cute yorkshire terrier in suitcasePet Boarding Pain Points – What every business and client should know

5th August 2015

We are going overseas to visit the relatives next week and the truth is, I am feeling very upset about that.  Why am I upset you may ask? She is lucky enough to be going overseas!  But the truth is that I am upset because we didn’t take our own advice. We didn’t confirm with our preferred boarding facility whether they had room to take our two fur babies into their wonderful care for the four weeks, whilst we were away.  To be honest with you, we didn’t think we needed to. We were booking so very far in advance and flights were being booked out fast. We felt the pressure to act quickly to guarantee our preferred dates. We complacently thought that all would be well in the world.  Don’t get me wrong we love going away on holidays and even more so, seeing our family again, but it is a double-edged sword you see. We can't always take our fur kids with us. And this is why sometimes, I really dislike holidays too.

So now we find that our very own words are coming back to haunt us…. Prepared for Boarding? - 14 must do steps….Step 1. What dates do you need to check your pet in, and out of their lodgings? - Step one for goodness sake, arggh!

We had a long and painful history getting to the stage of finding our favourite place. Finally, we felt that we could actually leave to go away and not worry about leaving them for the first time, ever! In fact, we looked forward to taking them there; knowing they would get the best care and feel at home. Knowing the owners, knowing the routine and being comfortable in their environment. I truly believe that they knew that they were only there temporarily and we would be back to get them very soon.

So what happened next? We found ourselves using the very service we created. A review site and pet directory in which we could see who other pet owners were recommending. Now, we have to admit that we are still very young. We need to mature a great deal in order to be seen by pet owners alike as a valuable resource. This is why we pore hours and hours and hours each week into making sure that we are getting our message across. Building up a great directory resource which pet owners can confidently use to ensure they too can go away and have peace of mind in knowing that their pets are happy about having a holiday away too!

Is there a happy ending to our woes? Well we did find a business who had made a wonderful effort in uploading information and great photos of themselves. They were also only about a 20 minute drive away. They have great big runs and the place looks immaculate, so why are we not 100% at ease? They haven’t yet harvested any reviews. 

Some of the re-assurances we seek as neurotic pet parents are as follows; will they be too cold? Will they wonder if we are ever coming back? Will they have too much pent up energy? Will the staff treat them like the king and queen they are (to us anyway).

What we have learned from this experience is that if you are a business owner, please broker customer reviews on your favoured platform, and 'showcase' that platform as your 'sales brochure'. Customers are more likely to trust reviews from independent sources such as PetStayAdvisor, Google or True Local. We have some amazing Business advocates, who love to hear what their customers have to say. They truly care, and as a pet owner, we want you to find them. Therefore, if you are a pet owner and you have used a pet boarding or pet sitting service, for dogs’ sake (and cats and pets alike) please leave a review! Remember, Stop. Review. Our pets need you!

Some of our greatest advocates who really want to hear their customers' reviews are as follows:

The Catz Pyjamas

Dogdayz Country Club - Warrandyte

Dogdayz Country Club - Toolern Vale

Dogdayz Country Club - Silvan

Elcho Park Pet Hotel

K9 Workouts

The Furry Godmother Pet Resort

Pangarinda Cat Boarding

Pets Park

Campsie Veterinary Hospital

Barkers Boutique Boarding Kennels & Cattery

Pet Buddy

Paws Away Boarding Kennels

AAA Pet Motel

 

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10 important questions to ask before boarding your pet
10 important questions to ask before boarding your pet

Going away on holiday can be an exciting time for us pet owners, yet how can you be sure that your companions stay will be as happy and relaxing as your own, whilst you are away? Leaving your pet with knowledgeable and experienced pet boarding operators can be achieved by knowing the right questions to ask.

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