Dog Boarding Dilemma

Trust me, I’ve been looking, asking around, and even visiting facilities off and on for years to see for myself what’s what. I visited a great place last week. Loved the owner. We shared training philosophies and such, but her new facility is geared toward super-social dogs. I had hoped to find private suites and no requirement to take part in play groups. Alas, no. I seriously almost cried on the way home.

Here in Colorado, boarding facilities typically fall into two categories:

1. Old-fashioned kennels with smallish indoor-outdoor kennel runs festooned with chain link and little else. Poop gets washed into trenches. Dogs get fed. You can pay extra for a little walk or private play time, but dogs spend most of their time looking at and barking at each other because there is little privacy.

2. New-age dog hotels (don’t call them kennels) where dogs spend bedtime in their small, private, indoor-only enclosures and most of their days in a daycare situation with both indoor and outdoor play spaces of various (and sometimes dubious sizes).

Friends and loyal readers, I suspect, immediately recognize my dilemma.

For those who don’t, I’ll be brief.

The last time Ginko spent 10 days in an old-style kennel, we came home to a dog who looked as if he’d just been rescued from a concentration camp. He was SO thin. Our best guess was that he was too stressed out to eat and no one noticed (or cared). Without someone savvy in positive reinforcement working at it, Ginko isn’t great with strange people or strange dogs. He can be with practice, but few places have the skill for special handling. Plus, the boy has two bad knees and cannot be standing or running around all day.

And, Lilly? Well, she hasn’t been any mass dog housing since leaving the humane society in October 2004. She is far too fearful of a million different things, including other dogs, to survive in either scenario.

Why not a pet-sitter? Tom won’t go for a dog sitter because he had a dog die while in the care of one. End of discussion.

So, that leaves me stuck somewhere in the middle between places serving your average dog owner with average dogs and places serving more high-touch clients of super-social dogs.

Alas, what is a girl with sensitive, socially-challenged dogs to do?

Basically, I want my dogs to be able to stay in a private, quiet room (not run) with some beds and toys. I want them to have regular access to a private outdoor play and potty area and some skilled attention from people who get their needs. I don’t want them to be required to see or interact with other dogs. And, most of all I want them to be safe and not scared.

So far, I haven’t found such a place … at least not locally. You’d think with Colorado being SO dog crazy that it wouldn’t be this hard, but even with all my contacts and info, it poses a big challenge.

The closest set-up I’ve found is near Albany, New York. I wrote a profile about Pet Estates, which features little dog cabins, with private fenced yards. From most spots, the dogs in other cabins cannot see each other. It’s like they all have their own clubhouses. They get the chance to run around alone (people, no dogs) in a fenced play area with a big pond too.

As I recall, the place was up for sale and/or offered franchise opportunities … if any of you want to move to CO and run a place like this for people like me. (hint!)