You are planning a trip, and you’re looking for somewhere to take your pooch. You believe you have done all of your research.
- We’ve found the top pet boarding facilities within 50 miles.
- You have read Google, Yahoo, and Bing reviews. There are only positive comments.
- You have toured the facility, met the staff and had a chat.
Everything is perfect! Or is it? You’re likely to consider your dog a part of your family if you are like most pet-loving Americans. A family member is someone you would do anything for. Did you observe if there were any security issues in the exterior areas while you were looking around the facility? Could people from the street be allowed to walk up to the area where your pets live? How does the relationship work between pet boarding kennels, their neighbors?
Many municipalities have zoning that separates pet boarding from general business and residential zoning. If you’ve ever been in close proximity to pet boarding facilities during “outside time”, you’ll know how noisy it can get. However, depending on the age of the dog-boarding kennel, they may be grandfathered into a previous zone. They would then be permitted to operate the pet boarding facility legally adjacent to residential or general business properties.
Do the neighbors of pet boarding kennels have good relationships?
As I said above, we did exactly what I wrote: We searched for the best location and read reviews. Then we went to tour the facility. Everything was great. While we were away, Eddy was not even mentioned to us. When we arrived to pick up Eddy, the staff told us that there had been an accident and that Eddy hadn’t made it. Eddy had been in an outside pen and was ‘outside time’. Someone shot him with a pellet gun. My heart broke instantly. Eddy was like a family member and now he was gone. What were we to tell our children? A million thoughts start racing through your mind when something like this happens.
An attorney confirmed that there were issues between the neighboring dog boarding kennels in the past. We could have discovered this information if we had consulted the public records. I have never thought to ask the neighbors who own the pet boarding facility what their opinions are. We were informed by the attorney that there was no direct link of blame. Although she could file a case against any person we wanted, there would likely not be enough evidence. The legal costs would be much greater than the benefits. Eddy was obtained from the APL in our area for less than $100. We felt that Eddy was part our family, but the law believed he was an item of replaceable property.
If I could go back in time, if it was possible to do it again, I believe Eddy would still be here today if I had done more research. It’s as easy as looking up public records online or calling a neighbor to see if you can make a difference.
Do your research. Do not stop there. Make sure you do your research to ensure that the pet boarding facilities you select are safe. If you are interested in kennel software, you should visit k9sky.com
