Surrey Hills Happy Hounds
Doggy Day Care and Boarding
Care for Your Furry Friends
Frequently Asked Questions for Doggy Day Care
The Answers You Need
We understand that your dogs are like family, and it’s our top priority to make you feel comfortable with the care we provide them. To make sure all your questions are answered, we’ve included our FAQs below
Are you licensed?
Yes, we are licensed by Mole Valley District Council and have been awarded 5 star rating for 3 years which is the maximum they provide. This means they have inspected our home to make sure it’s safe, hygienic and suitable for dogs, as well as vetting us to make sure we are suitable to work with animals.It’s very important you check that the day care & boarding service you use is licensed and we’ll be happy to show off our certificate when you visit.
My dog takes medication, are you able to give it to them?
Yes we can safely store and administer medication to your dog with instructions provided. All medications must be in the original prescription container so that we have full details, information about the medication, within this you must sign a consent form giving us permission to administer the medication.
Can I drop off and pick up my own dog?
Due to our services being provided from our own home, we have to be considerate to our neighbours and also the dogs. By providing a drop off and pick up service, this helps restrict traffic & noise on our road to keep our neighbours happy. It also prevents the dogs getting agitated when visitors are at the door which could lead to barking that could upset our neighbours. Therefore, we provide the pick up and drop off service to keep you, the dogs and our neighbours as happy as possible.
How can I check on my pet during their stay?
As pet lovers we know how hard it is to leave your dog behind. Therefore, please feel free to message or call me to check on your dog. I can provide photos/videos to make you feel jealous of their fun day.
Can you feed my dog whist at Doggy Day Care?
I encourage dogs are fed their breakfast before I arrive, as dogs need to have at least 2 hours rest between feeding time which will eat up their playtime with their best friends (deep chested breeds require longer rest after eating).
Dogs will be provided with treats during their stay (allergies will be considered). If you require me to feed your pooch, please provide your own dog food, correct measurements and sealed in a bag.
What is the youngest age you accept dogs?
Puppy breeds vary enormously on their maturity, so I recommend puppies are at least 6 months old. However, please feel free to contact me if they are younger. We will only accept house trained puppies to help prevent any accidents in our home.
What is a typical day for Doggy Day Care?
I have a multi purpose vehicle to collect your lovely pooches between 9:30am to 10.30am. Once all the dogs are collected, I then go straight to my private secure field where the real fun starts!! The dogs can do their zoomies, play ball, chase frisbee, cause havoc in the ball pit, enjoy cooling off in the paddling pool and have lots of cuddles.
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Once they have had their fun run around, I will provide structured sessions including agility, training and mental enrichment.
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Pooches will then return to our comfy home, where they have plenty of sleeping areas (dog beds provided, sofa, arm chairs and upstairs bedroom - yep, they even have their own human bed to stretch out on! This enables dogs that just want to sleep, will not be bothered by the more energetic dogs.
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After lunch, depending on the dogs & owners instructions, I will then do an afternoon walk either in the woods or back to the secure field. I will then return back to our home for another rest.
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Once the dogs are worn out, I will drop them off between 4:30pm to 5:30pm.
Do dogs have to come in same days each week for a minimum of once a week?
It is important for your dog to feel comfortable and maintain familiarity. Our minimum service is 1 day per week and we require bookings be the same days each week.
Your dog will have a reserved space each week on the days that you want to send them. The set days are reserved and 100% guaranteed for you every week into the future for as long as you choose to send your dog to us.
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If you need to cancel a particular week, we require at least 48 hours notice for cancelation which will reduce your fee to 50% and continue to be reserved for you so you never lose your place. Less than 48 hours notice requires full payment.
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Do I have to be home for pick-up and drop-off?
No, most clients are happy to provide us with a set of keys so we can collect and drop off when nobody is home. Keys are kept in a safe and no address is left with the keys. If you work from home, we will do our best to plan our daily pick up and drop off route to your convenience.
Are you open all year round?
We are closed on all Bank Holidays and from 14th December to 5th January. Apart from that, we are open all year round.
Still have questions? Get in touch via email contact@surreyhillshappyhounds.co.uk and we’ll get back to you ASAP.
Frequently Asked Questions for Boarding
What if my dog gets unwell whilst boarding?
Your dogs health and well being are first and foremost. Everything that can be done will be done. Where possible we will endeavour to take your dog to its own Veterinary surgeon. If this is not possible your dog will be taken to the carers closest Vet. Any bills will of course be payable by the owner.
Do you accept puppies or dogs on medication?
Generally we do not take in puppies under 6 months of age. However, at our discretion we may accept younger dogs provided they are fully house trained.
We are happy to board dogs on medication.
Are all dogs suitable for home boarding?
No. We have learned through boarding dogs that our service is only suitable for friendly, family dogs. We are happy to accommodate puppies as long as they are house and/or crate trained. We are happy to accept all breeds as long as they are obedient, non-destructive, and non-aggressive and have a calm, gentle nature.
We do not accept dogs that chew furniture or other household items. We do not accept dogs that pull hard on the lead, or boisterous strong dogs. We do not accept bitches that are expected to be, or are, in season during the stay with us.
My dog usually sleeps on my bed - will you allow him/her to do this?
We feel it is important to keep to the dogs normal routine and for them to settle as much as possible overnight, if this means joining our bed, then we will accommodate this and allow them to sleep in our bed.
What do IÂ need to bring?
Your dog must be fully vaccinated and up to date with their flea and worming treatments. We need a hard copy of the vaccination record on every visit.
We require your dogs foods to cover the duration of your dogs stay with us plus 10% extra as your dog will be more active than usual and may require extra food to keep its energy up. Please bring own bedding or crate if used to sleeping in crate.
We have plenty of toys so no need to bring toys.
What processes are you taking for Covid-19?
We are putting in place safety procedures to adhere to Government Guidelines. These include being able to maintain a social distancing meet and greet, wiping down of dogs, food and equipment upon arrival & departure.
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Everyone is now required to wear a face covering whilst on the premises.
Do you allow short term stays?
Yes. We accept bookings for 1 night. For weekends, we can have mutually agreeable drop off & pick up times. However, Monday to Friday the pick up & drop off times must fit around our Day Care Service.
My dog does not attend Day Care, can you still board my dog?
Yes. For weekend stays and for special occasions, we do accept this. However, we have to follow a mandatory (for our licence) three trial process to follow:
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Prior to your dog boarding, we require a meet and greet and the first trial (approx. 30 minutes) without the owner present. This is to ensure we get to know your dog and see if there are any obvious behaviour problems. Meet and greet fee is £35 per dog.
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If the dog passes the first trial, we book the second trial which is a 3 hour trial session at our doggy day care. This will allow us to get to know your dog further, to ensure they are happy and suitable for our home boarding. We will be checking to see if they socialise with our other doggy day care dogs, checking that we are able to handle them and seeing if they are happy in our environment.
Once the second trial is passed, there is an additional admin fee of £15 per dog - you'll understand this fee when you see all of the paperwork!
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We only accept dogs that are social and friendly to other dogs and people. Excessive barkers, humpers, and dogs that are not house trained are also not accepted. Day care trial times are from 10.30am to 1.30pm. We collect and owner is required to pick-up. This is a mandatory requirement for our licence.
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Upon successful completion of the 3 hour day care trial, your dog will then be invited to a £42.50 overnight stay. This must be on a separate date from the 2nd trial and cannot be part of your dogs first boarding stay. This will allow us to further assess your dogs behaviour to ensure they settle overnight, eat with us and are fully toilet trained. Once all parties are fully happy, we can proceed with booking your dogs stay.
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We require booking's paid upfront. Cancellations within 30 days will receive 50% money back, less than 30 days cancellation pay 100% of booking.