Possumplace Kennels

Question: Are the dogs kept in cages all day?

Answer: Our dogs are inside to eat and sleep only. 30 minutes for breakfast and 1 hour for dinner, then at bedtime around 7:00 pm. The rest of the time they are in their outdoor covered run with their buddy or in the play field. Essentially your dogs are outside from 7 am till 7:00 pm.

Question: How big is the sleeping area and the out door run?

Answer: The individual indoor runs for eating and sleeping are 36 sq feet. The outdoor runs which are shared with one buddy are 120 sq feet, they are fully covered and have 32 sq ft skylights and ventilation fans. The play field is approximately 1 acre.

Question: How much human contact will my dog get?

Answer: We are a very social kennel. Obviously we need to touch our dogs to let them in and out at the beginning and end of day, for meals, we do walkabouts every 30 minutes to check on our dogs while they are in the outdoor runs, our mid day scoop is done while our dogs are in their runs, all our dogs are brought to the grooming room for brushing, nail clipping, ear and eye cleaning at least twice during their stay, plus supervised playtime.

Question: Will my dog be dirty when he comes home?

Answer: All our boarders partake in our maintenance program which is done at arrival day, departure day, weekly, and if other occasions necessitate it. Maintenance regimen is listed below. Ears and eyes are cleaned, they are brushed,a coat conditioner is applied, feet are trimmed, we attempt to clip nails ( positive experience only, we do not use muzzles), they are weighed.

Question: Why won't you muzzle to clip nails?

Answer: Did your favourite Aunt and Uncle force you to do something you didn't want to do?

Question: Why weigh the dogs?
Answer: When you see a dog all day,every day, it is harder to notice weight gain/loss, especially for longer stays. Weigh in and weekly weigh ins help us adjust the feedings to keep our boarders at their optimal weight.

Question: What if it is too cold/hot outside?

Answer: The indoor portion of the kennel is equipped with central air conditioning and heating. Our outdoor runs are equipped with roof mounted ventilation fans to circulate the outside air. Our outdoor runs have thermometers to help us monitor temperature. If any dog seems uncomfortable in the summer we bring them in where it is nice and cool, once comfy we bring them back out. Conversely in winter the outdoor run walls are covered with a layer of builders plastic, insulation and another layer of builders plastic. This prevents wind and snow from entering the runs while still permitting light in. Again, if any dog looks cold when we do our 30 minute walkabout we bring them in to warm up.

Question: When do the dogs eat and get water?

Answer: Breakfast is 8 ish, Dinner is 5 ish, there is fresh water in the outdoor runs and play fields all day long.

Question: How often is water changed?

Answer: Water dumped and refilled daily, buckets washed and changed every 3 days, or when a new boarder arrives ( whichever comes first). Water policy " if i won't drink it neither should my dogs"

Question: Why the 30 minute walk-around?

Answer: We walk around all our outdoor runs to maintain the following standard, clean drinking water, clean blanket, good stool condition, regular temperament of our boarders, temperature in runs, if any of these items is not to our comfort level we correct it.

Question: What if my dog needs veterinary care while boarding?

Answer: We have a vet on call 24/7, i have bills from Christmas day to prove it!

Question: When you pick up and deliver are the dogs loose in the van?

Answer: NO, every dog is transported in the appropriate sized vari-kennel . This is for their safety.

Question: Does it get hot/cold in the back of the van with all the dogs?

Answer: No, the van is equipped with rear heating and air conditioning.

Question: Why do you require a confirmation call from our home to deliver back?

Answer: We understand that things happen when travelling, we need to know you are actually back home, that way I wont be schlepping your dog home and then back. A text or cell phone call from the airport just wont do.

Question: What if we arrive at 2 am?

Answer: Call us and leave a message on our machine, otherwise I will be waking you up at 7 am with my morning call only to tell you that I won't be there till 11 am.

Question: Why is payment at departure?

Answer: We are caring for a treasured member of your family nuff said.

Question: What form of payment do you accept?

Answer: Cash, Check or Interac email transfers to possumplace@xplornet.ca

Question: Your rates are per calendar day, what does that mean?

Answer: You are charged for the day your dog or cat arrives and leaves regardless of time of day. IE. Arrives Monday ( any time of day), and, leaves Tuesday (any time of day), you are charged for 2 calendar days + H.S.T.

Question: Why is the tax 13%?

Answer: Our side of the street is Ontario, hence we charge HST

And lastly...

Question: Did you build this amazing website and Facebook page?

Answer: Heavens no! I'm too busy with the dogs to figure this stuff out! This site was built by an amazing young client of ours. Many thanks to Joel & Günnar @Ideas2market - so proud of them :)