Shortly before our holiday we did a tour of the kennels nearby (Kanton Aargau)to see which best suited our dogs. The kennel we used in the past had an outbreak of kennel cough and we were advised not to take our dogs there regardless of whether they were immunized, which they have been with the separate immunization (administered in the nose).
We visited 4 kennels. These are the things we looked for:
Enclosures: We have 3 dogs who can all be housed together. However, not all kennels have room enclosures that differ in size. We wanted our 3 dogs to have one larger space if possible. Some provided beds, others did not and we would have to bring our own. Most kennels had concrete floors but one was tiled (the one our dogs stayed at which also provided beds).
Access to outdoors: Some kennels had enclosures that gave the dogs unlimited access to their own outdoor space, though this varied in size. But there was no contact with other dogs in this area. In some cases from this smaller space there was access to an even larger outside area where there might be other dogs but the access was controlled, so for example, our 3 dogs would be allowed there at one time with no other dogs. Not all the kennels had grass, some just had gravel as the outdoor surface (though most were covered with snow while we were away).
Heating: This is not an issue in summer but if your dog lives indoors, they need a heated kennel. Most kennels were not centrally heated (the one we chose was) but all seem to charge a daily surcharge for heating.
Food: We don't like to change our dogs' food (one is on a special food) but not one kennel offered a reduction for brining our own food even though food supplied was part of the price.
Walking: Most kennels will not walk dogs and if they do, there is a fee for this. Only one kennel had walking as part of the daily rate. They walk dogs 3 times a day. For our dogs that is just too much. We are happy if our dogs have sufficient space to run and play. If they don't walk for a week it is not an issue. Walking with a Basset is not like walking other dogs...90% sniffing, 10% walking.
Teeth brushing is not part of the daily kennel rate.
Some kennels can house many more dogs than others and this does make for a noisier environment. 70 dogs in one kennel can make a lot of noise.
The kennel we chose is in Fisibach. It is called Tierpension Fisibach. (of all the kennels we looked at this would be the closest one to Zürich).
Here is the website.
http://www.tierferienheim.com/
We were extremely happy with the way our dogs were cared for. They had nice beds, heated and tiled enclosure that was very clean and plenty of outdoor space covered in grass (though mostly snow when they were there). As a service they would bathe the dogs before we picked them up for 30 chf a dog which is quite reasonable.
Some kennels are closed on Sunday so you cannot pick up or drop off on that day. Most kennels charge for the day you drop off and pick up. Some kennels offer a discount if you bring more than one dog, but then some have special rates for weekend and holidays. We paid the same rate per day per dog with no discount for bringing more that one dog.
The other kennels we looked at were near Brugg, Frick and Mülligen.
If you are considering a kennel, I think it is worth checking out unless you have been referred to the kennel by someone whom you think has similar standards to yours.
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