Staff are just as critical. In speaking with staff members, a clear interest in animals should be evident. If staff seem annoyed by the dogs and cats surrounding them, are short-tempered or curt, you can expect their demeanor to be worse when you leave. Think of the kennel as a type of extended family — choosing the right service means balancing price with the comfort of your dog or cat.
After an exciting boarding stay at Dogtopia, it’s important to ensure your dog adapts well to being back home. While at Dogtopia, your dog received access to unlimited water in their playroom. However, it is still likely they will seem very thirsty upon returning home. This is a common reaction to the excitement of being back at home with their family. Please withhold water from them for the first 30 minutes that they are home. After they have calmed down from the excitement of being home, you should then give them a small bowl of water and continue to monitor their water consumption for the next few hours. Dogs that drink too much water too quickly may lead to vomiting, or in very serious cases, could lead to bloat.
Our boarding facilities are fully equipped to handle dogs of all shapes and sizes. We encourage you to bring your pup to our location for daycare prior to an overnight or extended stay. We recommend at least one day of daycare prior to your dog’s overnight stay – three days of daycare is ideal – to allow your pup to get used to the facility and have a better overall experience. Your dog will become comfortable with our staff, and learn that you will be coming back to bring them home. It will also give our staff an opportunity to learn your pup’s personality and play preferences.
Dogs like to play like dogs! They will run, chase, be chased, grab each others’ necks, fall down, bark, trip, pull on each others’ ears and tumble around. To pet parents, this play could look worrisome, but this is standard dog play! The Canine Coach in the playroom will monitor your pup to make sure they are safe and having fun playing with the other dogs in the room. If at any point your dog gets scared or overwhelmed, our staff will intervene.
Dogs need proof of Distemper, Parvo and Bordetella (kennel cough) annually and Rabies every 1-3 years. Puppies must be 10 days past their final round of distemper/parvo vaccination before kennels will accept them for boarding. Vaccinations need to be given no less than 7 days prior to boarding. If this is the dog's first Bordetella vaccination, it must be given 2 weeks prior to boarding.
Dogtopia is a very active environment, with the dogs interacting for several hours per day. Even if your dog did not run all day, simply being awake can make them very, very tired. At home, most dogs sleep the day away getting 18 or more hours of sleep. Although we have a two-hour nap, and the dogs sleep approximately eight hours per night, they will be tired. Please let them rest. We do not recommend that you take them to the dog park or any other social environment for at least a few days.
Do dogs like being in kennels?
Hello, my name is Shawna, I am a licensed pet sitter, and the founder of Tampaws Pet Care. I am a pet owner and animal lover myself. I have owned a variety of pets in my lifetime, including cats, dogs, guini pigs, iguanas, turtles, birds,snakes, fish, and even a sugar gliders. Not only am I a pet owner, i am also very involved with local rescues in the Tampa Bay area and have been a volunteer/foster mom for Pug Rescue Of Florida for the past three years. This experience has allowed me to foster and care for a variety of pugs and given my first hand knowledge with dogs of all ages and conditions. I have experience with administering basic med ... View Profile