Boarding Your Dog

Every day, people face the question of what to do with their pets when travel, illness, or family emergencies disrupt normal care. Some pet owners attempt to solve this problem by taking their pets with them, only to discover that hotel restrictions, travel-induced pet illness, and runaway pets can turn their trip into a disaster. Other pet owners turn over the care of their animals to well-meaning but untrained neighbors, pet-sitters, or friends. Again, the results are often unsatisfactory. Pets entrusted to such part-time custodians frequently escape or become seriously ill because of lack of reliable, frequent, and knowledgeable supervision.

Fortunately, the majority of pet owners who find themselves in need of substitute pet care utilize the services of professional boarding kennels. You want to ensure that your dog is well cared for and safe. Annually, more than 30 million pet owners recognize that full-time, knowledgeable and experienced boarding kennel operators provide the most dependable, secure and safe pet care available.

Palmer Kennels has been serving the needs of dogs and their owners, as a professional boarding kennel,  in Acton, since 1951.

Understanding the Kennel Environment

Life in a boarding facility can be very exciting. Most dogs often leave the facility exhausted but happy, and sleep a lot the first couple of days they are home. Our staff makes sure each dog is getting enough exercise, play time, and human interaction throughout each and every day.

Eating habits may change while being boarded. Some will eat like canaries at home and like vultures at a boarding facility. Some dogs may gain or lose a little weight. We provide Purina Pro Plan Chicken dry dog food and mix a little can beef in it. If you would like to provide your own food, please individually package each meal in zip lock bags.

It is important to understand the possible effects of stress on a dog and to do everything possible to minimize stress both prior to and immediately after boarding.

All of the preparation by the pet owner merely points out that successful boarding depends not only upon the pet care facility, but also upon how well the owner prepares the dog for the experience.

* For dogs that are 10 years old and older, we require the owner or responsible party to sign an "elder release form". This form lists any medications, medical issues and physical abnormalities. Older dogs usually require much more attention and T.L.C.

We at Palmer Kennels, Inc., want you to be aware that being away from home can be stressful on older pets. Changing their daily routine can upset them.

Stress can be caused from a variety of different factors: being away from home, a new environment, other dogs, new noises, different smells, a change in food or water, the list goes on. Stress triggers physical changes in your older pet. Our staff are compassionate and gentle. We do our best keep all of our guests happy.

Our staff knows no boundaries when it comes to making sure your dog is as comfortable as possible while in our care. If we find that he/she is not doing well, it will be necessary for you or a responsible party to pick up your dog from our facility.

Now that your best friend is home again

When your dog is picked up, he or she will be very excited to see you. Do not feed your dog (though he or she will act hungry after getting back to familiar turf) for at least three hours, and then be careful not to overfeed.

Also, excitement may cause your dog to pant a lot and become thirsty. Give a few ice cubes to hold him or her over until feeding time. Again, in a happy, excited state, excessive food and water consumption can create problems. The vast majority of dogs view their stay at a boarding facility as a vacation.