HOLIDAY-makers who have not made reservations for their canine companions may be stranded, with dog kennels in the Canning Vale area completely booked out.
While unwanted pets given as gifts over the Christmas period are always a concern, families with pets travelling for the holidays also have problems, with accommodation for animals becoming increasingly rare the longer the year progresses.
The Canning Times spoke to five kennels in Canning Vale, with all confirming their canine accommodation was completely booked out during the holiday period.
Kismet Boarding Kennels and Mageela Kennels both confirmed they were fully booked until late January, although Kismet did have limited space for cats.
Other kennels, including Snips And Snoozes and Danzalin Kennels, also advised they were booked out until mid-January.
Pampered Paws owner Claire Jensen said business was booming, with her kennels for holidaying hounds completely booked out.
“We have actually been booked out for the Christmas and New Year period since July, so if you didn’t book well in advance with us there was realistically no hope of getting in,” she said.
“Having said that we’re still very, very busy and we’ve been fielding roughly 25 calls a day from people going on holidays looking for a kennel for their dogs, so there’s significant demand out there.”
Mrs Jensen said the best advice she had for holidaymakers who were not able to take pets with them was to book well in advance.
“Our regulars actually book about a year in advance; we’ve got people with pets in at the moment who have already booked for next year so you really do need to plan ahead.
“If you are going on holidays and you’ve not found a kennel, your options really are limited because at this stage most kennels will be booked out.
“You could try the Yellow Pages, but start from the back of the listings and avoid any with big ads; chances are they’re already booked out.
“If you’ve got a specific breed, say a labrador, you could try labrador breeders and they might be able to accommodate you.
“Other than that, you’ll have to hope you’ve got a friend or neighbour who is willing to do you a favour and look after your pet.”
Mrs Jensen also advised pet owners to consider booking ahead for other holiday periods, including Easter.
“I can say that we are almost full for Easter already.
“I wouldn’t say Easter is as popular as Christmas, in terms of the number of dog owners looking for kennels, but even then we tend to fill up reasonably quickly and well in advance.”