FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
CAN I PICK UP MY PET OUT OF BUSINESS HOURS?
Due to the nature of our business, routine and structure are very important. We cannot just “pop into the office” and check out your pet. First of all the computer is involved to check out your pet from records, evaluate what services have been provided, such as exercise and medication administration, and the bill must be generated. Next we must collect all the luggage you brought for your pet, check that we have it all, give you all this plus the bill, accept your check or cash and finally get your pet and restore him or her to you. All this takes time. While we have kennel workers available and on call twenty-four hours a day, those who have both the authority and the knowledge to do the check-out process are available only during the hours we are open.
Only in extreme emergencies do we open out of hours for either drop-off or pick-up and in those cases there is a charge and either the owners or manager must be available.
CAN SOMEONE ELSE PICK UP OR DROP OFF MY PET FOR ME?
Yes a friend or family member can pick up or drop off your pet. However your pet is your valuable property and so we require photo ID of the person who is picking up or dropping off. We expect prior arrangements to be made between the pet's owners and the person picking up or dropping off the pet as well as with the Kennel owners or manager so that all boarding details, including signing the boarding contract and the understanding that we do not accept credit or debit cards for payment are fully understood.. If someone else other than the owner is picking up the pet, they should be able to pay the full charges by check or cash at the time of pickup. We do not bill or make other payment arrangements.
DOES MY PET GET TO GO OUTSIDE IF HE/SHE IS NOT ON THE EXERCISE PROGRAM?
Yes
We monitor the dogs several times during the day to make sure they “do their doings” and the majority do this in their run. However the few that don’t we take out for a few minutes on the exercise yard or on a leash for a short walk. That does the trick.
The Exercise program allows for much more exercise time. It also allows us hands on contact and interaction with your pet. We try to make the walk or playtime as much fun as possible for both the pet and the staff person.
Cats do not go outside – or we might not see them back inside again! But they have their kitty litter boxes and when we are cleaning their condos or houses they get the run of the Cat Room where they can sit on window sills, watch the fish from really close up, (You should see your cat leaning against the fish tank eyeing those sword tails!) Personal playtime is also available for your cat, again for a fee as with the dogs, and then a kennel technician will spend 20 minutes playing with your cat, rocking in the rocking chair, rolling a ball to chase, or waving the feather on a stick for him or her to paw at.
CAN I BRING MY OWN FOOD
Yes, please. And treats too and just about anything to make your pet feel more at home. This is especially important if your pet is on a special/prescription diet. We feed the Nutro Natural Choice products for your convenience.
WHY DO I HAVE TO PAY FOR THE WHOLE DAY ON SUNDAYS?
We charge by the night with check out time being 1 p.m Monday – Friday and 12 noon on Saturday which is when we close that day. If you come after 1 p.m. Monday – Friday we charge an additional night.
Sunday is the exception. We are open only in the evenings from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. and charge for that night. We are open Sunday evenings as a convenience to those clients who would have difficulty picking up their pets before 1 p.m. Monday. But it is after that 1 p.m. time and so we charge for Sunday night. If you come before 1p.m. on Monday it will still be no additional charge.
HAS MY PET BEEN FED ON SUNDAY EVENINGS?
When you pick up your pet on Sunday evening he or she will have had the evening meal and been taken outside, all the luggage will be ready for you to collect and in spite of what your pet may tell you about never having enough to eat while boarding (!) you would be wise to just let her or him have a run when you get home. Food, treats, even a drink of water, on top of the happy reunion with you is enough to upset some stomachs and you can anticipate a mess on the carpet. So wait about three hours if you can keep your eyes open that long before giving any food or water.
CAN MY CHILD/FRIEND/NEIGHBOR BOARD THEIR PET WITH MY PET?
We belong to the Pet Care Services Association , PCSA(formerly American Boarding Kennels Association) and follow their standards and guidelines which state that only pets living under the same roof – that is literally in one family home – as being suitable to share the same boarding space, run, kennel or condo.
We also are mindful that even two pets that get along well at home, may not be such good buddies when first boarding and so we usually recommend separate kennels and shared playtime until they get used to the boarding routines.
CAN A FAMILY MEMBER OR FRIEND COME AND WALK MY DOG, PLAY WITH MY CAT WHILE BOARDING
This is not a good idea. When your pet is boarding it is getting used to our staff as the ‘pack leader’ and when some one from the ‘home front’ comes to play or walk, it is confusing for your pet seeing this face, hearing this voice. Pets can become anxious at changes in routine so it is not reassuring to the pet to have someone from ‘outside’ come for a visit. We’ve tried it and have decided against this option.
CAN I BRING MY VACCINATION RECORDS WHEN I BRING IN MY PET?
We have always required vaccination records to be mailed or faxed or brought in to us prior to boarding so that there aren’t any surprises when you bring in your pet. Such as “Your rabies vaccination expired last month” or “your veterinarian records don’t show any distemper/parvo shots”. No current shots, no boarding. We hate to be so hard nosed about this, but the Pet Care Services Association and all the area veterinarians agree with us. It’s in the best interest and health of your pet
I’D LIKE TO TAKE MY DOG BACK TO HIS KENNEL MYSELF, JUST TO SEE HE’S GOING TO BE O.K.
Sorry, but no. Say your farewells out in the reception area or even outside. But taking your dog back to his boarding kennel not only disrupts the other dogs, interferes with the kennel staff who are working back there, but also upsets your dog who will become anxious at the anxiety you are feeling at that time. The best thing is to let one of us take him/her back, giving her or him a pet, saying the dog’s name and putting down the water bowl in the run and checking the bedding in the kennel – all that tells your pet that even if you are not there, here is someone else who seems to know what’s what. And that gives you a chance to concentrate on the paperwork we present you with and all the questions we ask to make sure your pet’s stay with us is going to go well.
WHY CAN’T YOU LET MY DOG RUN TO THE CAR/TRUCK WHEN I PICK HER/HIM UP? WHY DO I HAVE TO KEEP THE LEASH ON UNTIL HE/SHE IS IN THE VEHICLE?
Because the moment your pet senses his/her freedom and sees not just your car or truck, but that field and the drive and all those other cars and pets and people, it’s “Goodbye Charlie” and “let’s have some fun, meet some friends, check out all that space, find a new spot to pee.” The last thing many of them want to do is to get into their beloved home on wheels. Only for a while, of course, they really do want to get home and be with their family again, but it’s those few minutes when chaos can erupt – and your dog may be fine, but then there may be others around who can’t be counted on to behave, and if one dog is off leash and others are on leash sometimes there can be trouble. And other cars/trucks may be driving up at that moment and ..... oh dear! So we hope you see our point – DOGS ON LEASH UNTIL IN YOUR VEHICLE. It’s one of our rules! And we have many and most of them are to avoid surprises.
IF I CANCEL MY RESERVATION IS IT OK IF MYDAUGHTER/FRIEND/MOTHER TAKES IT INSTEAD?
It’s best to ask us first. We would need to see vaccination records and emergency numbers just as for any other reservation.
BUT at peak boarding times – spring break, holidays, summer vacations, Christmas and New Years – Sagemoor Kennels is booked full for at least nine weeks in advance. There is a waiting list of people anxious to board their pets. It is our policy to pass any cancellation on to the next patiently waiting client. So at those times we would pass your cancelled reservation on to the next on the waiting list.
CAN I BOARD MY TWO DOGS TOGETHER? ONE IS A PUG AND THE OTHER IS A MASTIFF.
In this case, the answer is no.
We do not board one small and one large dog together.
Same size and we will board them together, but when one is small and the other very large we don’t. At home these two may get along just fine, but that’s in a familiar place and the two have worked out the dynamics of who does what, where and when. In the boarding kennels it’s a whole different story. New place, new people, new sleeping spots and “don’t these folks know I (mastiff speaking) eat in the corner and little one (pug) eats first.” Or something like that. The thing is it’s a new situation and these two need to get used to the routines and the people before we would consider putting them in the same kennel and run together. They can get together for exercise play time.