Pluses and minuses of boarding your dog in a kennel

Your pet depends on you to take good care of her—even when you have to be out of town. Friends and neighbors may not have the experience or time to properly look after your pet, particularly for longer trips. Leave pet care to the professionals, such as a pet sitter or boarding kennel.

A facility specializing in care and overnight boarding allows your pet to:

• Avoid the stress of a long car or airplane ride to your destination.
• Stay where he’s welcome (unlike many hotels).
• Receive more attention and supervision than he would if home alone most of the day.
• Be monitored by staff trained to spot health problems.
• Be secure in a kennel designed to foil canine and feline escape artists.

Potential drawbacks to using a boarding kennel include:

• The stress related to staying in an unfamiliar environment.
• The proximity to other pets, who may expose your pet to health problems.
• The difficulty of finding a kennel that accepts pets other than dogs and cats.
• The inconvenience of the drive over, which can be especially hard on a pet easily stressed by car travel.

Research top boarding dog kennels

New York based dog boarding kennels that we’ve researched must adhere to our 4 Smart dog hotel Success factors of:

1. Safety
2. Security
3. Supervision
4. Sanitation

Learn which New York Long Island dog kennels were best of show in our best of breed facilities list