09/30/2026
🐾 SHOULD MY DOGS BOARD TOGETHER? 🐾
They may be best friends at home…
…but boarding is a completely different environment.
One of the most common conversations we have at check-in goes something like this:
Us: “Are they okay staying together?”
Owner: “Oh yes! They live together. They’ll be perfectly fine. No problems at all!”
Great! 👍
Then, sometimes literally as Mom or Dad is walking out the door:
“Oh yeah… one more thing. You CAN’T feed them together. They’ll kill each other over food. Okay, bye!” 😳😂
Wellllll… that’s a pretty important detail. 😂
If two dogs cannot safely eat together, we need to know that BEFORE we decide they can safely share a run.
When you reserve one double run for two dogs, that is the space we’ve reserved for them. Especially during busy weekends and holidays when we’re full, we don’t necessarily have an extra empty run available twice a day to move one dog somewhere else just for meals.
And separating them isn’t always as simple as putting one outside while the other eats.
What if it’s pouring rain? Freezing cold? Extremely hot? What if one dog inhales dinner in 30 seconds while the other likes to pick at their food for 45 minutes? What if separating them stresses one dog so much that now they won’t eat at all?
Suddenly, what should be a normal mealtime turns into moving dogs around, finding a safe temporary space, supervising everyone, waiting for them to finish and then moving everybody back.
But the inconvenience isn’t even our biggest concern.
❤️ THE BIGGEST CONCERN IS THEIR SAFETY.
Sometimes owners forget to mention—or simply don’t think it’s important—that their dogs steal each other’s food, guard bowls, get possessive over toys or treats, or have had an occasional scuffle at home.
We NEED to know those things.
Boarding is a new environment filled with unfamiliar dogs, smells, sounds, people, routines and excitement. Dogs can behave differently here than they do at home.
A behavior that is only an occasional issue at home can become a much bigger issue in a different environment.
And the last thing any of us wants is to find out after there’s been a fight.
Because then we have two upset dogs, possibly a scratch, bite or other injury, worried owners, and a situation that very likely could have been prevented if we’d known ahead of time.
We would MUCH rather you tell us:
“They absolutely love each other, but I don’t trust them together around food.”
PERFECT. 👏
That is information we can work with.
We can put them in neighboring runs where they can still see each other, go outside together when appropriate, play together and spend their vacation knowing their buddy is right next door—while still having their own safe space to eat, sleep and relax.
🍽️ DO THEY EAT DIFFERENTLY?
Does one inhale dinner while the other grazes?
Does one steal the other’s food?
Do they eat different diets?
Does one guard their bowl?
Do they need different medications with meals?
If so, separate neighboring runs may be the better setup.
And please remember: “They don’t fight over food” isn’t quite enough if one dog eats both dinners while the other stands there watching. 😂
We need to know that both dogs can comfortably eat the amount they’re supposed to eat while sharing the same space.
🐾 IS ONE MUCH OLDER THAN THE OTHER?
This is another situation owners don’t always think about.
At home, your senior dog can usually walk away from the younger one, go lie in another room, climb onto their favorite bed or find somewhere peaceful when they’ve had enough.
Inside one kennel run, they don’t have those same escape options.
Sometimes Bella really DOES love her obnoxious little brother…
she’d just like a three-day vacation from getting body-slammed by him. 😂❤️
Neighboring runs can give an older dog some much-needed peace and rest while still allowing the dogs to see each other and enjoy appropriate time together.
🧸 WHAT ABOUT TOYS, TREATS & SPACE?
Do either of your dogs ever guard:
• Food or bowls
• Treats or chews
• Toys
• Beds
• You
• Their personal space
Even if it’s only “sometimes,” please tell us.
And if one dog becomes very worked up barking or growling when another dog passes their run, that matters too. Some dogs feel VERY brave behind a fence. 😂 That excitement or frustration can occasionally be redirected toward the dog sharing their space.
Again—we’d rather know too much than not enough.
💚 OUR RECOMMENDATION
If there’s ANY question about feeding, food or resource guarding, different eating habits, significant age differences, medical needs, stress, or personality conflicts, we strongly recommend separate neighboring runs.
And in situations where dogs cannot safely be fed or housed together, separate runs may be required, particularly during busy or sold-out periods when we cannot guarantee an additional run will be available for temporary meal separation.
Separate doesn’t mean lonely!
They can still:
🐾 See each other throughout the day
🐾 Know their buddy is right next door
🐾 Go outside together when appropriate
🐾 Play together when appropriate
But they also get:
✔ Peaceful mealtimes
✔ Individual attention
✔ Their own place to rest
✔ Less competition
✔ Better monitoring of exactly who is eating what
✔ Safer supervision
✔ A more relaxing boarding experience
❤️ MOST IMPORTANTLY…
Please don’t tell us what you think we want to hear at check-in. Tell us how your dogs REALLY are.
We promise—we aren’t judging them. 😂
Your dog steals his sister’s dinner?
Tell us.
Your younger dog drives your senior dog absolutely insane?
Tell us.
They’ve gotten snippy over treats before?
Tell us.
Your dog occasionally turns into a tiny psychopath over a Milk-Bone?
PLEASE tell us. 😂
Those details don’t make your dogs “bad dogs.” They simply help us decide the safest and most comfortable setup for each individual dog.
We’re not trying to separate best friends.
We’re trying to make sure both best friends have a safe, happy and relaxing vacation. ❤️🐾
Sometimes the best vacation really is staying right next door to your best friend instead of sharing the same room.
