Comparing Costs for Pet Boarding, Pet Sitting and On-site Daycare

When you need to travel without your pets, you have a few options to consider for pet care. You can have your pets stay at a boarding facility, hire a pet sitter, or sign them up for pet daycare. These different options vary in price based on certain factors. Here’s what to expect when you compare pet boarding cost, pet sitting cost and daycare cost.

Pet Boarding Cost

The cost for pet boarding is usually higher than costs for a pet sitter. This is mainly due to the fact that your pets will be staying in a facility that provides cozy kennels, play areas and staff members to keep an eye on them. You don’t have to worry about arranging for a sitter to come by each day or stay at your home, which means you don’t have to worry that they won’t show up. Boarding provides you with peace of mind while you’re away from your pets. Keep in mind that pet boarding facilities also offer grooming, training and other services, which also accounts for higher costs.

Pet Sitting Cost

The cost of a pet sitter is typically lower than pet boarding or daycare. The least expensive option is having a pet sitter stop by your home a couple times a day to walk your pets, feed them and play with them. If you want someone there at all times, you’ll usually have to pay more for an overnight pet sitter.

On-site Daycare

If you only need someone to watch your pets during the day, on-site daycare is a great option. This usually costs about as much as pet boarding, although you can typically find discounts to take advantage of, such as signing your pets up for more days or weeks at a reduced rate. On-site daycare provides pets with a safe and exciting place to spend the day, and you can also arrange for grooming services or training for additional costs.

How to Find the Best Boarding Facility for Your Pet

Boarding facilities offer a place for your pets to stay when you won’t be home, but how do you know which one to pick? When you’re comparing different facilities, keep the following tips in mind. This will help ensure that you find the best boarding facility for your pets.

Check Vaccination Requirements

When you find pet boarding facilities in your area, one of the first things to check is the vaccination requirements. Facilities should require all pets to have certain vaccinations in order to stay there. This helps lower your pets’ chances of getting sick while they’re boarding. Without strict vaccination requirements, pets are at risk of getting kennel cough and other contagious diseases.

Look for a Clean Facility

Any boarding facility you consider for your pets should be kept clean on a regular basis. You should visit the facility to take a tour of it, so you can see what kind of condition it’s in. Any messes from pets should be picked up right away instead of being left on the floor. Pets should also have bowls of clean water available. If the facility you visit seems dirty, don’t board your pets there. They’re more at risk of getting sick if they stay in an unclean boarding facility.

Talk to the Staff

Before choosing a boarding place, talk to staff members. This lets you find out how knowledgeable they are about pets and pet care. Don’t hesitate to ask any questions you have about the place and how certain situations are handled, such as how staff members deal with emergencies. Talking to staff also helps you to determine if they’re friendly, courteous and good with animals.

Ask About Supervised Play

If your pets will be taking part in play groups, make sure these are supervised by staff members. Find pet boarding facilities that require pets to go through assessments. This ensures that they don’t have behavioral problems that could make them a danger to other pets. Supervised play also reduces the risk of having pets get loose and run off.

What to Expect from Overnight Pet Boarding

When your pets stay overnight at DoGone Fun, you can rest assured that they’ll have a great time. If you’re wondering what to expect from overnight pet boarding, this is what pets typically go through during their stay.

Check-In

When you bring your pets in for boarding, we’ll give you time to say goodbye before taking them back to the kennels or play area. Please have your check-in form filled out for us, so we’ll have all of the information we need for your pets’ stay.

Playtime

If you drop your pets off in the morning or afternoon, they can play with other dogs in the play area. We provide pets with time to rest during the day, so they don’t get overexcited.

Training

We offer training for pets that are boarding. If your pets could use some obedience training or if they need to learn specific commands, we can work with them while they’re at our boarding facility. We offer training classes and one-on-one instruction.

Meals

Our overnight pet boarding facility serves meals at regular times each day. We’ll feed your pets their regular food, or you can indicate that you want them to eat the food we provide at our facility. If your pets have special diets, please let us know, so we can accommodate them.

Elimination

Your pets will have plenty of opportunities to eliminate during their overnight stay. They can do so while playing outside or going for a walk. Our staff members clean up after your pets right away in order to keep our facility clean.

Bedtime

When it’s time for bed, your pets will stay in a comfortable kennel with a polar fleece blanket. For an extra fee, you can arrange one-on-one cuddle time for them, a biscuit, or a Kong filled with goodies. You can also arrange for an extra comfortable bed for them for an extra fee.

Grooming

Our staff members can give your pets a bath, trim their nails and provide other grooming services if you want. Just let us know which grooming services you would like for your pets.