Need to kennel our dog...

[cristina47454]

Being proactive, I decided to visit before booking it. The place STUNK. My two dds were holding their noses. Is this normal for a kennel?? It's the only one I've ever visited...usu. family keeps him, but we're going on a trip with everyone this time. He would be outside in a run most of the day, but the place was depressing.

[greenmagick]

It would be normal to have a doggie smell...and if a dog just has a major poop or diarrhea, there could be obvious smell...but actual deep down stink, no there shouldnt be.

I would try going back one more time if you liked everything else to see if it was a fluke...if there were other things you were less than impressed with, I would find somewhere else.

[Catubodua]

it would depend on what time you visited. it is totally normal to have a wet doggie smell / doggie smell almost any time you go in.

but, if you showed up right after they opened, they might not have had the proper time to clean all the kennels from any dog who had an accident overnight.

[Catubodua]

also, if you are in CT i can give you some suggestions for places we've used & liked. PM me if you wish.

[greenmagick]

Originally Posted by Catubodua

but, if you showed up right after they opened, they might not have had the proper time to clean all the kennels from any dog who had an accident overnight.

Personally, I would hope this wouldnt be the case....I wouldnt board anywhere that didnt have 24 hour staff. Where I used to work there was always someone on staff everynight and on holidays...someone needs to be there for emergencies, clean up, etc.

[Sailor]

If it smells, and they don't have 24 hour staff to clean any accidents - there's no way I'd go for it. A doggy smell is normal. But, a horrible stink to the point where you can't breathe through your nose in there is NOT normal. Heck, we have some dogs kenneled in our rescue, and even the worst accident gets cleaned up ASAP and the smell disappears.

[just_lily]

Definitely shouldn't be so bad as to have to hold your nose. It should smell like dog... but not like urine/feces.

The 24-hour staff isn't that important to me because I prefer to use kennels that are on the property of a family home. So their won't be a staff member right in the kennel, but in the house right next to it anyway.

We used a kennel before we moved that was set up on a guy's acreage and my dog LOVED being there. The owner was with the dogs all day, but slept in his house at night after the dogs were all secure. I had no problem with that. He had a part-timer that came in to help with cleaning, but the rest of the time it was just him. It worked out really well.

[Momily]

I've never kenneled Lyle, but we've done daycare at 2 places that do overnight care. Neither of them stunk, or even had a particularly doggie smell. Lyle's a "marker" in a setting with other dogs and I watched how quickly they cleaned up after him.

The 2 places we've used 1)One has the he dogs sleep loose in a big room ("cageless") and there's someone sleeping on a loft bed in the same room. The other they have crates or rooms with 1/2 doors and there's a staff member there in ear shot -- also asleep. They'll check on a dog who is crying or whining, such as a puppy that can't "hold it" all night, but I guess if a dog pooped and didn't whine they might not notice, but then the overnight dogs are up and walked and taken to daycare before 7, so if you were there during normal hours I can't imagine it would smell at all.

[nd_deadhead]

We have been kenneling our dog when we go on vacation sicne he was a pup. Many years ago we took our lab to a kennel that was supposed to be great - but when we picked him up after two days, he smelled so bad we had to keep the car windows open all the way home. This dog was extremelt fastidious (he wouldn't sleep on his blanket if he thought it needed washing - about every two weeks!), so it wasn't just him. Obviously we never went back.

The place we use now is run by a couple who breeds golden retrievers to show, and they live on the property. We met her when she taught puppy kindergarten and basic obedience. Each dog has an indoor and outdoor run, and at the far end of the outdoor run, there is an area that is not concrete, but pea rock. Even puppies quickly learn that this is where to eliminate, so there are few accidents inside (these are cleaned up quickly), and the outdoor area is easy to clean, and because it's outside, it doesn't much smell. The dog that get along together have the opportunity to play together in a huge fenced yard - my Corgi loves to herd the goldens!

Our dog was just there for a week, and rode home from the kennel in my son's lap - he didn't smell any different than he normally does.