Hi everyone can you advise.

I have had my dog in a certain boarding kennels and I'll mentio no names for 3 weeks and I am due to collect him tommorrow.  I didn't get home until late and the kennels was closed.  A friend of mine has informed me that the whole kennels has gone down with an outbreak of Kennel Cough and that they are not releasing dogs.

Question 1:  Its only tommorrow when I collect him and as I can't get hold of the owners at this time,  Can they keep hold of my dog until the kennels are cleared.  Theres nothing on my contract.

Question 2:  If they release him and he still has kennel cough what recourse do I have if any?

I would be very grateful for any kennel owners or anyone to advise.

Thank you in anticipation.

John

They have absolutely no power or right to prevent you from collecting your dog, as this is rumour only i suggest you turn up to collect your dog as arranged, i expect there will be no problem except for an apology from the kennel owners because your dog may be exposed to KC and may have an infection.
Also please do not blame the kennel owners - it is not their fault kennel cough is highly contagious and dogs can carry the virus and be contageuos for upto 14 days before showing any symtoms.
I doubt that you have any recourse after all it is only like a human catching a cold or the flu - just one of those things...however if your dog is very old, has an ongoing health problem, or very young i would go straight to my own vet and get some antibiotics pretty quick.  A healthy dog should recover without this.

Sharon

My friend who does GSD rescue also has a boarding kennels & she had to put sneeze barriers(whatever they are)between all the individual boarding kennels & the individual rescue kennels

Oddly enough she has never had an outbreak of KC, her kennelmaids & herslef always spray themselves with a misting KC disinfectant after handling each dog & wear wipedown overalls. She has been running a boarding kennels for over 40 years & only once had a dog with KC in her kennels(came in & symptoms appeared the next day-the dog was immediately isolated & the infection never spread due to barrier nursing techniques being used(she is an SRN). This was pre these sneeze barriers things.

She also has to have sneeze barriers in the cattery & the same disinfectant procedures are also carried out there too

I don't think there is any possibility of the kennel keeping your dog in, it is a kennel, not a hospital and would have no resident vet. As to redress, sorry, Kennel cough is an act of god and nothing that the kennel could do about it. Look at it from the direction of; You are staying in a hotel and you catch a cold. That is bad luck, nothing more, nothing less. The kennel is in exactly the same position. Just as Kennel cough is the dog equivalent to the human common cold.

Regards, John

Agree the kennels can't keep your dog, it would need an act of parliament to do that. The kennel may be closed to new entries but think you will find they will be happy to release your dog. There will be no recourse, it is not the kennels fault it could even have been your dog who bought it in, think of them if they have to close in the middle of their busy season they will be hard put to make a living.