Vaccinations

All animals must have had the full course of vaccinations allowing for two weeks clearance before the date of boarding.

For Dogs to board they must have received the primary course and be up to date with the vaccines for: Canine Distemper Virus, Canine Adenovirus/Infectious Canine Hepatitis, Canine Parvovirus, Leptospirosis (L2 is satisfactory, L4 is not essential), plus the Kennel Cough (Bordetella bronchiseptica and Canine Parainfluenza) vaccine.

For Cats to board they must have received the primary course and be up to date with the vaccines for: Feline Panleukopenia, Feline Herpes Virus-type 1 and Feline Calici Virus; the vaccines for Feline Leukaemia virus (FeLV) and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) are strongly recommended but not essential.

Proof of vaccination is required upon arrival. Entry will be refused if vaccinations are not up to date with the full cost of the stay still payable. Evidence of a high level of immunity in the form of an immune titre test will be accepted as an alternative to annual vaccination, however the animal must still have received the Leptospirosis and Kennel Cough vaccines. The titre test must have been done within 6 weeks of stay.

Health and Behaviour

All animals should be up to date with flea and worming treatments upon arrival. In line with new licensing conditions, which come in to force on 01/01/19, on arrival you will be asked to provide the last date of flea and worming and what products were used.

If your pet is discovered to have parasites, you will be informed, and they will be treated with an appropriate treatment obtained from a veterinary surgeon. You will be liable for any veterinary consultation costs and any treatment costs incurred. You must inform the Kennel’s staff on arrival if your animal has any allergies to anti-parasite treatments.

Pet insurance is not required for boarding but if your pet is insured, you will need to provide us with the name of the insurance company and the policy number upon arrival.

You must provide the Kennels with a vaild UK emergency contact, who is aware of your wishes, should we be unable to contact you in an emergency, whilst you are abroad.

If your pet is taken ill whilst in our care, they will be taken to your nominated veterinary practice, provided the practice is within an approximate 5 mile radius of Birch Hall Kennels. Alternatively, our appointed veterinary practice (Torkington Park Veterinary Centre) will be used, or their Out of Hours service (Woodcroft A&E Hospital). Regardless of the practice attended all veterinary fee’s will be payable by the owner on collection of the pet. A transport fee of £10 per hour will be added to your bill. Should your animal be diagnosed with an infectious disease an additional £30 will be applied to each transportation for a full vehicle disinfection.  Should your pet need to be isolated on veterinary advice at the kennels, isolation charges will apply.

If your pet has any existing medical conditions it is vital that you inform staff of the details at time of booking or upon arrival. If your animal requires any medication, it should be supplied in its original packaging with a prescription label and/or with clear written instructions.

If your animal has any behavioural issues, such as resource guarding, fear aggression, reactivity to other dogs/cats or people, etc you must inform staff of the details at time of enquiry/booking. We will make every endeavour to match your animal with a kennel block that meets their needs, and discuss a management/care plan for your animal for their stay.

We reserve the right on arrival to refuse entry to any pet that in our opinion is too unhealthy, too dangerous to handle and at risk in kennels such as pregnant.

Boarding Fees

Boarding fees are charged at a daily rate inclusive of the day of drop off and collection, regardless of the time of arrival/departure. The full amount is payable for the dates booked and recorded on our computer system. Bank holidays are charged at double rate for the Bank Holiday itself, including the actual days of Easter Sunday, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day should they fall on a weekend. The office is closed on all Bank Holidays and no collections or drop offs can be made on these days.

Full payment must be made before any pet will be released. We are able to accept cash and card payments (excluding American Express). [Please note: whilst social distancing measures related to COVID-19 are in place, we cannot accept cash payments]. 

Pets can only be dropped off or collected during office hours. Arriving Out of Hours will result in a £10 surcharge and you may be asked to collect you pet during the next available office opening hours. If you wish to collect your pet earlier than the booked day of departure, the bill must still be paid for the original dates booked. For security reasons you must inform the kennels if someone is collecting your pet on your behalf.

If you wish to cancel your booking at least fourteen days notice must be given for bookings of fourteen days or less, otherwise the full amount is payable. For bookings over fourteen days, 30 days notice is required, otherwise the full amount is payable. Cancellation charges are applied at the discretion of The Kennel's management.

Deposits must be paid on all bookings and are non-refundable, unless you provide a medical or veterinary certificate, whereby the deposit will be credited to your internal account for use on a future stay at the discretion of the kennels. In the sad event of your pet passing away, any remaining credit on your account will be refunded.

If any pet is not collected on the appointed date and the owner does not contact the kennels within 14 days, we reserve the right to re-home the animal. Failure to contact the kennels will result in a surcharge of £10 per day plus the boarding fee for every extra day we do not hear from you.

General Terms 

All dogs should wear a collar and/or harness with ID tags and bring their leads. Cats should arrive in suitable secure boxes/carriers. You are welcome to bring any bedding, toys or food/treats you desire, although we do provide plenty of each.

Unfortunately, we cannot take any dogs on the Banned List.

Your dogs will only be walked off-site with your agreement and if they have basic lead training. By Law, All dogs MUST wear a collar and ID tag. All off-site walks are strictly on lead only. Off lead exercise will only be undertaken in our secure play areas or sensory garden. Dogs are exercised singly, unless they are from the same household, or are suitable to exercise together. Please note, walks will be cancelled in adverse weather conditions, if you have booked extra walks in the event of adverse weather you will not be charged for any cancelled walks. No extra walks will be done on bank holidays. We reserve the right not to walk any dogs we deem to pose a health and safety risk to our staff or the public; these dogs will be provided with alternative enrichment.

All animals are provided with enrichment devices (toys) or food enrichment (including edible chews) whilst in the kennels, unless we are advised to the contrary.

All animals are housed singly, unless they are from the same household and are suitable to share a kennel unit. Animals of the opposite sex may not be housed together unless at least one is neutered, to prevent the risk of accidental pregnancy.

[only applicable to dogs/cats from the same household suitable to share a kennel unit] You must inform the Kennel’s staff at the time of booking or on arrival, if your animals have a history of any behaviours that may preclude them from sharing a kennel unit, such as incidents of fighting or resource guarding behaviours. By housing your animals together, you understand that Birch Hall Kennels reserves the right to separate your animals into separate units should it be deemed necessary during their stay, and that you will be liable for the cost of the additional kennel unit should it be required.

During your animals’ stay, staff may take photographs or videos of your pet, for display on our office notice boards, website, social media or marketing materials. No identifying information (beyond the occasional use of a name in accompanying text) will be displayed. If you would prefer not to have your pets’ image displayed, please inform a member of staff.

Whilst all reasonable precautions are taken to prevent and control the spread of infections or contagious disease among animals, we do not accept responsibility for any parasitic, bacterial, viral protozoan or fungal infection contracted whilst in the kennels.

Whilst all reasonable precautions are taken Birch Hall Kennels does not accept responsibility for damage, loss or injury to any persons, animals or property.

It is your responsibility to inform Birch Hall Kennels of any changes in your details, or your animals’ health and/or behaviour at the time of booking or on admission to the kennels.