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ALBATROSS
PUBLICATIONS
PO Box 523
Horsham
West Sussex
RH12 4WL
Tel:
01293 871201
Fax:
01293 871301 |
ANIMAL HOTELS
Is this a growth market?
Trevor Turner, B. Vet. Med., MRCVS
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Commercial accommodation standards vary both for us and our
pets. Minimum standards for our pets, at least if they are
dogs and cats, are controlled by the Animal Boarding Establishments
Act 1963 since boarding kennels for dogs and cats have to
be licensed by the Local Authority.
Minimum standards for us may not be
quite so clearly defined but nevertheless are in place via
legislation, particularly that involved with Health and Safety.
These, however, impose minimum standards and just as accommodation
for us can range from the meagre doss-house to five-star luxury,
so more and more kennel accommodation is gradually becoming
available that is far above the standards required by the
current, albeit somewhat elderly, legislation enacted in 1963.
Presumably there is a market for this
luxurious accommodation but is it really necessary as far
as the welfare of the consumers, our pets, is concerned?
A couple of years ago Kennel &
Cattery Management ran a piece on just such accommodation
under the title of ‘Top Class Animal Hotel.’ This
generated a lot of interest and comment and, I have to say,
not a little criticism. Having read, and re-read both the
original article and some of the comments it generated, it
seems to me that the old adage of it is not what you say but
how you say it may well be invoked. Therefore I am departing
from my usual practice and will use anonymous quotes from
the original piece and comments received, leaving the authors
to comment if they wish.
It was explained in the piece that
the original idea of “Opening boarding kennels began
as the result of the experience of a couple who used to breed
and show Afghan hounds, who after visiting over 27 kennels
became so depressed over standards that they nearly cancelled
their holiday.”
This was also my experience in those far off days, only two
years after the Boarding Establishments Act came into being
when I expanded my veterinary practice to include a separate,
30-mile-distant, boarding kennels. It is mentioned in the
piece that this animal hotel has “37 members of staff
to look after over 300 animals.” Unfortunately we are
not told how many dogs and cats the kennels are licensed to
accommodate. There is, however, mention of “rabbits,
birds and even larger animals such as horses.” We are
not informed whether those 37 people are full or part time,
voluntary, work experience or employees. This is important
because one correspondent with kennels licensed for 26 dogs
and 13 cats points out that they have a total of five staff
and “this probably gives us a higher ratio of staff
to animals with the advantage that the small numbers with
proprietors working the majority of the hours means an intimate
knowledge of the animals plus continued continuity of care.”
I would concur with this comment having had the same experience
during the growth of my own kennels from the early days of
total owner participation until it grew to be finally licensed
for over 300 animals. The difficulties of ensuring continuity
of care and staff /animal bonding grew as the kennels grew.
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It
is mentioned that animals in this luxurious accommodation
can all expect daily grooming and health checks throughout
their stay; ‘high quality food (or owners can take
in their own) and depending on the owner’s instructions,
daily walks and/or cuddles.’
This elicited quite a lot of comment
and I am not surprised. It is my experience that caring
kennel owners actively encourage everyone involved, no matter
how peripherally (e.g. occasional work experience people),
to communicate any concerns they have regarding any of the
boarders. Experienced kennel owners are also very aware
that some of the full-coated breeds, both dogs and cats,
require daily grooming, otherwise there is mad panic when
home-going day is suddenly upon us! This is good common
sense husbandry, not an added-on luxury service!
I was intrigued with the suggestion
that in such luxury pet hotels, high quality food is fed
(or owners can take in their own)! My approach has always
been to request food preferences and feed that if my preferred
choice of food was unacceptable to that particular boarder.
It seems also that another promulgated
advantage of the luxury animal hotel accommodation is the
availability of 24 hours a day medical attention. Fine,
but in the article there is no mention that there is round-the-clock
staff attendance. A question I would ask is, if I boarded
my Wolfhound in such accommodation, could they guarantee
that the signs of an acute onset gastric torsion occurring
at, say 0200 hours, would be spotted any earlier than in
my usual country kennels where she would be put to bed,
probably at 10 o’clock on a summer’s evening
and next seen at approximately 7-7.30 a.m. when staff went
round to open up? I ask this because I have been involved
in this situation finding not a Wolfhound but a Great Dane
dead in its kennel the next morning having been perfectly
fit when put to bed. This caused me to ponder whether I
would have spotted the signs in one of my own dogs bearing
in mind that some slept in kennels adjacent to but separate
from my home.
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Articles
on luxury pet accommodation and not infrequently advertisements
for the same often play on the fact there is background
music. This I applaud. I think it is a useful thing to have
some low ground background distraction. We did it for years
in our kennels basically to cheer up the staff and also
found it reduced the noise level among the boarders. However
I do not think this is in any way an attribute of the luxury
kennels.
However they do go further and offer
“their very own private suite complete with TV and
video” . We are warned that early prior booking is
essential due to the popularity. With whom? Owners, I suspect,
since my own lifetime experience with dogs and cats leads
me to believe that they couldn’t care less whether
the television is on or off provided they have a full belly
and a comfortable bed on which to lie.
Nonetheless this does not mean that
I am in any way denigrating the efforts of the proprietors
of these high class kennels to attract custom since capital
outlay is high. I did not invest in luxury suites, TVs or
videos although I did have radios. Nonetheless I built up
a very successful functional boarding kennels.
I would be interested to learn the
thoughts of others since one of the comments I received
concerned ‘kennel trashers.’ We are all aware
of these dogs that although presumably impeccably behaved
at home, are so incensed at being abandoned by their owners
in a kennel, not matter how luxurious, they are hell bent
upon destroying their strange environment.
How do the luxury dog hotels deal
with such inmates? Are the miscreants put in strait jackets
or in secure accommodation in a non-luxury wing?
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does seem to me the marketing thrust of such establishments
is directed towards the owner. Anthropomorphism is something
with which we all have to deal in the animal industry. I
presently own a dog who is in her seventh heaven when she
has rolled in indescribable effluent. If she can’t
find that she endeavours to find as much mud as possible
during normal exercise. What happens with such animals in
this luxury accommodation? Are they immediately bathed and
groomed before being returned to “their spotlessly
clean luxury accommodation” or are they downgraded
to more mundane accommodation as the result of such low
class behaviour?
Are their owners on collection advised
regarding a course in canine social etiquette?
One important point I noted was that
although various categories of accommodation were described
“from standard to five star” , I was intrigued
that walks or cuddles were included as extras. Unfortunately
there seems some reticence regarding pricing. Over the last
year I have stayed in reasonable accommodation ranging from
£29.50 a night, including breakfast, to over £200
a night for B&B. I know I can accommodate my dogs in
local kennels for £6 a day. How much would it cost
me to accommodate the same medium-sized hounds with certain
destructive tendencies when confined against their will
in a strange environment in five star luxury?
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