Pictures of our dogs on Homestays

We take a lot of pictures of our dogs. We post them to Facebook and occasionally update our photos on this page.

Sasha

The Jacks

Zoe

Kayaking with dogs

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Price and Fees

Our price is $42.00/day
Client Discount of $5/day for clients-- if you have trained with us either a private consult or passed our Life Skills Class

Refund Policy

We require a $50 non-refundable deposit to secure your dog's homestay.
Non-refundable- no matter what.
Balance of homestay to be paid when you drop your dog off.

Remember that if you cancel, you may have prevented someone else from having their dog come and stay with us.

First to pay, first to get a placement especially during busy periods.

How do you calculate the days?

Drop off after 5pm is considered 1/2 day.

Example:
Drop off Friday 5pm, Pick up Sunday 5 pm is 2.5 days

What happens if I pick up my dog earlier, do I get a refund?

It depends.
If you took a spot for another dog, no credit, no refund

Any "refund' is in 'dog credits' - for the next stay.

Are there strict pick up/drop off times like in a kennel?

We have a cellphone (0221 88 58 17) so text us if you are late. We are flexible and if we can accommodate you, we will.

Homestay for Dogs

We know how difficult it can be to rely on friends, and family to look after your dog. Plans change.

Let us care for your dog while you are away. It's a service that we offer our clients; those who have either taken our class, or done some private training with us.

Howver, if we don't know your dog, that's okay. You can come and meet us with your dog. The price is higher as we don't know your dog.

Where do dogs stay?

Dogs stay with us in our home. They are inside dogs, and if your dog prefers to stay outside, that's okay too. He has a big backyard to explore.

Your dog becomes part of our family so they come with us when we go out. They may be in our car while we go shopping, then go for a dog walk.

Where do dogs sleep?

We ask owners to bring their dog's bed or crate. Some dogs do actually sleep in their bed, and some dogs find their way on our bed! Some dogs find our couch, and as long as they get off the couch, or bed when we ask them, we don't have a problem with this.

Some people believe that dogs shouldn't sleep on human beds, and we respect their opinion. However, we have never had any problems with dogs understanding that the big bed is ours and that they need to get off when asked.

Problem around bed 'ownership' arises when dogs are lead to believe that it's their bed. The consequence is that they get possessive over it and this can lead to problems like growling or snapping. If this happens to you, give us a ring immediately and we can help.

Is there anyone at home during the day?

Either Blair or Natalie are at home to answer phone calls, and do the paperwork for our business. Dogs mostly have company all day but they do have to stay home alone occasionally, if we are working with a client at their own home or other matters.

"Dogs' lives are too short. Their only fault, really."
Agnes Sligh Turnbull

Where are dogs walked?

It's great to live in this part of town because the houses that used to be across the road from us, are no longer. Christchurch's new land zones means that we have a lot of new dog walking areas. Across the road is now a park and further along is Porritt Park. Behind us is Cowsle's Stadium and towards the east is New Brighton.

We walk a lot on the beach, but we do drive up to Victoria Park, or drive to the Groynes.

How many dogs stay with you?

We are not a boarding facility so we have to keep our guest's numbers down. We occasionally have up to 4 dogs, but the usual number is around 2 or 3 dogs at a time. We usually go to our bach if we have many dogs. Some days we may have more dogs due to dogs being dropped off or being picked up.

When your dog lives with us, he is learning our house rules, and our dog rules in conjunction with our dog called Max. Max is a Springer Spaniel and Poodle. Some people call him a Pinger and others call him a Spoodle. He is a great, friendly dog.

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What happens if dogs dont like each other?

We do get grumpy dogs and if a dog really doesn't get on with another dog, we use management. Our house is full of doors! This allows us to manage dogs so that they don't actually see each other. We have crates for the occasion when a dog needs time alone.

We also have a colleague who cares for our dogs when we are either full, or have a dog that needs to be alone either due to age or a past injury (can't play with other dogs), or just because he is upsetting the pack.

She lives down the road from us and has taken care of numerous dogs for us. She cares for our dog Max when we go on holiday and can't take him.

Is this really a "holiday" for dogs?

Many of our clients say that their dog is going on holiday. And they are. It's a different place, with different people, with different dogs.

We get many comments from dog owners (some people like to be called 'parents' or 'caregivers') who say that their dog is calmer when they go home, or that they listen more, or that their dog is no longer reactive to other dogs.

These are some of the benefits for a dog when they change their environment. If they live in a stressful family life, they come here and relax. They learn our rules (quite quickly), and they understand the routine after 2 days or so.

We enjoy having a mariad of dogs. We live in a dog house and we drive a dog car, and we jokingly say we sleep on a dog bed :)

We are a crazy dog family!