Summer vacations may include pets, or pet owners may want to have their companion cared for at a boarding facility, or doggy day care that provides overnight stays.
The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria has a guide for pet owners to help them make decisions about where their pets will be cared for in their absence.
Erin Shackelford, the senior manager of communications and event marketing at the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria, told WTOP that regulations regarding licensing can vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but that making sure a kennel or boarding facility is licensed is important.
In Montgomery County, Maryland, the Office of Animal Services recently removed 23 animals from what it said was an unlicensed dog boarding facility in Silver Spring.
Pet owners would also want to know what the attendant to pet ratio is at the boarding facility, Shackelford said.
“The standard is one person to every 15 animals to provide a high level of care,” Shackelford said.
Shackelford said a kennel or boarding operator’s unwillingness to let you see exactly where and how animals are kept should be a red flag.
“If the animal boarding facility will not allow you to see where the animal’s being kept, where the animal will sleep, where the animal goes to the bathroom or where the animal will spend most of their day,” she said that should raise alarms.
Pet owners should also be considering the size of the actual space provided to each dog or cat. “Ventilation, climate control, do they have indoor/outdoor access?” Shackelford added.
If your pet has never been in a confined space or isn’t crate trained, that should be something to think about. Comparing the boarding facility with your animal’s normal routine is important, she told WTOP.
Pet owners should also ask about emergency procedures, such as what happens if there’s a power outage or other site failure, and, what happens if and when an animal is sick or injured.
“What’s their emergency plan if something does happen to your pet? Is there a veterinarian on staff, or do they have a veterinarian that they work with?” Shackelford said.
She pointed out that a provider should be able to offer answers to any inquiries made about the facility’s safety measures.
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