A first stay at a Barnsley boarder
Whether your dog is booked into The Cliffe Kennels near Hoylandswaine, Foxholes Animal Hotel near Haigh, or one of Barnsley's seven home boarders, a first stay usually goes better with a shorter visit first, so both sides can see how the dog settles before a longer booking. Ask whether a trial day or meet-and-greet is available even where a business's own site does not mention one.
Before you book: ask for a trial
A trial or introductory visit is common practice across this kind of business, even where it is not stated outright on a business's own site. It lets a kennels see how a dog settles among others, and lets a home boarder see how a dog behaves in a house alongside their own pets and family. The Cliffe Kennels runs a dog rehoming operation alongside its boarding kennels on the same five-acre site, with rescue viewings by appointment, so ask which part of the site your dog would actually stay in.
What to pack
Take your dog's usual food for the length of the stay, any medication with clear written instructions, a bed or blanket that smells of home, and a lead and collar with an up-to-date tag. Knuckle Dog Services, a home boarder in the Penistone area, offers both home boarding and day care from the same 27-acre site, so it is worth asking whether a dog already known there through a day visit settles more easily into an overnight stay.
Handover on the day
Give the person taking your dog a clear account of feeding times, any health issues and how your dog behaves around other dogs, since this is the point at which a boarder can adjust its plan for your dog specifically. Chapel House Hounds, a home boarder near Royston, sets specific drop-off windows either side of the middle of the day, so check the timing before you plan your journey.
Collection and drop-off
Ask what happens if you are early or late, and whether a bank holiday changes the price. Foxholes Animal Hotel opens seven days a week with a midday break for staff lunch and closes on Christmas Day; The Cliffe Kennels takes drop-off and collection any day from 9am to 6pm. Hopwood Hippy, a home boarder in the Barnsley town centre area, says it opens seven days a week including bank holidays.
Meeting a home boarder first
Seven of the twelve businesses here board dogs in their own home rather than a kennel block, so their address is only given once you book, not published on this page: Paw Power Dog Boarding, Knuckle Dog Services and Penistone Pets in the Penistone area; Chapel House Hounds and Wagnificent Walkies near Royston; Hopwood Hippy in Barnsley town centre; and Klass Dog Services in the Wombwell and Hoyland area. Use a meet-and-greet to see where your dog would actually stay, ask how many other dogs might be there at the same time, and find out what a typical day in the house looks like, rather than relying on a description alone.