Home boarding or kennels in Burnley, Nelson and Colne?
Overnight boarding across Burnley, Nelson and Colne comes in two different shapes: a home boarder, who takes your dog into their own house, or purpose-built kennels, where dogs stay in individual runs on a dedicated site. Five of the town's ten listed businesses are home boarders; four run boarding kennels; the tenth, Barka Lounge Doggy Daycare, offers neither and is covered in our day care or boarding guide instead.
Home boarding
The five home boarders are Pacey Pooches, run by Rebecca Brown, and Paws For A Walk, both based in Nelson & Brierfield; and Happy Trails, run by a small team of four, PetStay East Lancs & Bury, whose two individually licensed hosts cover Barnoldswick and Colne between them through one franchise number, and We Love Pets Pendle (Colne), run by Robyn Stanton, all shown under Colne & Barnoldswick. As with any home boarder, only the area and town are given here; the address is confirmed once you book. Ask how many other dogs, and from how many households, will be in the house during your dates.
Boarding kennels
The four boarding kennels are New Forge Pet Hotel at Hapton, Nutshaw Kennels and Cattery at Clowbridge and Burnley Pet Boarding Centre at Briercliffe, all in the Burnley area, and Stainthwaite Boarding Kennels at Blacko, near Nelson, which also offers grooming and training and is licensed for up to 41 dogs. Nutshaw and Burnley Pet Boarding Centre both also board cats alongside dogs; Nutshaw also breeds puppies by appointment, and Burnley Pet Boarding Centre sits on around 30 acres with a purpose-built indoor activity arena and walks every dog at least twice a day. None of the four publish a price; see our prices guide for what the two home boarders that do publish a rate charge.
Licensing and franchise structure
All four kennels are licensed by Burnley Borough Council; the five home boarders are licensed by Pendle Borough Council. Two of the five home boarders are part of national or regional networks rather than sole operators: PetStay East Lancs & Bury is coordinated through a franchise's central phone line rather than a personal number for each of its two hosts, and We Love Pets Pendle (Colne) is a local branch of the We Love Pets franchise. Pacey Pooches, Paws For A Walk and Happy Trails are independent local businesses. Neither structure is better or worse in itself, but it is worth asking a franchise branch whether the person who answers the phone is the person who will actually look after your dog.
Which suits your dog
A nervous dog, or one used to a lot of one-to-one attention, may settle better with a home boarder than in a kennel block, while a dog that copes well away from a family home, or an owner who wants a fixed, staffed site with set hours, may prefer purpose-built kennels. Stainthwaite's onsite grooming and training may suit an owner who wants to combine a stay with other services. Ask either type of business how it introduces a new dog to its routine, and see our first stay guide for what a trial visit usually covers.