Here at Cinder Hills Boarding Kennels, we encourage everyone to TOUR EVERY KENNEL as each are different in what they offer. We want to ensure that you AND your family member are happy with where they stay! We like to believe that we are the best option available, but we also understand that different people have different wants and desires and no one can be everything to everyone. The important thing is that you are matched with a facility (or pet care provider) that is the best fit for what you are looking for!
Be careful when reading online reviews and don't solely rely upon them! No business can please everyone. In addition, a disgruntled former employee or ex-spouse may decide to take revenge online. Believe it or not, there are even companies that you can hire to write positive reviews for you! This is usually pretty easy to spot. The most obvious indication is a huge number of reviews in a short period of time (weeks or a few months) across all search engines. It typically takes a business years to get tons of reviews, not months. A hired hand will create these "5 Star" reviews quickly. We don't condone this kind of practice (in ANY industry) but we can understand why a business might feel the need to resort to hiring someone to "clean up" their online footprint or skew the data in their favor. The point we are trying to make is to be suspect of anything you read online and educate yourself by doing some homework (ask your local veterinarian, pet stores, touring facilities, etc.).
Here are some things to consider about our kennel that stands out over the others:
*We are Flagstaff's longest running commercial kennel (verified by County records). We know that there are others who are claiming otherwise. Yet
a few years ago before their ownership changed, their advertisements stated "Since 1978". There were no other commercial boarding kennels in
Flagstaff when our kennel opened in 1972. This is easily verified by a little research into County records.
*We are not the largest kennel in Coconino County, but we do have the highest building assessed value among the kennel properties, per online county records. This alone speaks volumes about the quality of our accommodations in comparison to others as determined by an outside
entity.
*We are the only Flagstaff kennel that the owners actually live onsite. This is not only our business but it is our home, as well.
*Our enclosures are not divided by chain link only. Kennels throughout the country that have chain link to the ground have to deal with cross contamination from guests who have "accidents". They also have to deal with dogs lifting their legs and relieving themselves into the adjacent enclosure. Our enclosures prevent these kinds of issues because our enclosures have block walls 4 foot high from the ground with chain link above that to the 7 foot level. This also gives your family member privacy when they are ready to rest!
*Caring for your family members is the ONLY thing we do. We are passionate about caring for the pets entrusted to us. This is not a part time job for us nor do we have any other business entity that we tend to.
*We have over 55 years experience in animal care between our staff members. In addition, we have the Bachelor of Science degrees to compliment our experience. Experience is important but it will not necessarily give you the knowledge or tools to effectively evaluate items such as ventilation, disinfectants, and facility processes. As an example, many kennels around the country tout that they disinfect their kennels twice a day. Knowing what is involved with that, we can tell you that is quite an environmental impact! What are their processes that dictate this as a needed requirement? Does your hotel disinfect your room twice a day while you are staying there? We disinfect our dens between boarders and if someone has an accident. The general areas of the kennel are disinfected at least weekly. We can do this because of implementing processes with sound science and experience! We care about the animals in our care as well as minimizing the footprint on our environment!
*We are proud of the education level of our ENTIRE STAFF and that they are independently certified. For years, the Pet Care Services Association
provided the only independent certification available in the industry for kennel technicians. Unfortunately, they went bankrupt in March of 2011
after decades of service to the kennel industry. We are now members of the new International Boarding and Pet Services Association and have just
completed their certification process. We are the first kennel in Arizona to have done this. Education and training is a cornerstone to our kennel!
You can see our ENTIRE staff's certificates posted in our reception area.
*Our kennel has received the Dark Skies Friendly award from Flagstaff's Dark Skies Coalition. We care about our imprint on the environment,
including light pollution.
*Our enclosures utilze Mason fencing which is the best chain link enclosures available in the industry!
*Our kennel is the only kennel in Flagstaff that has ceramic tiled floors throughout the kennel. We utilize epoxy grout and marine based epoxies on the walls thereby sealing the entire enclosure, which prevents "hideout" from bacteria and viruses. This creates a layer of protection for all of our
boarders...cat condos, too! Other kennels simply use concrete floors and conventional paints, which are susceptible to bacterial/viral hideout as
well as long term smells.
*We are Flagstaff's only kennel that utilizes in floor heating and the dogs love it, especially our senior boarders! This type of heating is actually safer
than traditional central furnaces should there be an electrical or mechanical failure.
*We let our guests outside again at 8:30 PM to do "their business" one last time before we tuck them in. Other kennels lock in their guests around
6:00 PM and don't let them back outside until the following morning. That is a LONG TIME to "hold it".
*YOUR OVERALL COST TO BOARD AT OUR FACILITY MAY BE SIGNIFICANTLY LESS THAN BOARDING SOMEWHERE ELSE WHEN YOU CONSIDER THE TOTAL COST!!! Consider the following:
*We offer a CASH DISCOUNT of $1/day per pet that others don't! We pass along the savings to you that Visa/Mastercard charge us.
*Our checkout time is 1:00 PM which is the latest available in Flagstaff. This could save you another day's boarding fee if you pick up between their checkout time and ours.
*You do not incur an additional days' boarding fee on Sundays if you pick up between 4 PM and 6 PM. This means if you drop off Friday morning and pick up Sunday at 5:30 PM, you are only charged for two days boarding. Other kennels charge you for 3 days
unless you pick up prior to noon which would require you to come back early from your weekend away!
*We do not charge to administer medications.
*We do not charge for playtime in our kennel yards.
*We do not charge extra for holidays or weekends. Our costs per boarder don't go up during these periods (in fact, economy of scale tells
you this) and neither should yours!
*We do not require non-refundable deposits for holiday stays. We DO require a credit card to hold your holiday reservation and you are not charged for cancelling with adequate notice.
So that's about it for now! If you have read this far, then chances are you truly care about your family member! You've just been given SOME education, so go out there and educate yourself further! We hope to see you on one of your tours and we are confident that you will find the right place for your kids!
