Boarding kennels vary enormously in welfare quality, with social isolation, kennel stress, and inadequate enrichment causing significant welfare harm in lower-quality facilities.
The boarding kennel industry spans a huge quality range — from highly enriched, professionally staffed facilities that minimize welfare impacts to barren kennels where animals sit in concrete runs for days without adequate exercise or human contact. Most pet owners have limited ability to assess welfare quality when selecting a boarding facility. Clear welfare indicators — exercise frequency, enrichment provision, staff to animal ratios, and infection control protocols — should be standards that pet owners demand and regulators require.