Pet Boarding: What to Expect and How to Prepare Your Pet

Going away for a few days can turn into a cause for concern if you are a pet owner with no one to look after your pet. If you don’t have any neighbors or friends to look after them, you’ll probably have to use a pet boarding service.

There's no need to worry if you haven’t used a pet boarding service before. Read on to know what to expect and how to prepare for a pet boarding experience.

Sizeup the Facility

Before coming down to any decision, visit the Pet Boarding Facility first. Check out the amenities they provide, and the hygiene of the place. Talk to the staff and other pet owners if possible. The staff will be more than happy to tour you around the facility if you show some intent and of course, some interest.

Check out the reviews of the facility if they are available, all of this should help you reach a conclusion, and form an opinion of that facility. Compare with other facilities, and you should be able to find the one for your pet.

Check the Requisites

Almost all boarding facilities will want you to present some papers. They will want to check if your pet is up to date with all the required vaccinations, and need a glimpse into your pet’s health conditions if any, and their health history.

Some may even ask for a recent health certificate, or admit only groomed pets. All of this depends on the boarding facility, so be sure to ask them beforehand.

Pack Your Pet’s Bags

Before you pack your bag, you better pack your pet’s first. You can’t send them to the boarding facility empty-pawed, can you now? Pack them their favorite toys, pet food (if you don’t want it to eat the facilities’ food), medications (if required), and anything else that your pet can’t do without. Don’t forget to label all of this, just in case they get mixed up.

Prepare Your Pet

Preparation is always the key, take cooking for example. Without proper prep work, you could easily ruin a dish even if you get the other steps right. We aren’t exactly cooking pets here, but you get the point right? Preparation, in this case, will help towards keeping your pet happy.

Take your pet to the boarding facility before its actual stay there. Let your pet get familiar with the environment there. Bring along their favorite toys to help get them comfortable.

What to Expect?

Although it's good to not have many expectations to avoid disappointment, there are certain things you should expect, especially when you are paying for something, something very particular.

So what are those particular expectations? A place for your pet to stretch out, sleep and play. Good food and water. Someone to take them on a walk or play with them. These are some basic features that you should expect, anything else is a bonus (unless you are paying additionally for them).

Not being able to take your pet with you is woeful, but the next best thing you could do is give them proper attention and care in your absence. This is only possible through a genuine pet boarding experience, so take care to select the best one for your pet. Don’t forget to enquire about your pet when taking them back from the boarding facility.