Jackson Heights Life

Does anyone have any recommendations for dog boarding places?  I want to find a place that does not crate our puppy for most of the day.  And although he loves other dogs, he thrives on human contact.  An outdoor playground would be a plus.  Far Fetched Acres is a bit pricey for me and I'm also looking into Eva's Play Pups in Brooklyn which charges $40/day.

Pet Chauffeur is a pet transportation service that also has a boarding facility.  They are based in Long Island City
and you have the option of either dropping of your pet or paying to have them do the transport.  Dogs have an outdoor play area where they can socialize.  The website has pricing information.  I had a good experience with them
recently and would use the service again.

http://www.nypetboarding.com/

http://www.petride.com/

We checked out Rainbow. Not impressive. The area they crate the dogs was very depressing. Instead, we've considered Eva's Play Pups. It seems pretty good, much brighter. We're going to check out NY Pet Boarding as well.

Thank you for the suggestions.  I think kennels anthropomorphize our dogs to begin with by requiring interviews!  Anyways, I went over there and I think it's nice that they have the backyard and allow the dogs the freedom to roam.  However, I was turned off by the location of the kennels which were in the basement and the ventilation seemed poor.  Plus they put the dogs in the kennel from 8pm until 8am the next morning, which I think is too much for our puppy in one sitting.  The rate is affordable at $25/night.

LordB, I called Pet Chauffeur and they gave me a rate of $55 for a one way transport from JH to LIC.  Is this the rate that you were getting? 

Astoria Vet Group's manager offers cage-free pet boarding on the side out of his home, with all of the usual connotations for what on the side means.  I'm not vouching, just informing.

Yeah, but it's his wife's job to watch the animals he takes in for boarding. Not a really good choice, IMHO.

The one time I went away for three days, I hired a dog/house sitter to spend the night at my place (in addition to walking my dog 3 to 4 times a day) so my dog got to sleep in the bed with the sitter.  I prefer that if given the option.

Me, too. My dogs are fairly low maintenance. They only need to be fed. Although they are used to human companionship, they don't require human interaction as they play with each other. They don't need to be walked, 'cause they know how and like using the wee-wee pads or newspaper. I rarely have them show clipped, so their puppy cuts don't even require any maintenance brushing or combing.

The way I see it, dogs are going to miss their people no matter what. So at least keeping them in their own home will make it a little easier and less traumatic for them. A few times, in an emergency, I've taken in a little furball who's Mom or Dad has to go to the hospital for a while. I spent hours carrying them around to keep them as stress-free as I could while they try to adjust to a new environment.

I think all kennels use crates at some point but I would check that someone is onsite 24/7.  I try to get a pet sitter/dog walker or have your dog stay with someone.