Boarding & Daycare

You bet! Just about any animal at all.

And we have quite a lot of knowledge about these animals too, so it's not just a matter of sticking them somewhere in our facility and hoping for the best. We've spent a lot of time and energy over the years making sure that we have handlers who have real knowledge and experience in dealing with all manner of domestic pet and exotics, including and especially appropriate feeding and enclosures/spaces for them. And if there's anything we don't know, we have excellent contacts in the realm of wildlife husbandry and care who we can talk to.

Take a look here: Other Creatures Too

Now that's an important question!

During more than half the year, you can book anytime, even last minute, and we'll be able to take your pet in. No problem.

During about 5 months of the year, things are a bit more complicated than that. Take a look at Gotta Book Early!

Our Two-Legged Timings are 9am-4pm, Sun-Thur, which of course is not perfect for most people. So we even work out a schedule for those of you who need to drop off and pick up outside these hours.

The very best way to answer that question is for you to come meet us and take a look for yourself. In fact, that's what we always really strongly recommend.

But that's not always easy to schedule, is it. We know. So you should definitely look at the images here and elsewhere around our site because there are lots of pictures for you see, and this should help a great deal in understanding what you're pet will experience.

In short, though, our enclosures are like this:

• All our dog enclosures have an indoor and an outdoor run, and almost all our cat enclosures do too, and your pet decides where he or she wants to be. Those few cat enclosures which don't have an outdoor run, we try to reserve for cats which need or like to be inside most of the time anyway.
• All indoor runs are air-conditioned.
• Cat enclosures are multi-storied, with shelves and trapdoors and bedding and toys and all.
• All dog enclosures have raised Kuranda beds and snug-rugs.
• Cat enclosures range in size. The smallest space we have is an indoor portion of a run which is L:0.8m x W:0.8m x H:1m. The largest space we have is an outdoor portion of a run which is L:4.2m x W:1.1m x H:2.2m.
• Dog enclosures also range in size. Our smallest enclosures are 1.5m x 1.5m both indoor and outdoor. Our largest are 2.2m x 1.8m indoor and 3m x 2.5m outdoor. And there are a couple of sizes in between.

Definitely yes.

We love giving every possible opportunity we can to our dogs to mix and socialize with others, so when you arrive just let us know if this is something you and your dog would like ~ we'll make it happen. Safely of course, with lots of monitoring and control, but as much as possible. We're always evaluating all the dogs in our care to see which are good candidates for sharing playtime (and even enclosures) with others, and then putting the right dogs together. If you want us to do this with your dog, then great. If not, that's just fine too.

Take a look here for more info on this: Love... but other stuff too/Socializing

Well, yes and no.

Your cat will stay in a separate and secure enclosure, so there won't be any other cats in there with him or her. But because it's a cattery, we obviously have a lot of cats staying in a lot of enclosures, all of which are next to each other. So, although your cat will be in her/his own enclosure, there will indeed still be lots of other cats around.

This said, if you have more than one cat and want them to be in the same enclosure together, then perfect! (Did you know that there's a 20% discount for enclosure-sharing?)

Yes they can!!... maybe.

We have a small number of enclosures which are part of the catteries but not too far from the kennels and which, most importantly, are the right size and configuration for a small dog. Each year we have quite a few customers indeed who ask for this and in most cases it works very very nicely.

Take a look at The Kennels, The Catteries & The Kennatteries.

You're probably not going to like this much, but no, sorry.

The reason is that these cats can be very territorial and as a result tend to mark their territory rather aggressively which, as you can imagine, isn't something that works too well in a community of cats (even though all the cats are of course in their own enclosures). And whooohooo!, the smell!

If you're really in need of boarding for your unneutered cat, you might consider neutering before you leave. If you're in a rush with a sudden unexpected trip, we can manage the neutering and post-operative care for you.

From about end of September to April, all your dogs get into our exercise yards 2-3 times a day for a good 15 minutes or so each time, and if we have your permission they'll be playing with other dogs too. For those dogs with especially high energy levels or any good need for more of this time, or if you ask us to, because the weather is nice we just let 'em stay in the yards for much of the day.

During the hotter summer months, just as when your dog is home with you, we need to be careful about being outside in the heat for too long. So they all still get out 2-3 times a day but the runs in the yard are for shorter periods of time, as we are very watchful to make sure the heat is not having an impact. And of course we don't leave the dogs out in the yards all day at this time of year for the very same reason.

This all said, all our enclosures are indoor/outdoor with a/c, and designed so that all the dogs can see each other and feel part of the community. So even when they're in their enclosures, they're still very active and generally having a very social time. Read more about this: Love... but other stuff too ~ take a look at the section called Socializing and Socializing ~ Part 2.

You just had to ask that question, didn't you!?

Sorry, no we don't. We'd love to, but we don't. Can we offer you a glass of water instead? 

Yes we will. Our staff are well trained for this and we always check for such things with all dogs, cats and birds... and anyone else that might need it. (Yes, yes, of course we'll clip yours too... but only if ask you real nice.) We won't do this without your permission, however, so just ask us to and/or we'll let you know if we think it's needed.

AND... no charge!

No you don't. We provide everything.

We rely primarily on dry Eukanuba, Iams, Royal Canin and Hill's, and also Pedigree and Whiskas wet... and also chicken, tuna and rice when needed or specifically wanted.

Of course, if you have a special diet (your own concoction or a veterinary prescription) we can do that too... although for these there might be additional charges.

To learn more, take a look here: Love... but other stuff too/Special Diets.

Sorry about this, but no. Food for your pets is, of course, a cost for us but another very significant cost factor is the actual time, effort and resource to do the feeding itself. With all the pets we have in our care, special feeding, even if it's your own food, requires that much more involvement.

We hope you understand.

No and yes, depending.

A little bit of weight gain or loss is very common. It doesn't happen to all pets during every stay in a boarding facility, but it does happen. Pet owners, understandably, often immediately feel that this must mean their pet has not been taken care of properly, but in fact it is more important to look at the entire context and the extent of the loss or gain.

Commonly, pets staying in a boarding facility are not eating exactly as they do at home. They may or may not be eating exactly the same food (depending on the arrangements you've made with the kennel or cattery), and even if they are, they may not be eating exactly the same amounts because, despite every effort to get it just right, human beings differ and the precise amounts they provide may be a little different than you do when your pet is at home. So, all this small change can lead to weight gain or loss, in and of itself.

More important and relevant than this, however, is that pets are generally much more active in a boarding facility than they are at home. Now wait! We're not saying that you aren't taking good care of your pet by not giving him or her lots of activity. No, not at all. It's just that in a boarding facility, especially one that has a good number of staff and lots of other animals around, the whole environment is very stimulating and there is a lot of exercise for dogs and lots of other general interest for both dogs and cats. And this keeps them more active and generally more stimulated, even if they're in their enclosures. And this, in turn, often leads to a bit of weight loss.

And one more thing: In many cases, a little bit of weight loss for dogs and cats is a good thing and although we have many customers who do worry about this, we also have a great many who are pleased to see that their pet has lost a little weght in our care because, in fact, they came in to us a little overweight.

But of course, everyone has a different perception of this, and if the weight of your pet is not medically bad, one way or the other, then we do try to maintain the weight your pet comes in with.

This all said, too much weight gain or loss IS a problem and if you feel there has been too much either way, we truly hope you'll talk to us about this. We monitor this aspect of your pet's health very closely, with a weight check when they first arrive for boarding and then regular checking every two weeks, or more often if we perceive a potential problem. And if there is a problem, we always let you know about it while you're away and take action when required by adjusting feeding or even consulting your vet.

Simply, yes. Even when we are closed to our two-legged customers, we have staff on-site every single day of the year. Full stop.

Furthermore, because we have staff living on-site, there are always people around, even at night. And because of our relocations work, which takes place mostly at night and just about every night, we have at least a couple of hours spread throughout the night when things are going on at DKC. Now, in fairness, we're not actually working with all the animals during this night as we do during the day, but after all folks, your pets need to sleep too!

No, we don't have a vet on-site.

However, that really should not worry you. We have extremely good relationships with all the vets in town and, more importantly perhaps, we have emergency, 24-hour services from our preferred vet every single day of the year, so if anything is ever wrong we have the resources that you and your pet need, including phone and email communications, and a less-than-15-minute-drive to their clinic.

Furthermore, in almost all cases when a pet is needing veterinary attention, it is not an emergency situation, so we will be able to book appointments with your preferred vet if you wish, and we will also of course always let you know in advance that we are doing that unless for some reason you are unreachable and it cannot wait.

Finally, because of the way we work on a daily basis, we almost always discover very early if there are any developing problems, which also does a lot to keep your pet well and, most importantly, to avoid emergency situations almost all the time.

Pictures? Yesssssiiiiirrreeee! We like to call it Pics & Videos of the DKC Litter. Take a look!

Webcam? No, sorry about that.

No, we do not serve alcohol at Dubai Kennels & Cattery! 

"Kennel hangover" is a rather common thing... and a good one, if we do say so ourselves! You see, there is so much activity and general stimulation in a good kennels, that when your dog gets home it is very common for him or her to be a little tired for a couple of days ~ all that running around, socializing and barking their heads off with all their kennel neighbours (watch for that hoarsey-throat!), and no sitting around vegging in front of the TV!

So don't worry but do keep an eye. In almost all cases, this is just a happy, if a little tired, dog. If he or she continues being a little down or lethargic for more than a day or so, please do let us and your vet know. 

We're on the road from approximately 10am to mid-afternoon, Sunday-Thursday. We don't offer this service on Friday or Saturday. (See our Two-Legged Timings.)

We have a lot of customers asking for very specific appointments but this is often not possible, although we do try if we can, because each day presents its own unpredictable schedules, number of home-visits, number of pets and... traffic!

However, we always call approximately 30 minutes before we get to you while we're doin' the rounds, so do feel free to go about your day as you need to and then, when you hear from us, you can return to your home to meet us.

We use converted passenger vans (such as the Toyota Hiace) which have been heavily modified for our pet collection and delivery service. Take a look at Collection & Delivery.

Now, as we've said, these are people-passenger vans, not cargo vans; this is an important distinction because passenger vans have windows all round the vehicle so that plenty of light gets in, and also high-quality air-conditioning throughout. Furthermore, we've added fans to create even better air circulation.

All the seats were removed, of course, and replaced by metal flooring with embedded hooks, so when we put your pet and her/his travel box into the van, we can use strong ties to secure the boxes in-place.

And finally, there's no partition between our handlers who are driving the vans and your pets in the back, which means we always know what's going on and your pets aren't isolated at all during the trip.

And just so you know, we transport any animal in these vehicles, not just your dogs and cats.

Oh, and one more thing: We do not have "drivers". The same Animal Handlers who take care of your pets when in our care are the ones who will come to your home for Collection & Delivery.

Yes it is safe. In fact, thousands of pets are imported into the UAE each year; the vast majority do perfectly well here, regardless of the breed.

What about those which don't do well? Fundamentally, when things go wrong (such as dehydration and/or heat stroke), it is about how these pets are managed rather than their innate inability to cope with the heat or the fact of the heat being prohibitive. Yes, the UAE is VERY hot for at least 4 or 5 months of the year, and yes you must be careful about this during these times, but isn't it extremely cold in January in Canada? Or hot in Texas in July? Aren't there any number of locations around the world with extreme temperatures at certain times of the year? And aren't there pets in these places too? Of course there are.

You should be aware of the dangers of the heat here, but if you're thoughtful about this, you should not be worried or overly concerned. Do some research on the internet and talk to your UAE-based vet for guidance about things to watch out for, and at the most basic level be aware of such things as not leaving your dog or cat outside during the hottest times of the year for too long, and always make sure there is plenty of water readily available, even if you're going for a walk.

There is more to learn about this and plenty of information available from any number of sources. But yes, it is safe to bring your pet.

Definitely yes.

The UAE has everything here you could wish for by way of quality pet care services. As with any industry, not every one of them is the best, but if you look around and look into it all, we know you'll find what you need.

The UAE is not yet the perfect place on Earth in this way. But don't be put off!

Here's the bad news:

• There are no public dog parks.
• Dogs are not allowed in the public parks that do exist (and there are not too many of these anyway).
• Dogs are not allowed on the beaches.
• Dogs must be on a lead and under control when on streets with you (but this probably goes without saying).
• Certain breeds are required by the local municipalities to be muzzled.
• There are pet-friendly residences (apartments and villas) but they are not always easy to find.

Yes and no.

It is actually a legal requirement that all dogs and cats are registered. However, this is not really enforced in any meaningful way. So ultimately it is up to you.

This said, we strongly recommend it. It is not expensive and we know of many cases of lost pets being found because of it.