A viewing, a trial day, a short first stay, and the honest report afterwards
First stays and puppies
A first stay is easier if it is not the first time. Come for a Saturday viewing with the dog, do a trial day, book a short first stay before the fortnight in Portugal, and get a straight report on how they did. Puppies from twelve weeks with their second vaccination.
We have been doing this since 2008 and the dogs who do worst on their first stay are the ones whose first stay is fourteen nights in August. So we ask people to come and look first, let the dog sniff the yard, try a day, and do two or three nights before the big one. Most dogs settle on the second night. We tell you honestly if yours did not.
A viewing is a walk round with whoever is on: the suites, the paddocks, the kitchen, the quiet end, and the oak. Bring the dog and let it sniff. Registration is a form and a copy of the vaccination card: core vaccinations and kennel cough, the latter at least ten days before the stay. Then a trial day, which is day care, and most people go from there to a first stay of two or three nights with the evening photographs to reassure them.
Puppies board from twelve weeks, a week after the second vaccination, and get a puppy routine: more meals, more short walks, a kennel hand who sits with them on the floor, and a suite near the office. We write a report at the end of every first stay: how they ate, how they slept, how they walked, whether they would be better in the quiet end next time, and whether we would recommend a longer stay yet. It is honest because the alternative is a bad fortnight for the dog.
What is included
- Saturday viewings, no appointment, bring the dog
- Registration with the vaccination card
- A trial day before the first night
- Short first stays before long ones
- Puppies from twelve weeks with a puppy routine
- A written report after every first stay
What it costs
Viewings free, Saturdays 11 to 1. A trial day £26. First stays at the normal nightly rate. Puppies from twelve weeks, a week after the second vaccination. Prices include VAT. The prices page has every price and a box that works out your dates.
Questions about first stays
What vaccinations do you need?
The core course or an annual booster (distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, leptospirosis) and kennel cough, the latter at least ten days before the stay, with the card to show us. No card, no stay; it is the rule that protects the other twenty-three dogs.
My dog has never been away from me. Will it be all right?
Probably, with a viewing, a trial day and a short first stay. Some dogs are not kennel dogs and we will say so after the trial; for those we can suggest a home-boarder we trust.
Can I ring during the stay?
Yes, between eight and six, and you will get a photograph every evening anyway. We do not do video calls with the dog; they find it confusing and it unsettles them.
Book a stay, or come and look.
Give us the dates, the dog and whether two are sharing, and Helen replies within a day with the suite, the price and the deposit. Viewings on Saturdays, eleven to one, no appointment. Bring the dog.