Before your first stay

Every guest must meet the vaccination requirements with documentation from a veterinarian, be on monthly flea, tick and deworming prevention, be free from signs of contagious illness, have all required forms completed, and be safely manageable by our team.

Guests aged sixteen weeks and older with all vaccinations complete board in the main facility. Spaying and neutering are not required and intact dogs are welcome. Senior guests are welcome, as are guests with medical conditions we can manage safely.

Puppies under sixteen weeks are not housed in the main facility. We can sometimes accommodate them privately in an assigned kennel attendant’s home, with no more than two puppies at a time. Availability is limited and it must be arranged in advance — please ask.

Families must disclose any known bite history, aggression, escape tendencies, resource guarding or severe anxiety before boarding.

We accept many guests that other facilities turn away — but only when we know what we are working with. Failure to disclose important behavioural information puts our team and other guests at risk, and may result in refusal of service. We can work with almost anything we know about in advance.

Owners are responsible for injury caused by their dog, to the extent allowed by West Virginia law. This is set out in full in your Boarding Services Agreement.

Occasionally a guest cannot safely remain with us — for example a dog in genuine distress who is harming themselves. If that happens:

1. We do everything we reasonably can to stop the guest coming to further harm.
2. We contact you, and then your emergency contact.
3. If needed, we take your guest to a licensed veterinarian, where sedation or medication may be prescribed to keep them safe and comfortable.
4. You or your emergency contact arrange collection within a reasonable time.

This is why we ask for an emergency contact who is genuinely easy to reach and authorised to make decisions on your behalf while you are away. Veterinary boarding, transportation and related expenses are the owner’s responsibility.

Dogwood may also refuse or discontinue services when necessary to protect the health and safety of guests, our team or the facility.

No boarding facility can eliminate every risk of contagious illness. We follow strict sanitation procedures and take every reasonable precaution to minimise exposure.

If a guest shows signs of a potentially contagious illness, we separate them from other guests as effectively as we can, and arrange for them to be seen and boarded at a veterinary clinic for proper isolation and care.

Guest suites, bowls, exercise areas, common areas and frequently touched surfaces are cleaned and disinfected using products selected for effectiveness and safety, with the proper contact time observed every time.

All arrivals and departures are by appointment, within one of two windows: 8:00–10:00 AM or 4:00–6:00 PM. Appointments outside these windows can sometimes be arranged — they must be discussed and scheduled at the time you book, and an additional fee applies.

At check-in we review your agreement, feeding instructions, medications, emergency contacts and the people authorised to collect your dog, and answer any questions before you leave. Every guest then receives an arrival health assessment: overall appearance, body condition, mobility, skin and coat, eyes and ears, any existing injuries, behaviour on arrival, and an inventory of everything you left with us.

Only you, or a person you have named in writing, may collect your dog. Anyone collecting a guest must bring photo identification — including you. Please don’t take that personally; it is the same for every family.

Boarding charges continue until your dog is collected. A late collection is charged as an additional day, from the end of your booked pick-up window — if your appointment was in the 4:00–6:00 PM window and you arrive after 6:00 PM, an additional day applies. Please call us. If we know you are running late we can often help.

We provide all bowls and bedding. Personal bedding and toys are accepted but are not laundered, and cannot be guaranteed against normal wear, soiling or damage. Personal collars, harnesses and AirTags are removed at check-in, stored safely and returned at departure.

By boarding with Dogwood Boarding Kennels, you authorise us to photograph and record your guest and to use those images for facility updates, our website, social media and advertising. No personally identifying information about you is ever published.

Before departure every guest receives a final wellness assessment — overall condition, appetite, hydration and medications — and we make sure all belongings are ready to go. Your guest is reunited with their own collar or harness, leash, remaining food, medications and personal belongings, and the Dogwood identification collar is removed.

We are happy to talk through the stay: appetite, energy level, medications given, favourite activities, behaviour, and anything we noticed that may be useful.

Many dogs need a short adjustment period after boarding. Sleeping more than usual, drinking extra water, or simply being delighted to be home are all normal. If anything concerns you once you are home, please contact us — we would always rather hear from you.