Kennel Hell

[Regina14]

A lot depends on the type of kennel it is. Some boarding kennels will have options for letting the dogs safely run around in a fenced area.

I travel 45 minutes to board my dog; but he is very well looked after; and not only spends time in the fenced yard with the other guest and the kennel owners' own dogs; but he has earned 'house privileges' due to his friendly temperament and sleeps with his caretaker, either on her bed or near it; since he gets along with the other dogs.

Rover.com is also an interesting option to explore, as another post mentioned.

[mgforshort]

I have this idea I named "The Kennel Exchange".

John Doe goes on a business trip and leaves his Standard Poodle with Pete Doe in a house close by. Pete Doe is retired and lives with his Sheltie in a nice house with a fenced yard. When John comes back seven days later he doesn't pay a dime, but Pete gets seven points.

Later Pete takes a 3-day vacation and leaves his Sheltie with John for 3 days. If John is away, Pete can leave his dog with Dorothy two streets over.
Dorothy gains 3 points, while Pete has only 4 points left.

They all belong to the same group. Each home has been visited by two members and they get approved if the fences etc. are all in good order.
It is all free and voluntary. Dogs are matched to another with similar temperament.
Everyone gains from it, the dogs are well cared for, get better socialized, and the humans make new friends.

We barter things like car repair for roof maintenance. Dogs should be much easier.

[LittleDolphin]

I'm a pet-sitter (in my home or in clients' homes). My dog clients are mostly dogs who do not do well in a kennel situation. Some dogs are just too tender and sensitive to flourish with a lot of other dogs. It is often very noisy. Can be chaotic. Dogs coming and going all the time. Barking, barking. Dogs get frayed nerves.

We give our dog guests full run of our home....and only take in one guest at a time. We did the same thing with our dog who passed away several years back. He was traumatized in kennels...a Whippet mix with tender nerves. He did well with in-home care.

Started sitting after our old pal passed away. Was too upset to get another dog. Love spoiling our guests...now, we're booked up to six months in advance. Filled a need.

[mgforshort]

We had three dogs and they all hated kenneling.
Then we got the Airedale.
Tobi gets out of the car and starts pulling on the leash, eager to get in. He thinks it's Dogs go to Heaven Day, again.
A month later we pick him up. He jumps on me, wags his tail, then turns around to water the lawn - which is his MOST important mission in life.

One day I asked him, "Tobi, do you have an issue with separation anxiety?"

Tobi: "What the hell are you talking about? Have you seen my ball?"

[STL74]

Some dogs do well in kennels and some don't. Some kennels are awesome and some suck. You have to find what works for you. My dogs can't wait to get into theirs. They love to run and play and the place even has a doggie water park. They have regular dog friends there and they are well cared for. They come home tired from all the fun, but otherwise, the same awesome dogs they always are. They do a day of daycare every week too. So...it's sort of ridiculous for people to make sweeping generalizations about how awful kennels are, but at the same time, not all dogs are suited for even the best of kennels. All of mine have loved it, but my elderly dogs did reach a point where they needed to always be in their own home and different arrangements had to be made to keep them comfortable. Lots of options.