Vaccine Proof for a Boarding Westie
A West Highland White Terrier needs the standard boarding file: a current rabies certificate issued by a veterinarian, the core combination vaccine covering distemper and parvovirus, and kennel cough protection current within the kennel's window. Some facilities add canine influenza to the required list, and kennels with countryside exercise areas may ask about leptospirosis for a terrier who will be nose-down in hedgerows given half a chance. The evidence should be the veterinary record itself, showing what was given and when cover next falls due, not a tag or a summary in your own words.
Westies are small but boarded in busy, social sections, so kennels apply their paperwork rules without exceptions for size. If kennel cough protection is near renewal, refresh it ahead of the stay and respect any settling period the kennel asks for before group play.
A Westie's Care Sheet: Skin, Ears and Terrier Honesty
The written notes for a West Highland White Terrier should start with skin and ears. Westies are well known for sensitive skin, and kennel staff need a plain description of your dog's normal state (occasional scratching after a bath, ears checked weekly, a particular food that suits him) so they can spot a genuine change instead of either ignoring one or panicking over a long-standing quirk. If your Westie has a skincare routine at home, write it in everyday language and bring the familiar products clearly labelled, after confirming the kennel is happy to follow the routine.
Then be honest about the terrier underneath the white coat. Note digging, barking at passers-by, determination around squirrels on walks, and how your dog mixes with other small dogs, because staff plan exercise and supervision from those lines. Complete the sheet with your contacts, an emergency contact who can collect a small but strong-willed dog, your veterinarian's details, and the microchip number if there is one. Feeding amounts should be exact; a Westie is a charming and relentless negotiator around food, and staff appreciate knowing the charming part is not a feeding instruction.
Confirming the Kennel's List for a Westie
Ask for the facility's requirements before reserving and compare them against your Westie's record in detail. Check the kennel cough currency window, whether influenza cover is required, and whether the kennel accepts records by email in advance. Sending the file ahead is especially useful for a Westie with a known skin history, because staff can read the notes, ask questions while you are still available to answer them, and prepare the right bedding and routine rather than improvising at check-in.
Ask, too, how the kennel handles grooming during a stay. That white double coat picks up mud enthusiastically and mats if it stays damp, so agree whether staff will rinse and dry your dog after wet walks or leave coat care entirely to you.
Last Checks Before a Westie Boards
A few days before the stay, do the final verification. The rabies certificate should cover the entire booking, kennel cough protection should be inside the required window, and the name on the record should match the booking name. The emergency contact should be briefed and reachable, the authorised collector named in writing, and photographs of every page kept on your phone behind the paper copies in the bag.
Close the care sheet with your Westie's likely first evening: most terriers investigate every corner, announce a few opinions to the corridor, then sleep soundly once fed. Staff who expect that script will read confidence rather than trouble. With KinsLe's Pet Passport, a West Highland White Terrier's vaccine record, skin notes and contacts travel as one packet, so check-in is a quick hello instead of a paper hunt.