Kennel Recommendation within 30 miles of Madison? (Russell, Dane: price, eat, vacation)

[Megan1967]

Pet sitters *do* cost more than kennels (though not usually for cats) because it is a luxury to have someone come to your home. At a kennel the the staff just has to walk down the hall to take care of your dog, a pet sitter has to drive there, spend time with your pet and then drive either back home or off to the next visit.

The point is supposed to be that it is better for your pet not to have to be traumatized by going to a kennel and exposed to God knows what while there. You also get the piece of mind that someone is watching out for your home while you are gone. I would handle emergencies like power outages, flooding, etc as well as alternate lights to make the place look lived in, water the plants and take in the mail. I did not do any yard work like shoveling, however. Actually, I did water outdoor plants in the summer sometimes.

Of course they charge for each visit. Their time is their "product." The going rate was $15-$17 dollars per visit, $50-$60 for an overnight. I do know one person on the East side who does overnights if anyone is interested.

You have no more assurance that a kennel takes good care of your pet than a pet sitter and I would say the odds are better because they deal with your pet one on one. Your dog isn't just one of 20 dogs the caretaker has to feed and water in one hour as is the case in a kennel.

[gold*dust1]

"North Winds Pet Care" is not taking new customers.
"Pet Perks" doesn't do overnights and doesn't do the east side.
"Gotta Go Out" must be new and does not list an overnight stay rate.
"Browns" in Waunakee doesn't service the east side.

I crate my dogs for their own safety when I am gone. So even if I had a pet sitter come for 3 visits a day my dogs would need to be crated 24/7 minus the 1 and a half hours the service would be there. That would make a VERY lonely vacation for my dogs, especially if it was an extended vacation. I will consider Aunt B's, and Camp Bow Wow and other places like them, but only after I interview them and get references. Aunt B's claims to let the dogs out and about a majority of the day and Bow Wow offers doggie daycare. I just couldn't stand the thought of my dogs being completely alone for hours on end day after day. That's why we plan to take vacations where the dogs can come along. Our last one we rented a pet friendly mountain cabin.

[davit]

We left our border collie at Waggin' Tails last week, they have a very nice brand new facility on Nesbitt Road, between Madison and Verona.

www.waggintailspetcare.com

They fit us in last minute and the dog even smelled good when we picked him up

[mnmel]

Thanks for all the input on kennels. Petsitters won't be an option for us unfortunately - we're driving from New Jersey to get married in Madison, and we're bringing our dog with so that we can have her with us for the majority of the time. The kennel will be for a couple of days during the actual wedding festivities.

[gold*dust1]

Originally Posted by davit

We left our border collie at Waggin' Tails last week, they have a very nice brand new facility on Nesbitt Road, between Madison and Verona.

www.waggintailspetcare.com

They fit us in last minute and the dog even smelled good when we picked him up

Thanx for the link, I'll have to take a look.

[gold*dust1]

Originally Posted by mnmel

Thanks for all the input on kennels. Petsitters won't be an option for us unfortunately - we're driving from New Jersey to get married in Madison, and we're bringing our dog with so that we can have her with us for the majority of the time. The kennel will be for a couple of days during the actual wedding festivities.

Congrats on your nupitals, and hope your boarding experience is a good one! Come back and tell us who you went with and how it turned out.

[mnmel]

I was in Madison this past weekend and toured spawoof, Camp K-9, and Aunt B's Pet Resort. The staff seemed nice at all three places, but I did not care for the facility at spawoof. It had very little yard - it looked like a fenced-in sidewalk surrounding the building. Also, it did not feel warm enough - I had my parka on and the indoor kennel was still quite chilly. Camp K-9 had a great facility - clean, warm, big runs for the dogs, and it was set up so dogs can't see each other when they are in their rooms. My only complaint was that under their standard program, they let the dogs out for the last time at 7pm, and they do not go out again until 6am - which won't work for my dog. We're going to go with Aunt B's - it was clean and warm, and the dogs there looked well-cared for. Also, at this place, they are taken outside between 9 and 15 times a day, and their overnight alone time is only 7.5 hours.

[gold*dust1]

Originally Posted by mnmel

I was in Madison this past weekend and toured spawoof, Camp K-9, and Aunt B's Pet Resort. The staff seemed nice at all three places, but I did not care for the facility at spawoof. It had very little yard - it looked like a fenced-in sidewalk surrounding the building. Also, it did not feel warm enough - I had my parka on and the indoor kennel was still quite chilly. Camp K-9 had a great facility - clean, warm, big runs for the dogs, and it was set up so dogs can't see each other when they are in their rooms. My only complaint was that under their standard program, they let the dogs out for the last time at 7pm, and they do not go out again until 6am - which won't work for my dog. We're going to go with Aunt B's - it was clean and warm, and the dogs there looked well-cared for. Also, at this place, they are taken outside between 9 and 15 times a day, and their overnight alone time is only 7.5 hours.

FYI, the Spawoof location, previously housed the Dane County Humane Society for many years. I wonder how Aunt B's manages that many trips outside? What were their rooms like? Did you see any small breeds there?

Now that you mention it K9's kennels were enclosed around the sides, but the outside runs were open to others I think. I can't imagine leaving them at this time of year. It's too cold.

[mnmel]

I can't imagine having the dogs outside at this time of the year, either - I was looking to see how the kennels would work for a stay in August.

The rooms at Aunt B's were pretty nice - there seemed to be concrete blocks making up the walls between rooms, and the doors were made out of fence material. You're allowed to bring your own bedding; otherwise, they provide a little pad for the dogs to sleep on. They had lots of small breeds there - they have separate rooms for small and larger dogs.

Hope this helps!

[ranger17]

we have used Aunt B's in the past; having our senior golden stay their during a summer vacation. She was fine, and the staff did a nice job. We're local, and one of the girls there was a classmate of our daughter, so there was some familiarity that helped ease our minds while we were gone. To be honest, we're not totally comfortable leaving our dog at any kennel at her age ( 13 +/- now ), but would use them again if the need came up.