Pack for your dog's boarding stay the way you'd pack for a toddler: their usual food for the whole stay plus a little extra, any medication, something that smells like home, and written instructions a stranger could follow without phoning you. The goal is that nothing about your dog's routine has to change just because the building did. Sudden changes — especially food — are the fastest route to an upset stomach and a miserable stay.
Food: keep it boring, keep it consistent
Pack your dog's normal food, measured out if their routine is specific. Pre-portioned bags labelled by day and meal are ideal for dogs on exact amounts, weight-management plans, or multiple foods mixed together. Add a day or two of extra food in case your return is delayed by weather or travel changes — running out and forcing a cold-turkey food swap on your last night is exactly what you're trying to avoid.
Include any regular treats staff can use, and note allergies or forbidden foods in writing. If your dog eats from a slow feeder or raised bowl at home, ask whether you can send it or whether the kennel provides an equivalent.
Comfort and medication essentials
- Medication in original labelled containers, with written dose and timing instructions, plus a small surplus
- One familiar blanket, worn t-shirt, or bedding item that smells like home — washable, and something you could bear to lose
- A sturdy collar with ID, and a leash for drop-off and pick-up
- Your dog's usual chew or a facility-approved alternative, if the kennel allows them
- A short written routine: feeding times and amounts, toilet habits, sleep quirks, fears (thunder, fireworks), and what comforts them
Leave the expensive bed, the irreplaceable toy, and the full toy box at home. Items in a busy kennel get washed, chewed, swapped, and occasionally lost.
Paperwork and contacts, packed too
Bring proof of vaccinations if the kennel hasn't already filed it, your veterinarian's contact details, and an emergency contact who is local and actually reachable while you travel. If someone else might collect your dog, tell the kennel their name in advance — reputable facilities won't release a dog to an unlisted person, which is exactly the protection you want.
Do a final check the night before: food, meds, comfort item, instructions, contacts. Drop-off morning is stressful enough without repacking at the door.
Sharing the packing list and instructions with Care Pass
A handwritten note taped to a food bag gets lost; a text thread gets buried. KinsLe Care Pass is a temporary, scoped link to your dog's care details that the boarder can open with no account or app needed. Share the feeding amounts, medication timing, comfort notes, and emergency contacts through the Care Pass so the instructions live with the stay, not in your sent folder — and update them in one place if plans change while you're away.
When your dog's food, smells, and routine travel with them, boarding feels like a sleepover instead of an upheaval. Give the boarding staff caring for your dog a Care Pass on KinsLe solely between drop-off and pickup, covering the pre-portioned feeding amounts, medication timing, and comfort notes packed above.