Daycare/boarding facilities for dogs, and some even for cats or other pets, are popping up all over the place and it can be intimidating trying to find a good one. For most people, they’ll pick whichever one is closest, or one that’s on their way to work or the airport. Here are some things to look for in making sure your picking a good facility for your pet. 
Smell– This is a pretty big indicator as to whether or not the facility has good cleaning practices. Smell indicates filth and bacteria which means there’s more likely to be a disease outbreak of some sort at the facility. If you walk in and it smells like you’re at the dog pound, then this is probably not the place for you. Many facilities will try to burn candles and such to mask the smell. Keep in mind, if you walk in first thing in the morning and it smells, it could just mean the staff hasn’t had a chance to clean the kennels for the day, sometimes dogs have accidents during the night. Come back later in the day to see if the smell is gone.
Staff– Aside from a safe environment, staff is the most important part of choosing a good daycare. A good staff is going to be organized, keep the environment clean and safe, be well informed on what’s going on in the daycare, be a good pack leader, and most of all be experienced in handling the dogs, handling issues that arise, be able to catch things before they happen, etc. The staff should of course be professional and friendly and show genuine interest in taking care of your pet. If you can see into the daycare, watch how the staff interacts with the dogs. Sometimes the age of the staff is a good thing to pay attention to. Working at a daycare is not a very high-end job so there’s usually a pretty high turnover rate. Many times, facilities end up hiring a lot of inexperienced kids where in a lot of cases it’s there first time working with a group of dogs. This makes for cheap labor, but this can also be concerning as there’s a higher likelihood that mistakes will be made such as your dog getting fed the wrong food, altercations not being handled correctly resulting in injury, or not getting their medication. You should feel free to ask about specific staff members to see how long they’ve been working at that facility; 6+ months is an ideal minimum but preferably you’ll want staff that’s been there for a couple of years. Note that the people working the front desk are likely to be the ones that have stuck it out and worked there the longest, it’s the staff that work inside the daycare with your dog that are likely to be newer and inexperienced. 
Full Tour– A good facility should be able to give you a full tour to show you the ins and outs of their operation. A good facility will be well organized with keeping track of your dog’s items, what they eat, labeling any bedding they have so that nothing gets lost when it comes time to pick up your dog.
Web Cams– These are a great tool for you to see what goes on in your dog’s day. Does your dog interact with the other dogs? Do they hide in a corner all day? If another dog is picking on your dog does the staff jump in and do something about it? Is there always a staff member in the room?
How Does Your Dog Feel About It?– Your dog is the ultimate indicator on whether or not the facility will work out. That’s not to say that if your dog does not like it that it’s a bad facility. I would recommend that you give it several tries before calling it quits. Some dogs just need to find their comfort zone. I’ve seen dogs that do well in one facility, and poorly in another. If you have a slower elderly dog you might want to find a quieter daycare, or one that even has an area specific to seniors. On the other hand, if you have a young hyper dog, you’ll want to find a daycare that has other dogs that match that energy level. If you have a small dog, you may want to find a facility that specifically caters to small dogs, or separates them from the larger dogs. Note that no facility is absolutely perfect, and mistakes can happen in any one of them. A better indicator of quality is the frequency of the incidents, or how those incidents are handled.
I like that you said that you suggested touring the pet boarding facility that you’re interested in so you can have an idea of how organized they are and to see how they operate things. My husband and I are planning to find a pet boarding facility where our dog can stay for a week. Our dog is prone to allergies, so we want to find a pet boarding facility that keeps their spaces clean and free from germs that can cause illnesses to the dogs that are under their care. Thanks for sharing this.
Thank you for your response. You mentioned that your dog has allergies. You may also want to ask whatever facility your looking into how they accommodate dogs with allergies, or what they do in the event of a bad allergic reaction. I’ve known dogs with such severe food allergies that warnings would be placed everywhere to make sure the staff knew to only feed that dog it’s own food, and that they didn’t get any other treats. I’ve also seen dogs with environmental allergies come in with medication like Benadryl, or even wipes to wipe down their bodies at the end of the day to remove any allergens they may have picked up while playing. Good luck!