How to Get a Boarding Stay Right, From Drop Off to the Go Home Bath

Boarding a dog or cat goes smoother when the paperwork and the logistics are settled before the day you actually drop them off. Rose-Rich has run its boarding wing alongside the rest of the hospital for years, and most of what trips people up the first time comes down to a handful of details that are easy to sort out in advance.

What to have ready before drop off

Proof of current vaccination is required before any pet is boarded. For dogs, that means DHLP-P, rabies, Bordetella, and canine influenza (the bivalent version). For cats, it means FVRCP and rabies. If your pet is due for any of these, Rose-Rich can handle it as part of the same visit, but it needs to happen before boarding starts, not after.

If a pet arrives with fleas or ticks noted at check in, treatment is applied and billed separately: a quick kill flea treatment runs five to eight dollars, and a topical tick treatment runs twenty two to twenty six dollars. Every pet also gets a free brief physical exam by a vet assistant at admission, with a full doctor's exam available at additional cost if something looks off.

Drop off and pick up windows

Drop off runs 6:30 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday, and 8:00 am to 11:30 am on Saturdays. Pick up runs 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday, narrowing to 3:00 to 5:00 pm on the day of an exit bath, and 8:00 am to 11:30 am on Saturdays. There is no Sunday pick up, which is worth building into any weekend travel plan before you book.

If a trip lands near a holiday, plan the drop off and pick up around Rose-Rich's own closed days: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day, plus half days on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. Holiday weekends are also the clinic's busiest boarding stretch, so booking as early as you can once your travel dates are set makes a real difference in getting the suite or run you want.

Food, toys, and labeling everything

Rose-Rich feeds Hill's Science Diet Sensitive Stomach by default during a stay. Owners are welcome to bring their own pet's regular food instead, as long as it is clearly labeled. The same goes for toys and blankets from home. They are welcome, but the clinic cannot guarantee they will make it back to you unless they have a name on them, so label anything you would be sorry to lose. Bring your own collar, leash, and carrier as well.

The suites, the webcams, and the go home bath

Beyond standard kennel boarding and runs, Rose-Rich has eight individually themed luxury suites, each hand painted, with names like the Jungle Room, Under the Sea, and the Royal Suite. Every suite has a webcam so you can check in on your pet remotely, a window view of the on-site dog park, and cable TV. It is a step up from a standard cage, and pricing reflects that difference, but the vaccination and drop off rules are the same either way.

The suites sit next to an indoor playroom, so dogs boarding in them are not confined to the suite itself the whole stay. Between the suite, the playroom, and the window view of the on-site dog park, it is a noticeably different setup from a standard kennel run, which is part of why it costs more and why it tends to book up first around holidays.

Before pick up, you can arrange a go home bath, priced by size from eighteen dollars for a small dog up to twenty four dollars for the largest. The full service grooming salon can also coordinate a go home groom on the day your pet leaves, Monday through Friday, though space is limited, so schedule it at drop off rather than assuming it will be available same day.

Booking a stay

All boarding fees are due at pick up, and a deposit may be requested for a longer stay. To book a stay for your dog or cat in Richmond or Rosenberg, call Rose-Rich at (281) 342-3727 with your dates and your pet's current vaccination status, and the front desk will walk you through the rest.

• Vaccination proof required before arrival: dogs need DHLP-P, rabies, Bordetella, CIV bivalent; cats need FVRCP and rabies
• Drop off: 6:30 am to 5:00 pm weekdays, 8:00 am to 11:30 am Saturdays
• Pick up: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm weekdays (3:00 to 5:00 pm with an exit bath), 8:00 am to 11:30 am Saturdays, no Sunday pick up
• Label any food, toys, or blankets from home