The winter holidays have arrived and youve booked you and the kids a family holiday abroad, but what about the dog?! The neighbour surprisingly enough is leaving the same weekend you are, and your parents are out of town. You obviously dont want to cancel the holiday but you cant leave the dog home alone! The next best thing is a home away from home, a kennel! Kennels are lovely places to take dogs while you are out of town but you have to beware, they are not all the perfect place for dogs. Some kennels dont have the appropriate circumstances and may make your dog feel uncomfortable and unhappy which is something you want to avoid. There are several things to look out for when choosing a kennel.

There are two certain kinds of kennels, there are suites and there are runs. The suites basically explain themselves. They are plush luxury kennels where the dogs are fed tip top food, perfect fur beds and a kennel the size of your back yard! Where as runs are more like the homely type of kennel with a long run at the end of the kennel giving the dog plenty room to exercise but the kennel itself isnt that large. Most kennels should however have heating, even if they are inside ones!

You should first try to determine the lifestyle your dog has, if she is spoiled rotten then a suite kennel is the only way to go, and vice versa. The most important thing about choosing a kennel is your inspection. Plan a surprise visit when you know that they will be open that way you can see what its really like, meet the staff that would be looking after your dog and have a look around the living quarters. They should all be heated and adequately lighted. All the kennels should have a comfortable bed, a space for eating and a space for littering and still have plenty space to walk about. And the most important part of choosing a kennel is making sure that it is clean!

Kennels are great for when youre going away but when you come back you may have another problem on your plate. Kennel cough! This is a serious issue with a lot of kennels and the issue has been spreading. It is simply a cough but a highly contagious and uncomfortable one for your dog. Kennels must ensure that all the dogs they accept have had their recent boosters and jags so that there is very little chance of the dogs catching anything that may be flying around!

You can easily find a good kennel if you look hard enough, one that will ensure your best friend is carefully and well looked after. All thats left after that is for you to jump on the plane and enjoy your holiday!