Dundees is very open on their website about exercise, as it states that any dog needing exercise will use their treadmill.

This is what raised a flag to me from their website. My two would have a heart attack if I put them on one!!

Bicycle

Crocodile Dundees is the kennel where we had issues.

I didn't want to mention the name but its interesting that others have mentioned it. I would rather cancel a holiday than leave my dog there again.

And just to clarify, when we were at home, the dog we had at the time was given a good walk at least once a day and had lots of freedom around the house and garden. We were only told at the time of leaving the dog into Crocodile Dundees that only dogs needing treatment would be exercised on the treadmill. When making the booking we had assumed the dog would be given at least one walk every day.

angeldaisy

muddypaws, I can see 3 places in limerick that are on the ibkca website. Do you know if kennels listed by them are checked regularly by them? Or are they inspected only on registration?

muddypaws

angeldaisy wrote: »

muddypaws, I can see 3 places in limerick that are on the ibkca website. Do you know if kennels listed by them are checked regularly by them? Or are they inspected only on registration?

I don't know for sure, but I think they aim to inspect regularly.

boomerang

Am I Evil? wrote: »

Give Paul a shout http://www.crocodiledundeesgks.com

Absolute gent and top class groomer too :pac:

Have to disagree I'm afraid, at least on the grooming part - he made an absolute mess of my aunt's dog - gave him a pom pom tail and he's a Papillon! :mad:

OP a few places for you to consider:

Mike Meskell in Castleconnell is a lovely man, the dogs love him.

Guillamore Kennels in Bruff - I met Orla recently, very experienced and my vet highly recommends her.

Always have had good reports of Jockey Hall in Crecora.

Sleepless and Manic

I've worked in a kennel.

It was mostly day care for dogs but there were usually 5/6 overnight as well.

I dont think frequency of "walks" is as important as that the facility have a large enough exercise area. Preferably with a separate loo area too. I'd expect the dogs to be out and about in a common area for the majority of the working day. And to have someone with them. We usually had two people looking after about 30 dogs.

I"d ask how long the dogs spend in a kennel each day. Hopefully only overnight and maybe an hour at midday.

Look for cleanliness. Obviously. The place shouldnt smell bad, obviously.

Ask whether small dogs have their own area. They should.

Dogs getting dirty during their stay will happen and its really hard to avoid unless you bathe every one before they go home and thats not possible. Obviously they shouldnt stink or have visible stains or dirt, but they're going to get grubby especially If they're active and playfull.

Sleepless and Manic

muddypaws wrote: »

Crocodile Dundees is very open on their website about exercise, as it states that any dog needing exercise will use their treadmill.

OMG. Treadmill?? I've never heard of such a thing.

Is that even legal?

boomerang

Greyhound trainers use them all the time. (Not saying it's right or wrong!)