Frequently asked questions

General

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Q1.Can I inspect your facilities?
A1. We strongly encourage inspections of our facilities so you know where your fur baby will be staying. We conduct inspections between 12.30- 1.30 PM Monday – Saturday by appointment only.  Give us a call to book in! Please try to be on time as every time some one new comes in the puppies get disturbed hence we have a designated time to minimise upsetting them.

Q2. Do I need to have my pet vaccinated before boarding?
A2. Yes all pets boarding with us need to have had a vaccination in the last 12 months.
Dogs; C5 vaccination is required which covers Parvovirus, Hepatitis, Distemper, Parainfluenza & Bordetella.
Cats; Minimum F3 vaccination is required which covers Feline Enteritis, Rhinotracheitis and Calici Virus.
Please be aware that inspite of the vaccinations sometimes your pets can get the flu as not every strain is covered by the vaccination but vaccination does reduce the severity of the sickness.

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Q3.Play time for the guests?
A3.We are on five acres and have large play areas including a park at the lodge where the dogs go out twice a day for supervised play. If your dog does not like to play with other dogs then they will go out by themselves. 

we do have paid extra exercise sessions for active dogs in our 1 acre park. This is an intense session of fetching, running around, chasing and Frisbee etc. At the end of this sessions the dogs are very exhausted and normally sleep for a few hours.
You can choose this session in our extras session with or without videos.

Q4. Can I bring toys or a blanket for my dog?
A4. Of course you can bring their favourite toy or blanket however things can get destroyed, snitched by another guest while staff are not looking, or lost. We do try to get all belongings back but sometimes it is not possible so please only provide things that you can spare and will not upset you if they get lost.
Otherwise we do have plenty of toys and beds at the lodge and they normally like new things.

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Q5. What happens if my pet gets sick?
A5. Pets do get sick at home and at the kennels. We do keep a close eye on your pets and if we are concerned about their welfare, we will contact you and our vet and seek advice as per your instructions. If we are unable to contact you or have an emergency, we will act immediately and keep you informed. 

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Q6. Can I come in with my pet to settle them in?
A6. It’s not a good idea for you to settle your pet(s) into their room. 
We understand you would really love to do that. It disturbs the other guests and also your pet is more anxious if you come in and leave them there.
Pick up & drop off time is our busiest time which means we don’t have spare hands to accompany you. 
Please do not put our staff in an awkward position by asking. That is why we strongly recommend coming to inspect before hand so you can see where your pet(s) will be staying.

 

Q7. Can I pick up my dog out of the hours that you have mentioned?
A7. This a common question asked. People are coming back from holidays where they are running late or the flight gets delayed but you really want your pet home the same day. We do understand that. Our staff are just like any other work place working hard all day and looking at going home at the end of a busy and long day so they can come back the next day.
Please do not ask unless it is an emergency and we will try our best to accommodate it but there is an extra charge of $150 for our staff to stay after-hours and provide that service.
We get a couple of requests every day for the staff to stay back as someone is running late. We really appreciate if you could please understand, call or send us and email that you will not be able to make it and collect your pet the next day.

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Q8. Are you able to medicate my pet?
A8. All medication must be prescribed by a vet & come in the packaging labelled by the vet. Please make sure we have more than enough for the stay. We do not charge for medicating your pet.

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Feeding

Q1. What is my dog fed while boarding at Acacia lodge?
A1. We feed super-coat kibble and fresh chicken mince or beef mince depending upon the preference of 
your puppy. They also get treats when we tuck them into bed at the end of the day. The treats are mainly denta sticks. 

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Q2. Can I provide my own food?
A2. If your dog is on a special diet or fussy eater you are most welcome to provide your own food. We do not charge extra for that. You can also write down how many times you would like your dog to be fed. All this is printed by our staff and put on their cage card so who ever is on duty can see it and cater to the request.

 

Daily Routine

What does a typical Day look like at Acacia lodge: 

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Our kennels are airconditioned and temperature controlled, and all guests are inside at night and during very hot periods in the middle of the day in summer.

During the day all dogs are outside in our open yards. If you give us permission and your dog is friendly, we can match them with friend of similar size age and temperament. Dogs in little groups have lots of fun with their friends. 

If they are not dog friendly, then they can be in their own big open yards. We try and walk every dog around the property if they allow.

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Q1.Do you send regular updates i.e. videos and photos for free?
A1.We do not provide free video or photo service as our staff is not allowed to keep the mobile phones while looking after your precious fur babies. It is very easy to be distracted when someone is taking photo or videos. We are owned by a Vet clinic and we see quite a few accidents which can be avoided. 
As we say no news is always good news. 
However on quiet days when we do have extra staff we love taking photos and video to update our Facebook page but it is hard for us to produce those on demand.
If you really want a photo shoot or videos of your pet please choose our extras paid package and we will get extra staff member to edit and send them to you.

Q2. Extra  exercise for active dogs?
A2. Even though we try our best to give every one some play time, we do have paid extra exercise sessions for active dogs in our 1 acre park. This is an intense session of fetching, running around, chasing and Frisbee etc. At the end of this sessions the dogs are very exhausted and normally sleep for a few hours.
You can choose this session in our extras session with or without videos.

 

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