Very few places left at kennels

If you need Rover and Tiddles to be looked after while you go away, do not leave it too late to reserve a place in kennels as there are not many vacancies left.

Adrian Blättler, who runs the V.I Pets dog kennels in Morgarten, said that anyone wanting to go away and who has a dog which needs looking after should book early, i.e. between two and three months in advance.

Both canine and customer care are very much priorities at the afore-mentioned kennels. “We have regular customers and always keep places for their dogs,” said Blättler, “so new customers should not delay in contacting us for a reservation.”

Not that V.I.Pets is solely for accommodating dogs, owners having problems with them can be advised on what best to do. “We love dogs here and can find solutions to all problems,” he added. In fact, if you want your dog to be collected from home, this can be arranged too, even if you live beyond the cantonal boundary.

Meanwhile, over at the Allenwinden animal home, almost all spaces for accommodation over the summer are already taken, though they do have room if anyone is going away just for two or three days. The home offers kennels for up to 30 cats, though they have to put up with the indignity of sharing one enclosure with up to four others.

It is at this time that kittens are often brought to the centre; not that they have been abandoned by their owners, they are the offspring of stray cats brought in by members of the public, as Angela Roth, who has a national diploma in animal care, explained. She can be seen on the left in the photograph with Ultimo.

The home is also a cantonal-certified hedgehog recuperation centre, where those who are sick, injured or emaciated can be brought. These are given a free medical examination, restored to health and set free again. At present there are places available for up to five, if any one finds one in need.

An alternative to kennels is offered by the Animal Support Centre in Oberwil, who will look after pets in their owners’ homes, though mainly within cantonal boundaries only. It could still look after a few more, but early booking is always advisable here, too.