Home boarding or kennels in Huddersfield?
Of the nine dog boarding, day-care and home-boarding businesses listed for Huddersfield, eight are home boarders, licensed to keep dogs in their own house: Relax & Paws in Lindley & Birkby; Crosland Paws, The Dog Den, Chester's House and Gardens, Wavy Tails and Petwatch in Almondbury & Newsome; and Khay's Paws and Walkies & Purrfect Mews Cat Hotel in Holmfirth. Only one, Glambullz Boarding near Meltham in the Holmfirth area, runs a boarding kennels.
What a boarding kennels gives you
A boarding kennels means your dog has its own space on a site built for it, with more dogs on site at once than a home boarder would typically take. Glambullz Boarding sits on nine acres of moorland close to the M62, around 20 minutes from Leeds and 30 from Manchester, and runs a separate dog grooming parlour under the same brand. Unusually, it also offers a home boarding option of its own alongside the kennels, so ask which service you are actually booking if both interest you.
What a home boarder gives you
A home boarder means your dog lives in somebody's house instead, usually alongside far fewer other dogs at a time; the address is given once you book, not published here. Relax & Paws, in Lindley & Birkby, takes only one dog at a time unless from the same household. Crosland Paws and Wavy Tails, both in Almondbury & Newsome, say on their own sites that they work in partnership with each other, so ask either one whether your dates would be covered by the other if it is fully booked. Petwatch, also in Almondbury & Newsome, pairs home dog boarding with a purpose-built cattery on the same site, and Walkies & Purrfect Mews Cat Hotel, in Holmfirth, does the same under a combined licence.
Which suits your dog
A kennels tends to suit a dog that is happy with its own space and a set routine; a home boarder tends to suit a dog that finds a kennels environment stressful, or one that is used to living in a house rather than a run. Neither type is licensed to a higher standard than the other by default: Kirklees Council licenses both kennels and home boarding under the same regulations, so asking to see the certificate is the same question either way. See our council licences guide for how each of the nine is rated.
Ask about group size either way
Whichever type you choose, ask how many dogs will be there at the same time and from how many households, since a home boarder's small scale is its main selling point over a kennels, and a kennels' larger capacity is not in itself a mark against it. Chester's House and Gardens, in Almondbury & Newsome, describes what it calls “free roam” of a large secure garden as part of its home boarding, which is worth asking any home boarder about if outdoor space matters to your dog.