Where to Board the Beagles?

February 18, 2009 4:02 PM

Northern VA couple out of town for 10 days and no idea what to do with the dogs. Do any folks in NoVA have experience with Boarding their pets around here? Any general suggestions on what to look for (or look out for) in a kennel?
posted by Lord Widebottom to pets & animals (6 answers total)

I'd suggest hiring some poor college student to pet sit while you're gone. My sister does so regularly just by posting ads on local bulletin boards. The benefit is that your dog doesn't have to leave the house and usually it doesn't cost an arm and a leg (I believe my sister pays $25/day) and the dog has an easier time of it in the long run.

As far as kennels go, just drop by in the middle of the day sometime and take a look around the premises. If they look okay, great, if not, well. Perhaps you're better off with a broke college kid bumming around your house for a week.
posted by big open mouth at 4:33 PM on February 18, 2009

Ask your vet and/or grooming place for kennel recommendations. In general, you want a place that will show you everything when you visit. Run from places that won't let you see the exact place where your dogs would be staying. You'd look for cleanliness, enough room for the size of the dogs, a little time out of the crate/kennel every day (which you might have to pay extra for), some kind of policy on up-to-date vaccinations. Most kennels will want a recent bordetella vaccination.

There are also businesses (usually small, one- or two-person outfits) that will come to your house to care for your dogs. They won't stay at your house, but they will come two or three times during the day to look after things (you pay based on the number of visits). The one I considered hiring would also do simple house-type things, like bring in the mail, water plants, turn lights on or off, etc. However, they often charge a lot more than a regular kennel ($15 per visit, and then an additional fee for multiple dogs and cats, in our situation). But if keeping your dogs in their own house is important to you, this might be a good route to investigate.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 6:39 PM on February 18, 2009

I've been using PetSmart to board my puppy...they do a great job! If you do PetSmart, make sure that you enroll your friend in doggie day camp during the day...

I love petsmart!
posted by HuronBob at 6:53 PM on February 18, 2009

This might be a bit far away, but I grew up in Herndon and my family has used the kennels at the Herndon Reston Animal Hospital since we moved there sixteen years ago. They have taken really good care of our dogs and cat for years, both medically and emotionally. When our cat was sick but we had to go out of town, they called and gave my mom updates! They have the nicest people working there I've ever met, and they always remember our pets' names and personalities, even if we haven't been in since the last check up. They fill up pretty fast though, so you have to make sure they have room.
posted by Mizu at 7:04 PM on February 18, 2009

Where are you in NoVA? People out here in my neck of the woods (Ashburn) seem to like the Dulles Executive Pet Center.
posted by candyland at 8:08 PM on February 18, 2009

We used the Dulles Executive Pet Center for our two beagles a couple of times when we lived on that side of town and never had a problem. That was 7 years ago though. IF they are still popular I'd take that as a pretty good sign.
posted by COD at 5:24 AM on February 19, 2009