Dear Baffled: There are numerous websites that list boarding kennels across the country. Most of them have listings based on paid advertising from the boarding kennel to appear on whatever website. I found several that might be of some assistance in your search for a temporary home for your dog while you move.

Industry Professionals

The first site you should visit is the homepage of the American Boarding Kennels Association located at www.abka.com. The ABKA is a non-profit trade organization for the pet boarding industry. Members of this group are listed on the website by city and state, which makes your search easier than sites which list just by state.

What makes this site stand out for quality kennels is members must abide by a code of ethics and can participate in a voluntary facilities accreditation (VFA) program. Accreditation is granted when a kennel meets more than 200 standards in regards to grounds, office, kennel, grooming, sanitation, fire safety, etc. Each kennel that receives this rating is marked with a VFA next to its name in the listing. This rating means that a representative from ABKA went to the facility and did an on-site inspection.

Each member listing includes the kennel name, contact information, phone numbers, e-mail addresses and even websites. There were dozens of listing for Virginia sorted by city in their directory. Membership in this organization is the benchmark in the boarding industry and it would be a safe bet to contact any of the kennels you find on this site. If you are interested in the standards that must be followed for accreditation you can order the booklet for $28 from their order form section.

National Directories

Other websites offer varying degrees of information depending on the site. For example, www.dogkennelusa.com is advertising driven and when I called up Virginia I got a message stating that they had “no current advertisers from this state.” When I called up Connecticut it gave me 39 choices.

In the www.doggiedirectory.com site I found only three kennels in Virginia, but I found one, Club Pet International, that proudly advertised, “We are the only ABKA certified kennel in Virginia.” I found only two listings at www.canineworld.com but found a great site at www.planet-pets.com, which listed more than a dozen boarding kennels by state. In addition it had a great pet services feature to hook you up with groomers, vets and pet sitters in the area as well as a link to pet health insurance.

Another way to locate boarding kennels in a certain area is by geographic location through dog-related services. I went to www.American-veterinarian.com and under the Virginia Beach, VA area I found 10 listings for boarding kennels and groomers. This site has an excellent search tool at the bottom to locate other types of services in the area for people as well.

Stay away from the www.boardingkennels.net unless you plan on buying a commercial kennel property as they were taking ads for kennels but didn’t have any listed.

Documentation

Once you have selected a kennel you’d like to use in your new area, contact them to find out exactly what documentation they require. You may be moving to a state that mandates yearly Rabies vaccination versus the three-year requirement here in Connecticut and need to update your dog’s boosters. Ask what vaccines and tests your dog will need to be admitted. Some kennels require a negative “worming” certificate or dog license. Gather up all the forms you will need before you travel into a “doggie” passport of sorts.

Have papers will travel.

Lisa Peterson, a breeder and exhibitor of Norwegian Elkhounds, is a Delegate to the American Kennel Club. Send questions to dogcolumn@aol.com or P.O. Box 197, Newtown, CT 06470.