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Choosing the Best Boarding Kennel for Your Greyhound

© Judy A Tomlinson

Summer is almost here! Many families look forward to this time of year when they can spend more leisure time together. For many this means a vacation trip away from their home. Which brings me to the reason for this article. Pet owners have several options regarding the pets in their home when a trip is planned. Many people prefer to take their pets with them on vacations, but sometimes this is not possible. When leaving your pets at home you can leave them with friends, leave them at home with a petsitter, or use a boarding kennel. If the choice you decide on is to board your greyhound at a kennel there are some things you should know.

Picking the best kennel for your greyhound is very important. Many, many kennels are in business, but, as with anything, there are good ones and bad ones. Before choosing a kennel for your greyhound, become familiar with the kennels in your area. Following are some suggestions for things to think about. Check out some kennels on the Internet. This one in Austin, Texas sounds pretty fancy!

Visit the prospective kennel at your convenience. If the kennel only allows inspections during certain times a red flag should go up! Permitting visits at only scheduled times makes you wonder if the runs are cleaned just for this visit! Also pay attention to your first impressions. Is the kennel area clean? How does it smell? Talk with staff. Do they seem friendly and welcoming? Grandma's House at the Maryland/Pennsylvania state line has a complete program for your greyhound. They even offer day care! Which is a really good idea for the first time boarding experience. Say your greyhound has never stayed at a kennel - what better way to help them learn! Leaving them for only one day before the big stay could help your grey to feel more comfortable when you do leave them.

The kennel you choose should require written proof of all vaccinations. The ones you should watch for are bordatella (kennel cough), rabies, distemper, leptosis, and parvo virus.

There should be both AC and heat in the kennels. The ideal situation would be a kennel that had a climate-controlled run area where the dogs could exercise, with bigger outdoor runs for fair weather use.

Be sure to check on the hours that the kennel is open. Make sure it is convenient for you. Some kennels are open seven days a week. Others have special pick-up hours. DeShane kennels, in my town of Tulsa, Okla., has a pick-up and delivery service. They were the first in the area to offer this convenience to their clients.