Why geriatric boarding is a different conversation
A kennel that boards young dogs beautifully may still be wrong for an elderly one. Puppies and adult dogs need exercise, company and feeding; a geriatric dog needs supervision, physical help and early spotting of trouble. The questions below test whether a kennel understands that difference — and a good kennel will not be offended by any of them. Vague reassurance where you asked for specifics is itself an answer.
Nights: who is there, and how often is she checked?
Ask plainly whether any staff are on site overnight, and if not, when the last evening check and the first morning check happen. An elderly dog can become stuck lying in one position, soil herself and be unable to move away from it, have an accident she cannot clean herself up from, or become distressed and disoriented in a strange place at night in a way a young dog simply does not.
Ask what happens if a dog is found unwell on a night check, who makes the call, and how quickly you would be contacted. Ask also whether an old dog who needs a toilet trip in the night can get one — many seniors cannot hold on from early evening to morning, and a kennel routine built around young bladders will leave her uncomfortable and distressed by morning.
Bodies: lifting, floors, ramps and rest
Ask whether staff are able and willing to help a dog rise — with a sling or support harness if she uses one — and to help her in and out if there are steps. Look at the route she would walk: polished concrete, wet slopes and a step up into the kennel are manageable for an athlete and a genuine barrier for a stiff, weak dog. Ask for non-slip flooring or mats in her run and a bed provided at floor level with real support, or permission to bring her own bed, whose smell alone will settle her.
Ask how much exercise she would get and be honest about what she needs: short, gentle toilet walks on a lead, not group play with boisterous dogs. A kennel that plans to turn her out with the young dogs for company has not understood the booking. Equally, ask that she is not simply left all day because she is quiet — gentle human contact and short outings matter to her routine.
Medicines, food and the vet
Ask exactly how medicines are given and recorded: who gives them, what happens if she refuses or spits one out, and whether you will be told the same day. Bring her medicines clearly labelled with written instructions, and ask whether they can feed her own food, in her own pattern of smaller meals if that is what she has — a sudden change of diet is a common cause of a miserable boarding stay in an old dog.
Then the vet question, in full: which vet do they use, how far away is it, who decides to go, and who transports her? If your own vet is local, ask whether they will use yours. An elderly dog with known conditions is safer where her history is known — and check that the kennel will take your written permission and your vet's number for emergency treatment decisions if you cannot be reached.
A short trial night before a longer stay tells you more than any brochure: how she eats, sleeps and settles when she comes home is her review of the place.
Share her feeding pattern, rising help, night needs and comfort details ahead of the stay through KinsLe with a Care Pass, so the kennel staff looking after her have her temporary care routine clearly in front of them while you are away.