WDW kennel experiences?

[Lesley]

Sorry if I'm posting in the wrong forum, but I'm supposing that my fellow DVC'ers may have the most information regarding the WDW kennels.

My family recently adopted a great dog....a labrador retreiver who thrives on our attention. We have a neighbor who comes to our house to feed our cats when we're away and would be quite willing to feed the dog, let him outside, etc..... but we're afraid that he might not get enough exercise and attention for his needs this way. We're considering bringing him along with us (we drive) and using the kennels at WDW. That way we can at least walk him twice a day like he will be used to. I don't like having him in a cage all that time, but I don't know that its any worse than him being at home without us(and at this point we crate him when we're not home...but we're never gone long or frequently...I haven't decided what exactly we'd do if we left him home).

I'm thinking that having us to walk him regularly and to be in the busy kennel where he'll see other people and animals would be better for him than staying at home alone most of the time....but I'm not entirely sure.

I've looked at the information on the kennels at All Ears...and besides just wanting general opinions and experiences I have a couple of questions. Does the overnight charge include the day? Is feeding an extra charge (we could easily bring our own food) ?

Thanks for any input you can provide. I haven't had a dog since I was a child...and never had a dog this size before...so its all kind of new to me!

Edited to add this question....is there a kennel at the HHI resort? We plan to go there next year.

 

[cherylp3]

Just a note that the disney kennels do not provide dog walking, that you need to walk your dog yourself. You may have better luck boarding your dog at your local vet. or at a Kennel. ( Make sure they are ABKA approved. go to www.abka.com for more info.)

 

[Lesley]

Our plan would be to walk him ourselves....that's sort of the point of bringing him along. I assume that he'll be pretty attached to us in a month or so...since we're pretty attached to him already.

Thanks for the info on the abka though...if we look into a local kennel we'll look for that. Chances are we might also have the option of leaving him with a friend who also has dogs...or hiring a friend as a dog sitter.

 

[chipscinderelly]

We have not used the WDW kennels, however, we do kennel our Chocolate Lab anytime we are out of town. We have a local kennel that offers doggy day camp during the day where Chip (our dog) can run, play, hang out and basically exhaust himself during the day and he is always happy to head there - he never even looks back when I drop him off. We spent a lot of time researching and visiting the local facilities and are very confident that he's in good hands there.

If you are flying please consider how long you will be in the air and how long he'll be in his crate. Chip and I have flown before and he's so off kilter after we get to the location (we only fly places direct) as he does not totally relax. When he was smaller it was not as much of an issue, however, now that he's more mature he does not adapt as quickly.

Good luck

 

[dianeschlicht]

We show dogs and have used the WDW kennels in the past when we have combined dog show trips with WDW trips. Once, we even kenneled THREE dogs at the same time, so our days were broken up, not by nap breaks back at the hotel, but by dog walks at the kennel! Now we NEVER bring any of the dogs with us.....too much like home! I will say though, that the kennels at WDW are wonderful, and one of them (can't remember if it's MGM or Epcot) has a few outdoor runs that are covered, and much more room for the dog than being in one of the small indoor cages. They also let us house two of them together in one of the runs.

 

[Uncleromulus]

Let me just say this about dogs in the kennel environment--and I've worked in one (attached to a Veterinary Hospital) for almost 2 years now,so I know what actually goes on.
Some dogs do fine--many don't. It's a loud, noisy, active environment from sunup to sundown. Many dogs are stressed by this. Small dogs are often terrorized by alll the barking, howling and even screaming. Normally a dog will sleep during some of the day. My 4 always sack out form time to time . But at a kennel they can't do that. No sleep. And that (over several days) can stress a dog out and get them sick. Diarrhea often results.
Many dogs also do not eat while in a kennel. We frequently have some who won't eat for 3-4 days straight.
Unless I absolutely had to I would Never take my dogs to a kennel. The home environment is best.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Yes, SOME dogs get stressed by a kennel experience, but I can tell you, as a kennel owner, MOST dogs love the interaction from the other dogs. At least the ones we have had here do. I have a few dogs who I refuse to board here, because they do get stressed by the situation in my kennel, but most dogs enjoy it, and many of our clients report that the dogs get excited when they get here. Of course, they are also excited to go home.... I do agree that some dogs will be more effected negetively than others though. If your dog is one of those, I would suggest getting an in home dog sitter for him.

 

[Lesley]

We do drive to WDW...its about 7 hours. Our dog is great in the car, but it might be a bit long for him. We do have the option of making stops whenever necessary.

We have only recently adopted him and he is nearly 2 years old and has been boarded in the past. It is looking as if a good kennel here at home (or maybe the one he has been to before) would be a good option. He does need a lot of exercise and companionship. I'm afraid of the mischief he might get into here at home alone.

I'm not too concerned about a good kennel environment for him...he sleeps through all the ruckus of 3 kids around here without a problem. I am concerned that the small size of the kennels at WDW with just two walks a day would not be enough exercise for him and might make the drive home tricky. That said, as we've so recently adopted him and he seems to like companionship so much, I'm concerned about leaving him even in a good kennel here at home. I'm also concerned about having our vacation not feel like a vacation....having the day broken up by his walks. But if that is what we decide is best for him it is what we'll do.

 

[stacy6552]

I could have sworn I just read that the kennals are for day visits only and not overnight.

 

[madcat]

I love my dog as well but I dont think that I would bring him just for the mere fact that even though you are going to be able to go to walk him twice a day your not going to be able to spend all that much time with him. He might be able to get just as much walking and running and love from either another kennel or one of your friends that could watch him. that way he is not too thrown out of his element. It might confuse him more if you put him in a strange place and then come and visit him for just a little while at a time. and you are on vacation so how relaxed are you going to be anyway when you have to split your days up because of the dog. If you put him in a kennel or have a friend watch him you could just call and check on him everyday-more than once if you wanted to