Has anyone used the kennels at Disney

[Mom21]

I am going twice in the next month. I have a 96lb german shepherd. She is a handful to say the least. Would they have a problem with that? She is a good dog just thinks she is still a puppy at 6yo. I tried calling but no answer. I just thought someone with experience could better tell me. I am sure they will tell me what they think I want to hear.

My vet here charges about $25/night and then requires a bath at the end for $35. Also once every six months a check for worms at about $15 (they do it every time but only charge every six months). So I see it is only $18/night at Disney and didn't see the bath requirement. She really shouldn't be bathed that much as it ruins her coat. She will be staying the week before at the vets for a diff trip so that would be 3 baths in less than a month.

So if I can handle the drive with her up there, I just wanted to know how the kennels are.

 

[LindaR]

I think you would be better off (and your dog certainly would!) by staying at the vets kennel. It is a place that the dog would be familiar with.

At WDW you are required to visit several times to walk the dog. It is not really a full-service kennel. And if your dog is a "handfull" then you REALLY want people that are trained to handle that type of dog!

 

[christiane]

Our dogs have stayed in the Fort Wilderness Kennels. We visited them first thing every morning for feeding & excercise and then we took them to whichever park we were going to the for the day. Each park has a kennel at its entrance.

During the day, we took breaks from the park to visit our dogs & excercise them.

We then took them back to FW Kennels each evening.

The last time we were there, you were required to walk & feed your own pets. However, I think you can now ask the staff to do it but there might be a small fee.

If your dog is fine with staying in a kennel, he should be fine staying on-site. However, some dogs can't stand the stress & anxiety of a kennel & are best staying at home with a pet sitter.

There are no secure, fenced areas for large dogs to run around & blow off steam, so all her excercise will need to be on leash.

Have a great trip!

 

[JerseyJanice]

I don't know about WDW kennels, but here in NJ, all kennels require shots to be up-to-date. So if you have to pay for a Bordetella (sp?) shot on top of WDW's fees, you might not be saving anything.

We did see a number of dogs and their owners at the Epcot kennel in September. We wound up parking near the kennel two days of our trip and walked past it to enter and exit the park. Seeing the doggies being walked made us miss our hound, who was at a kennel back in NJ. It would be nice to see our beast during vacation, but there's no way we could transport his 120 pound hide to Florida and back.

 

[JKLLady]

We have made 10 trips in the past 12 months and brought our two dogs with us each time. The different kennels have varying services and hours, depending on where they are located. Our "kids" have stayed at MK, EPCOT and DHS kennels; but, we prefer the MK kennels.

At the MK (actually located at the TTC) and EPCOT kennels they walk your dog twice daily and feed them for the daily rate. You can add more walks for an additional charge. We prefer to walk them ourselves, and go first thing in the morning, sometime after lunch, dinnertime and bedtime. MK has "Pluto's Park", which gives you a large area to walk and run with your dog, and also has its own parking lot if your driving to the kennel to care for them. EPCOT has a decent size area for walking, but you have to park in the EPCOT lot and take the tram or hoof it to the kennel; there's no separate parking area.

The DHS and AK kennels require you to walk your pet yourself, and neither have much space to do so; at DHS it's just a small path between bushes. At both DHS & AK, they expect you to take your pet on the tram with you to get to the kennel; not something too many pups would be happy with.

We love the staff at the MK kennel and since our two are regulars, they get the same kennels each time. The staff even refers to it as the "Max & Ginger Lily Suites". The kennel is open from one hour before MK opening to one hour after MK closing, including extra magic hours.

If your pup doesn't mind the car ride, you should be OK.

 

[DisneyLover83]

We have used the EPCOT kennel twice and have another reservation for December. They do require your dog to be updated with all shots prior to arrival and one has to be given at least two weeks before (I don't remember which but they will tell you on the phone). Every employee we have encountered has been great with the dogs, even the large ones. The only reason they will not walk your dog at Mk or Epcot is if your dog shows signs of aggression.

 

[glitterkittyy]

I use the TTC kennel at least 2-3 times per month. It has been a very good experience for us. My pup has been treated quite well, and she likes going there.

 

[Mom21]

Thanks for the replies everyone. It doesn't really matter for the next 2 trips as they are booked except for the 2 that you have to walk and feed your dog. We are too busy to find time to make sure we get there in the evenings. I really wanted to leave her at the TTC. No way would she go on a tram. Morning would be no problem. At least I can plan for next year when we go. As far as shots go my dog is always up to date including the bordetella as we go on trips frequently, especially since dd is a competitive athlete.