A first stay at a Rotherham boarder or day care
Whether your dog is booked into Sandy Lane Kennels & Cattery's 25 heated kennels in Bramley, or one of Rotherham's four 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 outright.
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. Sandy Lane Kennels & Cattery runs viewings between 11am and 4pm daily, and Jaycliffe Pets, in Thurcroft, takes drop-offs across two windows most days of the year, which is worth using as a chance to look round before you commit to a full stay.
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. Sandy Lane Kennels & Cattery says on its own site that it keeps a raw-diet freezer alongside standard branded foods, which is worth mentioning if your dog is on a particular diet, since not every kennels will hold the same range.
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. Wath Kennels, on Station Road in Wath-upon-Dearne, runs a shop alongside its kennels and cattery that keeps different hours from boarding drop-off itself, so check which times apply to your visit rather than assuming the shop's hours cover collection too.
Collection and drop-off
Ask what happens if you are early or late, and whether a bank holiday changes the price. Clayton Lane Boarding Kennels, in Thurnscoe, opens daily across two windows, morning and afternoon, for drop-off and collection, and Vale Boarding Kennels, in Rawmarsh, publishes shorter Sunday hours than the rest of the week, so build that into travel plans on either end of a stay.
Meeting a home boarder first
Four of the eleven 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: We Love Pets Rotherham, covering the Rotherham north area; Paws Express, in Rotherham east; Play, Paws, Repeat, in Maltby & Wickersley; and Animals at Home Rotherham, a franchise covering the whole borough and based in Rotherham centre. 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 written description alone.