Booking Pet Boarding for Summer and School Vacations

If you've ever waited until a week before school vacation to look for boarding, you know how that phone call goes. Everyone else had the same idea months earlier. Good boarding is a limited resource, and it fills in predictable patterns. Here's how to plan around them if your dog or cat is staying at Champion Kennels in Sterling, or at any kennel you're considering.

Know when the peak weeks hit

Champion lists its peak times as weekends, school vacations, holidays, and summer, which runs from June 15 through September 15. Those are the stretches when families travel, so those are the stretches when the kennel is busiest. Long holiday weekends count, and so does nearly the whole summer.

If your dates fall outside those windows, you'll generally have more room to maneuver, but a holiday week is a holiday week wherever you board. The simplest habit is to treat any trip that touches a weekend, a school break or a holiday as a peak trip and plan accordingly.

Book as soon as your dates are firm

The best moment to call is right after you confirm flights, a rental or a wedding date. Spaces for the busiest weeks go first, and there is no prize for waiting. Booking early also gives you breathing room for the parts of boarding that can't be rushed.

Vaccines are the big one. Dogs need a current DHLPP booster, rabies, and the kennel cough vaccine, which has a 10-day wait before a stay. If your dog has recently been to daycare, a dog show, the dog park, a groomer or a pet-friendly store, there's a separate 10-day wait on top of that. Cats need rabies, FVRCP and a negative leukemia result. Book first, then schedule the vet visit with those waits in mind, instead of discovering them a few days before you leave.

Read the cancellation terms before you pay

Peak-time stays come with their own cancellation terms, and they're stricter than the rest of the year, because a space held for you is a space somebody else couldn't have. Ask the office for the current cancellation policy before you commit, and write the deadline down next to your trip dates.

Plans change. Kids get sick, flights get canceled, a work trip gets moved. Knowing exactly how much notice you owe is far cheaper than finding out afterward. The same goes for any change to your dates: call as soon as you know, because an early heads-up is easier for everyone to work with than a last-minute one.

Plan drop-off and pick-up around office hours

The office is open 9 to 11 AM and 1 to 5 PM on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and 9 AM to 4 PM on Saturday. It's closed on Tuesday and Sunday, and closed every weekday from 11 AM to 1 PM. That midday gap catches people out, especially when they're trying to squeeze a drop-off between a morning errand and a noon flight.

If your trip starts or ends on a day the office is closed, ask how drop-off and pick-up will work before you book, rather than the night before. Pay attention to cash and check too: payment is due at drop-off and cards aren't accepted, though there is an ATM on site.

Day boarding fills the gaps

Not every busy week needs an overnight. Day boarding is for dogs only and runs 7:30 AM to 7:30 PM, seven days a week, by reservation. A dog gets a private room with a bed, fresh water, treats and playtime. The rate is $25 for one dog and $45 for two. It suits a long workday, a house full of guests during school vacation, or an appointment that runs late. Pick-up outside regular hours is available by appointment.

Day boarding follows the same health rules as overnight stays, including the 10-day wait after multi-dog settings, so it pays to arrange the first visit before the week you really need it.

A short booking checklist

• Confirm your dates and call the office as early as you can
• Ask for the current cancellation policy and note the deadline
• Check vaccine dates, remembering the 10-day kennel cough wait
• Count the 10-day wait after daycare, shows, dog parks and other multi-dog settings
• Plan for cash or check at drop-off
• Pre-bag each meal with your pet's name on it

A pet who is booked, vaccinated and packed a week early makes the whole trip calmer, and the departure morning stops being a fire drill. To check availability or ask anything on that list, call the office at (978) 422-3100 or text 978-990-3364. Do it this week, even if the trip feels far away. For summer and school vacations, early is the only reliable strategy.