H & B Home Dog Boarding policies 2023.
Contents
1. General boarding policies - Licence display, premises, covering
2. Record keeping.
3. Health and Safety within the home.
4. Cleaning and disinfection procedures.
5. Feeding procedure.
6. Enrichment activities.
7. Exercise policy.
8. Monitoring health and welfare of dogs.
9. 0ther animals
10. Disease control and prevention.
11. Death or escape of a animal procedure.
12. Emergency care for boarding dogs.
13. Waste disposa.
14. Fire policy.
15. Vaccination /titre, flea, worming treatment policies.
16. Medication policy.
17. Puppies under 1 year old procedure.
18. Neutering policy.
19. Emergency procedures.
This is a working document and is available on request. A copy will be uploaded on this website and will be updated on an monthly basis.
1. General Boarding policies.
The licence will be displayed in the hall way where clients enter the house.
The premises is of sound construction and only registered trade people will be used if work is carried out on the house. No more than the stated amount on the licence will be accepted at any one time.
All policies will be pointed out to the client and the client can take a hard copy away if desired.
If it is deemed that boarding can no longer continue due to extremes of temperature or any other emergency, the client or emergency contact will be required to collect thir dog. Written consent is obtained prior to boarding.
Dogs will sleep in the downstairs areas and have use of the kitchen and living room also dinning room. Boarding dogs are not permitted upstair. Appropriately sized beds are provided, and owners are encouraged to provide a blanket that smells of home, or bed to remind them of home, to help them relax. Dogs can be crated if that is their owners routine. There is a stable door between kitchen and hall way to separate overnight if desired. Dogs are not left alone in a 24hr period. Dogs can accompany licensee if appropriate. All dogs will be accessed and allowances made. If dogs are to be left alone, they are to be separated from resident dogs, unless client has given consent and the radio left on for company. Barking will be monitored and action will be taken if dogs bark for a period of time.
2. Record Keeping
All boarding is subject to a meet greet and the boarding forms being completed fully. Specific boarding forms must include name and address of client, Name, breed, colour of dog, microchip number, age, vaccination /titre dates, flea and worming treatment dates, insurance and vet details, temperament of dog, consent for dogs to be walked, housed and fed with other dogs, exercise expectations, medication, allergy details and any other information details
All records will be available to the licensee and emergency contact. The records will be retained for 3 years then archived after this time.
3. Health and Safety within the home.
Health and safety will be maintained within the home at all times. All dogs to be housed in a suitable environment, which is kept clean and safe at all times.
All electrical equipment including smoke detectors and carbon monoxide monitors are inspected yearly and repaired or replaced as needed. All gas equipment will to be inspected and maintained by a qualified engineer yearly. The log burner has a fixed fire guard if dogs boarding are not use to log burners. Log burner is checked and swept once a year, by a qualified sweep.
The house will be inspected daily for any repairs needed. The garden will be daily for any repairs needed. All gates will be checked once a day minimum for wear and tear. A regular cleaning regime is in place and home maintained. All health and safety will be considered when cooking /cleaning and dogs will be kept away from heat sources or being able to ingest anything. All boarders are part of our family and are looked after to a high standard that we look after our own dogs.
All bins will be behind closed doors
4. Cleaning and Disinfection procedure.
General cleaning will be carried out daily and a good state of cleanliness will be maintained. All sides wiped down before and after use, floors swept daily, food and water bowls washed daily. A thorough dust, polish, vacuum and disinfect will be on a weekly basis. Any spillages /accidents will be cleaned up as soon as seen. The garden will have excrement removed a minimum of once a day. Food preparation areas will be cleaned prior and after preparation. An antibacterial cleaner and antibacterial wipes with kitchen roll will be used to maintain areas.
Antibacterial hand-wash will be available by all sinks and wipes. Dogs can be hosed down outside in good weather. Gravel will be hosed every other day and disinfected as needed.
All dogs will be removed when cleaning is taking place.
5. Feeding Procedure.
Clients are asked for consent for there dogs to be fed in the presence of other dogs. All Dog are thoroughly assessed and watched during feeding times to make sure they are eating, not galloping there food ( a slow feeder is recommended to clients) or struggling to chew there food. Dogs will be separated by the stable door while they eat to assure safety and pace. Dogs will eat separately and at different times to residents dogs if required by client.
All dog food is to be provided by client.. Clients will be asked to give written details on timing, and amounts. All bowls and feeder will be provided by the client and must be dishwasher safe. All bowls will be washed in dishwasher daily. The food will be stored in fridge in garage, dry food must be in a air tight container.
Dog food intake will be monitored per meal, and advice sought from a vet if the dog continues to refuse food after 48 hours. Will be monitored per meal, and advice sought from a vet if the dog continues to refuse food after 48 hours.
Will be monitored per meal, and advice sought from a vet if the dog continues to refuse food after 48 hours. Will be monitored per meal, and advice sought from a vet if the dog continues to refuse food after 48 hours. Will be monitored per meal, and advice sought from a vet if the dog continues to refuse food after 48 hours. Will be monitored per meal, and advice sought from a vet if the dog continues to refuse food after 48 hours.
Will be monitored per meal, and advice sought from a vet if the dog continues to refuse food after 48 hours. Will be monitored per meal, and advice sought from a vet if the dog continues to refuse food after 48 hours. Will be monitored per meal, and advice sought from a vet if the dog continues to refuse food after 48 hours. Will be monitored per meal, and advice sought from a vet if the dog continues to refuse food after 48 hours.
6. Enrichment Activities
All boarders will have enrichment activities within the home and garden. Enrichment games, toys, paddling pool during summer, water fountain.
Dogs that on restricted exercise or other reason with mind game toys. These toys are a great way to bond and interact. All toys will be supervised and agreed with usage with the clients prior to boarding. Client can bring there dogs favourite toys if they want to.
A paddling pool will be available with shallow water for dogs to cool off in the warmer months.
Grooming and interaction will take place multiple times a day. All dogs will live as part of the family and will interact with all members throughout the day.
7. Exercise Policy.
All individuals needs will be addressed with older dogs having a different type and duration of exercise. Dogs under a year old will get 5 mins of exercise for every month of there life twice daily. Adults dogs in good health will get two walks minimum a day. One long walk 60mins+, which with the owners consent. Also with of lead walking with clients consent. Every care will be taken to insure dogs individual exercise needs are met with the agreement of the client.
All walking equipment must be provided by the client. We encourage our clients to use secure harnesses and soft leads. No retractable leads are permitted due to unreliability. All equipment provided must be in a clean and safe condition.
All dogs must have a collar/harness with client/dog name. We will only walk boarding dogs with one of our identity tags on. Our tags include our name, address and number. When the boarding dogs not walked they have access to the garden. The garden has two outer gates, so they have two barriers to get to outside. The garden also has a 8 foot brick wall and 8 foot timber fence. Which is checked daily.
Lighting is provided by to led solar lights
In the case of extreme weather the type of exercise will be modified. In cases of extreme heat the boarders will have shorter walks in the mornings and evenings. Enrichment will be provided at home, padding pool providedand also cooling mats.
Breeds with shorter noses will have a limited exercise and watched very carefully and access to a fan at all times.
In the case of snow exercise will be limited., clients will provide coats for there dogs. Boarders will be dried off and heating used to keep them comfortable. All paws will be rinsed after walking on pavements due to gritting. Dog will be monitored during walk if in distress, walk will be halted and turn back home. Dog will not be walked in thunder and lightning storms. If dogs are boarding at a time of fireworks are in use, the walks will be during daylight hours.
8. Monitoring Health and Welfare.
Dogs will be physically checked over every day for lumps and bumps, ears, eyes and mouth checked, paws inspected after every walk. In winter months paws will be rinsed of after walks and in summer months surfaces will be checked for heat.
Dog food intake and general demeanor will be assessed at least once a day but continuously. Dogs that are showing signs of stress will be given their own space and time in the garden. They can also have time in there own den using blankets or bed from there own home. All clients will be given a boarding form and asking about their dogs disposition. All dogs will come for a meet and greet and a decision will be made after discussion on their suitability. Techniques will be discussed to maintain a calm atmosphere with client. All observations about dogs health and welfare will be recorded in the dog log book. All dogs will be handled gently and reward based on training techniques will be used. All clients will be advised that any equipment provided by them must be maintained and not be aversive training tool. The use of choke chains, shock collars, prong collars, anti bark, half choke collars is strictly prohibited and all clients will understand that we will not use them. No aversive methods will be used.
If dogs are boarding during the period of fireworks are in use, a den for them to escape to and the radio and TV will be used to distract them. Dogs will only be let in the garden during quiet periods and will be supervised throughout. Dogs will be given the choice off company or to hide away at this time.
9. Other Animals.
All boarding dogs will have a meet and greet session with resident dogs in their home. The session will last at least 30 minutes and will include a walk. All clients will be offered a half/full day trail period for their dogs to get to know us. Dogs will initially meet through a dog gate and be allowed to sniff and get used to each other until we feel that they can safely interact.
10. Disease control an prevention
All clients will provide all medical details prior to the stay and appropriate treatment will be agreed. All dogs must be in good health 7 day prior to boarding. Dogs that have stomach upset sets or anything considered infectious will not be permitted and their boarding will be cancelled. If any dog shows sign of infection, there space will be limited to the dinning room until the dogs are collected by the emergency contact or the client. This will be agreed prior to boarding. Resident dogs will be kept away from the dinning room. All necessary steps including clothing will be washed at 60 degrees. All water and food bowls will be separated and washed in the dishwasher. All advice will be taken from our vets with the handling of our boarder. All toys will be disinfected and was between boarding dogs.
11. Death and escape of and animal procedure
If any boarding dog becomes unwell and dies during boarding the client will be informed immediately and asked to come to the boarding establishment. All actions will be taken under advice from our vet. Deceased dogs will be taken to the clients vet to wait the return of their owner promptly.
If our vet feels that a must be euthanized consent from the client will be obtained prior to the interests of the dog comes first. Any euthanasia must be performed by a qualified vet.
In the case that a dog escapes from the home or on a walk every effort will be made to find the dog both the emergency contact and client will be contacted immediately. All local vets will be contacted along with the dog warden. The use of social media will also used with the clients consent. The business insurance will also be contacted.
12. Emergency care for boarding dogs.
If the boarding establishment becomes uninhabitable due to lack of heating ( Although highly unlikely as two other sources of heat) Owners will be contacted and asked to collect their dogs or emergency contact will be asked to collect their dogs. All boarding dogs will be informed of this prior to boarding.
If the temperature is extreme either hot or cold every measure will be taken to ensure the establishment becomes habitable. Fans are used during the summer, but if the dog still struggle boarding will be halted and the client or emergency contact will be asked to collect their dogs. Extreme weather including flood, snow and drought, every precaution will be made to make dogs comfortable. It is unlikely that natural flooding will occur as we live on a hill., but all dogs will be evacuated folling emergency service advise. In case of extreme snow advice will be taken from emergency services and forecasts. Fans and extra refreshments will be provided in the case of drought.
13. Waste disposal.
All dog faeces will be removed from the garden at least once per day and disposed of in the secured waste bin located in the garage or by garage front door. The bin will be emptied daily.
14. Fire policy and escape plan.
The establishment has 2 fire extinguishers one in the kitchen and 1 in the loft. Three smoke alarms are wired into the mains. They are located one in hallway. And one on 1st floor landing and one in the loft. Also a carbon monoxide monitor in living room. The three exits are free of obstruction and can be locked from inside and outside. In case of kitchen fire front door can be used as emergency exit. In case of living room fire the back door is emergency exit. All doors downstairs are fire doors.
The log burner is inspected and cleaned annually by a qualified chimney sweep. The log burner was installed by a qualified hetas contractor. All gas equipment is serviced annually by British gas. The designated key holder lives 20 mins drive away and can be contacted at all times in a emergency.
15. Vaccination /titre, flea and worming treatment policy.
All clients must bring with them and show up to date vaccination or titre results. All boarding dogs must have theirir primary vaccination two weeks before prior to boarding. All vaccinations must be given by a qualified vet in the UK.
All boarding dogs must have been treated with appropriate flea, worming and tick prevention medication prior to boarding. If any dog appears infected, they will be treated using medication from our vets and at owners expense. All owners will be aware of the policy prior to boarding. If an infestation is discovered in bedding, throws, soft furnishings will be washed and treatment recommended by our vet. Any areas the dog has been will be treated appropriately..
16.Medication policy.
Customers must provide all medication for their dogs in a plastic container. Labelled with the dogs name, frequency and dosage. The fridge in garage can be used for storage medicines if needed. All medicines will be returned to the client when boarding has ceased.
17. Puppies under 1 year old procedure.
Toilet trained puppies are welcome and all puppies must have completed their primary vaccinations. Puppies are treated like one of the family and experience as much of everyday life as possible.
Puppies spend a lot of one and one time with the licensee and are given the opportunity to socialise with other people and other friendly assessed dogs. Regular toilet breaks are encouraged toilet training. All puppies are fed separately in a safe area, and supervised through out there stay. Note is taken of the recommended exercise regimes and puppies are encouraged to walk off lead in safe areas with the owners consent. The use of a training line is ensured for a safe walk. Owners are encouraged to provide harness for puppies on training lines. Increased feeds are adhered to and toileting habits are closely monitored.
Puppies are examined and handled regularly to acclimatise them to regular contact in case of a vet visit. The right kind of socialisation is encouraged amd any play between dogs is closely monitored and a intervention if play becomes to raucous. Basic force free training techniques are used to help puppies continue to develop during their stay.
18. Neutering policy
All clients are advise that we prefer dogs to be neutered. If boarders are unable neutered, they will be bored on their own or with another dog from the same household. If a bit comes in to season during her stay advice from our vet will be taken. No intact males will be permitted on the premises if an unneutered bitch is on the premises.
19. Emergency procedures.
If any boarding dog becomes unwell or injured immediate treatment will be sought with either our vet or the clients vet. Consent will be obtained from the client to make a decisions based on the vets advice. Clients will be contacted and emergency contact wherever possible before any treatment is given. Consent to make decision based on vet advice will be given. The business phone number and personal phone will have all relevant numbers. Which can be obtained from the business phone.
If a dog is injured on a walk the dog will be taken to the nearest vet and emergency treatment will be given. Clients will give consent for emergency treatment to be carried out. The client or emergency contact will be contacted at the earliest opportunity. A first aid kit is kept in the kitchen and also in the car.
If the boarding licence is revoked while boarding dogs are staying the client or emergency contact will be asked to remove the dogs immediately. All clients will be informed of this prior to boarding. In case of any emergency the name contact will take care of the animals and have access to the business phone.