CATS

Our feline guests (usually) remain in one room, so tracking their personal belongings is simpler (mostly so). If you wish to bring purr-sonal belongings for your cat’s stay, then a written list, describing the items, is gratefully accepted at our end. We will tape the list to your cat crate.

DOGS

When you drive onto NBKC grounds, you are entering a neutral zone. This means that ALL items on our grounds are shared. These include toys, blankets, beds, bowls, jackets, and coats. In many respects, this is similar to a preschool setting.

Here is why:

• Having neutral toys helps to maintain good manners in the yards, as dogs don’t obsess (or fight) over new shiny objects.
• Having neutral bed items (blankets/beds) means kennels/crates can be reset quickly and efficiently after uptime. The purple people don’t have to worry about keeping track of personal items or ‘destroyers’ swooping in and shredding them.
• Having neutral bowls means we can simplify our feeding processes. (We can have 150 bowls to prepare)
• Having neutral jackets/coats (and we have plenty) means that if a coat is chewed or destroyed, it does not matter. It can be fixed or tossed as we see fit.
• There are exceptions; see below.

Leads/Leashes/Harnesses

We NEVER take your dog’s lead or harness. We will always use ours.

Collars

All dogs must wear a flat, plastic-clipped collar. This is the only personal item that we accept.

We do not accept choker chains or collars with metal buckles. In most instances, we will remove any unsuitable collars, return them to the owner, and use one of ours (unless we know the pet and its collar history).

Smell from Home

Giving us items that ‘smell like home’ can have the opposite impact; rather than being a comfort, they can make your pet miss home and family. This creates a sad pet rather than a curious and happy one. We prefer our guests to focus entirely on their new environment, therefore we don’t accept ‘smells from home’.

No returns

Any items willingly and knowingly left with us will NOT be returned. They are absorbed into the kennels’ day-to-day (shared) operations.

In the past, we bagged “left-behind” items, hoping to return them, but the outcome was rarely successful. Our stash grows steadily, taking up space and looking untidy.

Exceptions

Customised items for long-bodied dogs (e.g., greyhounds) are an exception. Even then, we cannot guarantee their condition at the end of their very busy vacation.