Boarding and what to look for...

I have never boarded Zoe, but I actually looked at a web site of a local place last night.  They had 3 diff't types of "rooms" for the dogs.  The luxury rooms were $40/night, had tv, vcr, air conditioning, indoor/outdoor run and was pretty big.  I think it included one play time too (15 min.).  The next level was about $25 and had all the above but was a bit smaller, no tv/vcr and playtime not included.  The lowest level had no A/C but otherwise was the same as the midlevel one.
 
They charged extra for play time, or human time where they would just cuddle.   I didn't like that aspect.  And, the didn't allow you to bring your own bedding because of fleas, etc. but I would want Zoe to have stuff she is familiar with.
 
I think $20-40 a night is what I have seen at most of the places around here.  I have been lucky to be able to leave Zoe with friends when we couldn't take her with us. 

I would love to leave Sasha with my MIL, but Sasha has a major problem with seperation. Even the electric fence isn't keeping her in 100% of the time. So I have to make sure she's safe while we're gone next week. My MIL is already going to be watching our 3 year old daughter... her hands will be full already.
 
I called a few places, and prices were $10 - $15 a night. Most of the facilities didn't have play time or run time at all. Sasha would have to stay in a kennel (she would at least be safe) the whole time. I'm going to take a look at one facility tomorrow, it's $11 a night, with one walk in the morning, and run time in the evening. I'm guessing it's concrete kennels with a bed. I guess I will see when I visit.
 
$40 a night is WAY over my limit. Luckily there wasn't even a place in town for that much.

Make sure you tour the facilities.   My family had an awful experience when I was younger; my mom had found a kennel that seemed good, but when we got there the workers had to wear noise-cancelling headphones because the noise from the dogs barking was just overwhelming.   It was a terrible place.

The things that are important to me are cage-free boarding, careful health and temperament screening, indoor and outdoor playtime, individual attention and endorsing positive training.   I really like the place we board; it's a facitility that also has training classes, grooming, dog walking and a daycare.   Another option that I looked into is in-home boarding, where an individual or an employee of a larger company takes a certain number of dogs into their home and cares for them as if they were their own. 

Does your vet offer boarding?

Our vets boarding program is terrible. I called and asked some questions, and I didn't like much of the answers. I asked if the dogs were let out to play, "no". So they stay in the kennel the whole time, "yes". That right there is the reason why I looked elsewhere. They even cost more than the kennel that lets the dogs out twice a day.
 
I'm not too concerned about training. Sasha is in training, and I don't want anyone to interfere with it. I just want her to get out at least once a day to romp around, maybe with other dogs even. Other than that, she just needs to be in a secure kennel. Sasha would be a handful for other people that she doesn't know. So staying at someone's house doesn't seem like a good idea with her. Maybe with time, but it's only been a few months since her adoption.

If they only walk her once and have her out only in the evening, does she just go to the bathroom inside the other times of day?  To me, I'd be concerned about her losing some of her housebreaking skills.

I never thought of that... She was at the animal shelter for a week or more before we got her. When she came home, she only had one accident, and that was my fault.
 
I'll ask them when I visit.

Check the sanitation of any place you visit.  What's the policy/procedure for cleaning up the dogs - ie, how often do they check on dirty kennels and do they sanitize every day?  Will they be in concrete runs, or in cramped quarters with grated bottoms that the dog is supposed to pee inside?  Expect her to come back smelling like urine - she may not have house-breaking issues if it's only for 4 days, but longer than that and you can almost bet on at least one accident in the house.  It's very confusing.
 
Anything less than $20 is totally cheap and not the norm where I am.  Do they have a vet on-site?  Do they have a separate wing/area for sick dogs?  What happens if SHE gets sick - can they reach you, what to they do?

Expect her to be exceptionally clingy when you return, particularly since she has separation anxiety.  You will need to return things to normal as soon as possible, I'd think, because being boarded can be very disruptive to any dog, particularly one w/SA.
Good luck!
 

I had terrible luck with the "best" kennel in town.  It had group play, daily walks, indoor/outdoor kennels, Sunday brunch, Friday weenie roasts, Wednesday swim days, one-on-one attention with staff, all the bells and whistles.  But every time I boarded my dogs, they came home sick or injured.  Jasmine had terrible bladder infections; Indy had a puncture wound on his paw; Jasmine had golfball-size lump on her shoulder; They were always terribly thin, and I ended up spending a fortune at the vets each time I picked them up.
Petsitters were out of the question , as both my dogs display some territorial aggression, and I was afraid that they would not allow a sitter to enter the house.
The last time I decided to board them at my vets which has none of the "bells and whistles"- just kennels with bedding.  I only paid for extra walks.  The dogs came back to me after 9 days looking healthy, well fed and happy.  The vet techs there showered my dogs with attention, even coming in on the weekends to take the dogs jogging.  They watched Jasmine like a hawk to be sure she wasn't developing an infection, and took her out many times a day.  I paid $25.00 per day/dog.   I don't think I would board my dogs anywhere else but a vet now.
 

Well, I went and took a little tour of the boarding facility. It's not all that bad. For being one of the cheapest ones. There were about 20 dogs or so, and twice as many empty kennels. The floor was concrete, which I'm not too concerned about that. And all the kennels had their own dog house. She said they clean the messes as quickly as they can. Normally right after they're spotted. And they do regular cleaning twice a day.
 
Outside, there were 4 fairly large pens. Part grass, part dirt, with a small kiddie pool and an umbrella. Only one dog is allowed in them at a time. And all the dogs get a short walk in the morning, and one in the evening. I'm guessing they probably only walk them once a day.
 
The highest price around here was 16.50 a day. And they just stay in kennels at the vets office. No outside area included. This one is 12 a night, with an outside area, and walks. It will cost about $50 for the 4 nights. Not too bad, and it'll be nice knowing some one isn't chasing her down the street, or she isn't hit by a car after escaping.
 
Oh yeah, I was going to mention... When you board places like this, you just have to risk them getting something. All the dogs in there seemed very healthy, and looked well taken care of. They probably wont take dogs that look or act sick. And they required all her shot records.
 

I'm so glad you found what sounds like a really good place!