When it comes to choosing a dog boarding facility for your beloved dog, many would advise you to pay the centre a visit to check out the place out in person.

Any boarding facility should quickly welcome and accommodate a request to tour them but the question is – what should you look for when you are there?

Today, we are going to give you a few tips especially on the topic of kennel inspection– what you should look out for, what details to pay attention to etc. besides the usual sanitary question.

First of all, are the kennels large enough for your dog? Be it you have a large or small dog, you do not want it cramped at a space without room to stand or manoeuvre about. How many dogs are the facility keeping in one kennel/space? If yours is a puppy or small dog, you may want to check if they separate them with the adult dogs or not. Certainly, you do not want their safety compromised in a risky setting.

Secondly, pay close attention to the kennel itself. Does the staff make sure that the cage is clean and sanitary? Is there constant supply of water? Don’t just check out one or two kennels. If possible, tour the whole place and observe if each and every kennel is cleaned and upkept to the same standard (particularly the ones at the back).

Will there be something soft and warm for your dog to lay down on? You do not want your dog to be sleeping on cold concrete or dirt. While you are at it, ask the staffs if you can bring your dog’s favourite pad or blanket. In any case, any good dog boarding would have their own comfort accessories but it doesn’t hurt to supply your dog with as many at home familiarities as possible.

Inspect what exactly is it that is separating your dog from other dogs at the facility. Be careful if it is just a wire fence as neighbouring dogs can easily urinate through the fence onto your dog/dog’s bedding and toys. It may also encourage some snapping or barking between dogs, since they can see through the wire fencing. This is why we always encourage going for kennels that have a concrete dividing wall between them instead.

So yes, that are some of things to pay attention to when inspecting a dog boarding kennel. This is going to be the place your pup will be spending most of its time in, so it is of utmost importance that you inspect and confirm the place to be comfortable and suitable for your pet’s living.

If you’d like us to recommend a dog boarding facility that ticks all the boxes above, why not check out Mr Woofles, a dog boarding in Melbourne? These guys well exceeded out expectation (in a good way!) and are genuine pet lovers themselves and with that, you know things can’t go too wrong!

Edward Bertrand