Two kennels can quote rates forty percent apart and charge almost the same money for the same stay, because the day rate is a container, not a total. One container holds walks, play and medication; the other holds a run and a bowl, with everything else metered. Fair comparison is therefore a method, not a talent: define one identical stay, force every quote into it line by line, and let arithmetic — not presentation — rank the options.
Build One Identical Stay on Paper
Write down the stay you are actually buying before requesting any quote: the number of nights, drop-off and collection times, how many walks per day your dog needs and of what length, whether group play or one-to-one time suits your dog, any medication handling with the number of administrations per day, and extras such as bathing before collection. Send that same specification to every kennel and insist each prices it completely. A kennel that will only quote its headline rate has not refused you information accidentally — bundled vagueness is what makes some rates look cheap. Note also what each rate includes by default: heating, bedding, photo updates and insurance contributions hide inside some day rates and appear as extras in others.
The Worked Example, Line by Line
Take seven nights for one dog needing medication twice daily and a bath before home. The first kennel charges a base of $40 per night, which is $40 multiplied by 7 nights giving $280, includes two walks daily, then charges medication at $5 per day, which is $5 multiplied by 7 days giving $35, plus bathing at $25 once. Its true total is $280 plus $35 plus $25, which equals $340. The second kennel charges a base of $55 per night, which is $55 multiplied by 7 nights giving $385, and that base already includes walks, play sessions and medication handling, with bathing also included. Its true total is $385. So the stay costs $340 at the first kennel and $385 at the second — a real difference of $45 for the same dog, the same nights and the same care, which is a far smaller and more honest gap than the headline rates suggested.
Charges That Hide Outside the Day Rate
Once totals are built, hunt the charges that live outside them. Peak-season uplifts, solo-occupancy supplements for dogs who cannot share, early drop-off and late collection fees, and out-of-hours handovers all attach to real trips with real flight times. Ask about cancellation terms with the same seriousness: a slightly dearer kennel with flexible cancellation may be the cheaper risk for an uncertain trip. Then check what the money buys in welfare terms, because a total can be honestly low by including almost nothing — a dog who receives no walks beyond a run, no play and no human time is not a bargain at any price. The fairest table has three columns: total cost, everything included, and everything excluded, for each kennel side by side.
Getting It in Writing
Finish by converting the winning conversation into an itemised written quote naming every included element, every extra and its price, and the total for your exact dates. Verbal bundles drift; written ones can be checked on collection day when the invoice arrives. If a charge appears that was never quoted, the itemised quote is your evidence and your leverage. Keep that document with the booking confirmation rather than in a message thread you will never find again. Recording the winning quote in KinsLe next to your Care Pass summary keeps inclusions visible when the stay actually begins.