A first stay at a Chichester or Bognor Regis boarder or day care
Booking a first stay with a new kennels, day care or home boarder in Chichester or Bognor Regis is different from a routine rebooking: there is no track record yet on either side, so it is worth treating the first visit as a trial rather than a full commitment, and several of the twelve businesses listed here build exactly that into how they take new bookings.
Ask about a trial or a viewing first
Tharfield Pet Boarding, in Fishbourne, offers a discounted trial night at £14 before a full booking. Dog Dotty, a home boarder in the Chichester area, requires a one-hour meet-and-greet before any booking is confirmed. Muttlyns, near Bognor Regis, requires a day-care trial followed by a mandatory overnight trial before it will book a longer boarding stay. Ask whoever else you are considering whether a similar trial, viewing or meet-and-greet is available, especially with a home boarder such as Kate's K9 Companions or Chichester Dog Sitters, where your dog would be moving into somebody's house rather than a kennel block.
What to pack
Whichever type of boarding or day care you choose, take enough of your dog's usual food for the length of the stay, since a sudden change of diet can upset its stomach, plus any regular medication in its original packaging, a lead and collar with an up-to-date ID tag, and something that smells of home. Ask the business in advance what it provides and what it expects you to bring, since this varies between operators.
Drop-off and collection
Ask what the arrangement is for dropping off and collecting your dog, since Chichester and Bognor Regis's businesses vary. Tharfield Pet Boarding sets drop-off Monday to Saturday 8am to 2pm and pick-up 8am to noon, with Sunday and bank-holiday hours 8am to noon for both, plus viewings by appointment Thursday to Saturday 11am to 1pm. Carleton Canine Centre, in Arundel, opens Monday to Friday 7am to 7pm and Saturday 8am to 5pm, closed Sunday. Dog Dotty runs day care Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5.30pm, with overnight boarding by arrangement, and Dog Vision, near Midhurst, is open Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm and weekends 9am to 5pm. For every other business listed here, ask directly what its arrangement is before you set off.
A good handover
Whichever business you choose, a good handover covers your dog's feeding times and amounts, any medication and when it is due, its normal toileting routine, anything it is anxious about, and an emergency contact number for you. Write it down as well as saying it, so it is there if you are unreachable during the stay. Ask, too, how the business will update you during the stay, and how it would contact you if there were a problem, before you leave your dog with any of the twelve businesses listed here.