Boarding pets?

[mommyoeo]

The FW pet hotel doesn't walk pets? That's NUTS! Do the pens allow them to go out at all and relieve themselves? Or are the poor pets left to sit in the mess when a familiy member arrives too late to let them out to go? I've never heard of such a thing! Please tell me it's not as bad as it sounds!

My folks are thinking of bringing their lab with them and are weighing the pros and cons of boarding her. We thought we'd have more freedom if we boarded her but we'd be worried to death that she'd be asking to go out and they would strictly follow the "no walking" policy. We'd never, ever do that to our BABY!!

Any thoughts?

 

[becky1960]

They do not walk your pets at FW, I have heard that they walk at Epcot for a fee but others say they don't. Now that being said your pet will be put into a indoor cage and no outside run. We take our pet every year and had been using the Kennel at TTC and walking them several times. We now take them to FW and leave them in our camper in the pet loops. They are very strict on walking the pets. Also I might add that I have seen Disney CM's walking pets at Epcot.

 

[myboysnme]

I do not have any experience with the kennel at FW. We have boarded our miniature dachshund at Epcot several times. They require that the dog be walked at least three times per day. You must visit once a day to walk and check on your dog. The CM's will walk your dog twice a day for a fee of I believe $2.50 each time. Epcot and FW are the only overnight kennels on property. We were pleased with the care our dog received at Epcot. On one trip we did take advantage of the dog walking service; however, since then we have taken care of walking him. They encourage you to visit as often as you like, but again, at least once per day. Three times if you do not pay the walking fee. They do keep up with how often your dog goes out. They were also very good about allowing us to bring his special things from home. There aren't any runs, so the only time they are out of the kennel is when they are walked. Also, if you are planning to take advantage of the walking service, you must have computer printed up to date shot records from a licensed veternarian, otherwise the CM are not allowed to remove your dog from the kennel. On one visit, our records were handwritten on a form from the vet. They allowed him to stay in a special section of the kennel, but we were required to walk him until they could verify with the vet's office.

Hope this helps.

 

[spiceycat]

I can't determine from the disney site if they still walk at Epcot

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/common/guestServicesDetail?id=GuestServicesKennelsDetailPage

here is what the dis says
http://www.wdwinfo.com/tips_for_touring/kennels.htm

all WDW kennels allow overnight boarding.

I like FW and Epcot better - because they have room for the pet to run.

so does TTC (MK) - but it is next to the bus depost at TTC. Spicey hates the bus noise....

you realized that FW is very understaffed....

there is generally one person there (sometimes 2) and they not only have the kennels - but the horseback riding... Disney has always understaffed this kennel - which they have 3 or 4 at Epcots....

during Oct, Nov - they have the haunted carriage rides too...

there have been times when they have had 50 dogs and 3 cats - that is alot for one person....

now if your animal is nice. they will clean the cages... but if your animal growls at all - forget it... their insurance will not allow them to open the cage of an animal that might bite them....

now I think people with animals that growl and try to bite other people should be shoot.....their is no excuse for you to put your monster where others could possible be hurt.

My monster - and she definitely is - stays home. I don't trust her - a friend comes by to visit them. My friend says this cat is an angel to her....but I don't trust her. She will try to encourage little kids to come pet her (they can pet Spicey) then she will try and scratch them - I say try - because I generally catch her first and I get scratched.... I have warned all the kids in the neighorhood...

People who swear their pets are nice and then these pets bite other people are simply fooling themselves...It is always better to be honest!!!!

 

[myboysnme]

OK, this sparked some checking for me since we will be leaving on Friday. Per Animal Kingdom kennel, all of the kennels now have overnight boarding. None of the kennels, including Epcot offer the dog walking service. She said she was not sure why they did away with this service. However, pets housed at Animal Kingdom kennels can be walked 24 hours a day. Security takes care of it after the staff leaves according to the lady I talked to.

 

[ftwildernessguy]

I can't speak for all the kennels on property, but I do know about the FW kennels since we have boarded our beagle there for the last 8 years as a day guest. Some of the information given previously doesn't seem to be correct.

Most of the kennel accommodations are indoors, which isn't a bad idea considering the temperatures that can be reached during the day in Florida. There are some outdoor kennel areas available which are also under cover, but of course not air conditioned.

The staff is most excellent. Two of the staff members have been there for the last 8 years at least. There is between one and two on duty at any time during the business hours. They do require you walk your pet at least twice daily and they will keep track. They will not reach into the cage to remove your pet regardless of what you have presented as evidence of vaccination or the apparent disposition of the pet, and I really don't blame them. My dog is pretty mellow, but may feel threatened if a stranger reaches into his cage for him. The cages are cleaned everytime you walk your pet while he is out, with the cage being wiped down, a new towel placed on the floor, and fresh water placed in the water bowl.

You must present proof of vaccination at check in to the kennels. The FW kennels close at, I believe, 7:30 at night. If you are out past that time and are a day guest, you can go to the Outpost and someone will walk you to the kennel, let you in and allow you to pick up your pet. You will need proof of ownership, which will be the pink form they give you at check in.

Despite the OP's feelings about the kennels, they are clean, well staffed and have rules which basically are not out of line for responsible pet owners. If the rules are unacceptable, then you have the option to keep your pet in your RV or make other arrangements at home. If you leave them in the RV, however, won't they need to be walked during the day? Will anyone be there to let them out so they don't have to sit in their mess all day while you are at the park? What will happen to your pet if the electric goes out and your RV air conditioner goes out in the middle of summer? What if your pet dumps their water bowl? Who will be there to refill it? I realize that the kennels are not for everyone, and that's ok by me. But I think the staff at the FW kennel is great, and that Disney provides me with a service that allows my dog to go on vacation with my family, allows me to be free to go to the parks during the day, and gives me the peace of mind that someone is there with him if he needs help.

 

[lookingforward]

How much does it cost for overnight boarding at FW? We are in the cabins but I know my kids would love to be able to spend time with our schnauzer during our trip. I am assuming that the cabins do not allow pets?

 

[ftwildernessguy]

Pets aren't allowed in the cabins. I am going by memory, but I believe the overnight fee for resort guests is 9 dollars per day.

 

[lookingforward]

Thanks! I am going to call to see if there is availability. Is there a certain area that we must walk our dog? Also, what are the hours during which you have to do the mandatory walk and visits? Just trying to figure out if caring for her will allow us the time to do what we have planned. It would be great to bring her.

 

[ftwildernessguy]

Reservations are not taken at the kennels. It is first come, first served when you check in. There are no established times for walking - they are flexible, but if you leave your pet all day and it has an "accident", you will be reminded first that you need to walk your pet, the second time you risk eviction - that's how serious they are about it. I did see this happen once while I was there. They were having a difficult time contacting the owners of a dog. My dog is used to being alone in the house while we are at work, so I generally drop him off at 7 or 7:30 am, walk him around midday, sometimes little later, then we usually pick him up early around 5 pm unless we have dinner reservations, so I will then do an extra walk in the afternoon and pick him up around 7 pm or so. If you are keeping your pet overnight at the kennels, you would probably want to do an extra walk before closing, and then one when the kennels open. I don't really find it inconvenient at all. Usually around 1 in the afternoon I am ready for a park break, and this gives me an excuse to escape while my wife is free to shop at a park.

Oh, yeah, as far as where you walk - there is a good sized meadow next to the kennels for walking. There are clean up bags available there so you can pick up after your pet. The meadow is adjacent to a corral where some of the FW horses may be. My beagle likes to go over and watch them, although he can get intimidated if they come over to the fence to visit him.

 

[myboysnme]

Thank you for the great information about the Fort Wilderness kennel. We have only used the Epcot kennel, and we were very happy with the care our pet received. It is good to know they will contact you if you are needed to check on your pet in the event of an accident. I would hate to know he sat in a mess for very long. It would be much more convenient to have him nearby at the campground. That way, we can walk him several times during our breaks. You also brought up excellent points about leaving him in the camper that I had not considered. We also have a six month old, so we will probably be at the camper some during the day, but the kennel is so inexpensive, I don't think we will take the chance.

We used the walking service at Epcot once, but they no longer offer it. Even then, we still checked on him a couple times anyway. Our Dachshund is also used to being in a crate during the day. At the time he was at Epcot with the walking service, he was still a puppy and prone to accidents, so we were glad they were willing to walk him. I can see why they would have decided to do away with this service. Too great a chance for injury to the Cast Members.

Thanks again for the great information.

 

[Charlotte&Carolina]

I thought I would just mention that when we checked out the kennel in Feb 06 that they had a sign up that you had to be 16 or 18 to come into the back and only one person per party. Maybe someone else can confirm that just to be sure.

I just wanted to bring it up in case you planned to go back to rest and watch small children and maybe send a teen (or two) up to walk your pet.

But from what we did see it was very clean and the staff was really nice.

 

[lookingforward]

Thanks for all the great information! It won't work for us because we won't be able to walk her during the days and my kids are all under 15 so that means you know who (ME) will be doing all the work. (I work full time and want to relax and not worry).

I think it is a great idea and service that they offer.