YOUR BOOKING

Booking Procedure

• All bookings must be placed online, in completing a booking online you will be asked to agree to our terms and conditions stated below.
• Your booking request will then go through an approval process.  If your booking is approved your place is secure – you will receive a confirmation email.
• Any overnight booking for a new guest must be preceded by our Assessment Process.  All new guests must be assessed by our team, through a process of pre-screening, behaviour assessment, settling days and finally an overnight trial.  Clients completing this process successfully will be given a user account and the go-ahead for further stays, access to our online booking system for future and last minute reservations.
• If for any reason we need to reject your booking we will be in contact with you within 72 hours, bookings can be rejected if we feel that the existing dogs that are staying with us would not be compatible with yours or the mix of dogs we have staying requires utilising all of our available rooms.  Any deposits paid for bookings which are rejected by BCP will be fully refunded.
• Our services are in demand and so different periods of the year are subject to booking a minimum number of nights, 3, 5 or 7.  These times are indicated on our online accommodation calendar, which will automatically indicate that there are special terms for bookings taken during this period.
• If you are a registered and approved guest but haven’t used our services for an extended period of time – please note, we may ask you to book a settling and or overnight session prior to a longer visit.

Payment & Booking Terms

• A deposit of 50% is required for all new bookings.
• All deposits SECURE your booking but are non-refundable and non-transferable.
• Deposits confirm the booking and the balance is due for the stay on the departure day, any additional charges for top-up care, veterinary fees, or incidental items will be added to this balance.
• The remaining balance for your booking is fully payable if your dog cannot attend due to illness/ injury or we receive notice of cancellation  less than 7 days of the booking start date.

NEW VISITORS

Registering a New Guest

• Bookings for new guests require a pre-stay assessment. The Assessment and Settling days can be booked via our online booking calendar and by selecting the Assessment Premium Option which is an additional charge of £10 which covers your Assessment Report.  This is for the benefit of both your dog and our team and it allows us to check their suitability for our environment.

• If your dog passes our pre-screening and behavioural assessment during their trial day, we will then suggest an overnight trial to confirm that they are happy and content with our overnight routines.
• We will follow up each Assessment Day booking with a registration form, with a pre-stay email to establish in detail your dog’s needs, likes & dislikes, temperament and routine. You must complete our registration form within 48 hours of placing a booking for an assessment day.  This enables us to fully pre-screen your dog and assess their suitability for our environment.
• Once your registration form has been pre-screened you will need to supply full vet history, copies of vaccinations and proof of regular administering of medication for fleas, ticks and worms.  This information needs to be supplied to us at least 30 days prior to the assessment date, so that we can check that all vaccinations are in date and if there is any issue you will have time to make a vet appointment to remedy this.  Failure to do so will result in your booking being cancelled and your deposit being lost.
• Please supply a true and honest outline of their character on the booking form, as this helps us start building a picture of their individual needs and prepare properly for their stay.
• If your dog is a very determined climber or jumper, i.e one who can escape over a height of 1.5m we reserve the right to refuse them as a guest, this is primarily for their safety and security.
• Due to the nature of our unique cage-free environment, we can only accept neutered dogs.    In the case of young female puppies, we cannot accommodate those in their first season or due to come into their first season. In addition, we are unable to accommodate whole male dogs, or male puppies approaching hormonal maturity which can occur between 5 months and 18 months.  If you own an un-spayed, young female dog we can accomodate them, outside of a 6 week window around when their season is due.  Please be mindful of this timing when booking your hotel stays as we cannot accept a dog in season and your booking will be subject to our normal booking terms.

Arrival and Departure Times For Day Care and Overnight Stays

• Our Luxury Boutique Dog Hotel is open from 8 am – 10 am for check-in and check-out of guests.  This is to allow our guests to properly settle and be involved in our schedule of daily activities.
• Much like a normal human Hotel, guests who are due for departure must also checkout by 10am to allow space for new arrivals. 
• Should you need additional day care for your dog on his/her departure day beyond 10 am, you need to book day care with us. This must be arranged or booked in advance of the staycation.
• Arrivals between 6am and 8am can be arranged with prior consent, but will incurr an out of hours drop off fee of £25.
• For day care visitors, departure time is between 4pm and 5pm.   As we start our feeding and settling routines at 5.pm we need all departures to have said goodbye by then.
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VACCINATIONS

Please check your vaccination certificate it is your responsibility to ensure that your dog is vaccinated.

The vaccination certificate must be up-to-date. Vaccinations must be given at least 1-3 weeks prior to a dog’s stay. (See special reference to Kennel Cough vaccination below)

Approved clients MUST supply a copy of your dog’s most recent vaccination certificate at least 14 days prior to their arrival or we cannot accept your dog to stay at our Hotel.

Owners must have their dogs vaccinated or show a current Titre test which demonstrates immunity against:

• Infectious Bronchitis (also known as Kennel Cough)
• Distemper
• Hepatitis
• Leptospirosis
• Canine Parvovirus
• Para Influenza

These are all part of the annual vaccinations, however, some veterinary practises do not include Kennel Cough in their routine vaccines and therefore you should double-check with them that your dog is covered for this.  Dogs who have recently had the Kennel Cough vaccine must not visit the hotel until 7 – 21 days have passed due to this being a live administered vaccine. The timeframe depends on the kind of Kennel Cough vaccine administered, either nasal or oral.

To keep ALL our guests safe, we also request confirmation that all our guests have been:

• Wormed
• Had an effective flea and tick treatment

Any dog found to have fleas or worms whilst in our care will receive immediate treatment, which will be charged to the owner at the time of collection.

CARE POLICIES DURING YOUR DOG’S STAYCATION

Health & Hygiene

• Bath Country Pets is a cage free, social environment.  Throughout a dogs stay with us we monitor them closely and supervise energy levels, every effort is made to ensure lines or injury is minimised.  We have processes in place which ensure that the environment is as safe as possible and the guest selection is careful.  However, dogs are independent animals with free will and therefore should an injury occur Bath Country Pets cannot be held responsible for this if it was caused by another guest.  
• We recommend that all guests have adequate pet insurance to cover any illness or injury during their stay with us. Should any illness or injury occur, Bath Country Pets will liaise with each owner closely and agree immediate action.  Any vet bills will be the responsibility of the owner and all bills will be retained for owners records and or insurance claims.
• On a weekly basis guests have their weight & diet monitored and on a daily basis their ears, eyes, teeth, coat and faeces checked regularly for any irregularities or foreign bodies.
• If wet or muddy after walking, all our guests are thoroughly rinsed, checked and dried, after every walk or exercise session.
• We reserve the right to refuse admission to any dog showing signs of ill health.
• Your dogs will spend much of their time playing; as a result, they will become dirty. To ensure your dog returns home feeling, looking and smelling great, you can arrange for your dog to receive a bath or grooming treatment in our Bath House Spa. The cost of this service is variable depending on your dog’s size, coat and condition.  We require a deposit for these grooming services, with your booking and clarification on any services required should be communicated to us in advance.

Emergency Procedures

In the event of an emergency, injury or illness, by agreeing to our house rules, dog owners are granting authority for the staff of Bath Country Pets to:

• Administer emergency first aid including CPR.
• Make an immediate transfer to our nominated veterinary practice. (Emerson’s Green Veterinary Surgery) for necessary emergency treatment. Owners grant authority for a member of staff from Bath Country Pets to act on their behalf when deciding the best course of emergency treatment for their dog. Owners give authority to vets practising at Emerson’s Green Surgery to undertake any required action/treatment to stabilise their pet.
• Bath Country Pets will contact the owner or his/her nominated emergency contact, as soon as any injury or illness has occurred and emergency treatment has been administered.
• Clients will be liable for any vet fees incurred for their dog, during their stay, if injury was caused by another guest staying at the hotel.  Bath Country Pets is insured for injury to your dog, on or offsite if it was caused by a 3rd party animal rather than another guest.

Veterinary Care

• If your dog is registered to a vet locally (within a 10-mile radius of BCP) and non-urgent, medical attention is required, we will take them to the vet of your choice.
• Owners undertake to declare any history of veterinary or behavioural problems that could reoccur while boarding and to draw attention to any potential problems, phobias (or vices!) their dogs may have. The more we know about your dog, the more settled we can make them.

Security & Safety

• All dogs staying with us must be microchipped.
• On check-in, your dog will have its collar checked or removed (to be stored safely) and a hotel collar fitted.  All dogs will be walked on a harness whilst they stay with us at BCP.
• All dogs staying with us at Bath Country Pets must be able to mix, socialise and play together.  Our environment is cage-free and thus they will have free roam of our facilities.  Dogs which are older, or younger or with any specific health issues will be catered for with appropriate time in their hotel room or our lounge area for rest or sleep.
• Due to the nature of our unique cage-free environment, we can only accept neutered dogs.    In the case of young female puppies, we cannot accommodate those in their first season or due to come into their first season. In addition, we are unable to accommodate whole male dogs, or male puppies approaching hormonal maturity.
• If your dog’s behaviour changes over the course of time, we keep a behaviour diary, we reserve the right to update our assessment and potentially this may be a refusal for future stays.  If BCP refuses future bookings due to behavioural changes – we will, refund the booking deposits in full.
• This is also our family home, and there is always somebody here 24 hours a day. We also have security cameras, lights and alarms operating.
• The entire site is surrounded by stock proof fencing, as are the hotel facilities.
• If your dog is a very determined climber or jumper, i.e one who can escape over a height of 1.5m we reserve the right to refuse them as a guest, this is primarily for their safety and security.

Food & Treats

We believe in offering a balanced and nutritious diet, all of the products we utilise are of high quality, hypoallergenic and utilise ‘human grade’ ingredients, we stock a number of healthy dog foods including our favoured brand Go Native, Arden Grange, Barking Heads, Forthglade and Husse, a Swedish healthy pet food. This is excellent complete dog food and with our on-site Nutritionist, your dog will have a diet tailored specifically to its requirements. Treats and chews are given in line with their diets.

If you prefer to supply your dog’s food from home, this is perfectly acceptable and will be given in accordance with your instructions.

We like to feed the dogs twice a day, with various chews and treats given in between.  Puppies will be fed 3 or 4 times per day according to their individual requirements. We will follow your instructions on how many and which type of treats your dog is used to each day, to keep to the routine they are used to at home.

Exercise & Socialising

At Bath Country Pets we aim to replicate a home from home experience and by booking your dog in for this experience you are agreeing to the following:

• Your dog will be mixed with other guests, from different families.
• Your dog (if appropriate to its life stage and your own wishes) will be walked off-site.
• We will keep your dog on a lead for the duration of the walk  (Details of your preferences for walking should be added to your registration forms and discussed with us prior to their arrival).
• A maximum of 3 dogs will be walked by one member of staff.  Normally this ratio is 2 dogs to one member of staff.
• Your dogs will share a sleeping room – if from the same family.
• You give consent to BCP to separate dogs from the same family, should behaviour change toward each other and therefore separation is deemed to be the best course of action.
• Your dog will engage in social time, play and exercise with other dogs and as a result may sustain accidental injuries.

Bedding, Toys & Comfort Items from Home

• We ask clients to leave all personal belongings at home, we supply fresh bedding and blankets daily, we have a large and varied toy box on offer, we have safety checked collars, harnesses and leads and so boredom or lack of comfort is never an issue.
• Outside of these current restrictions you may bring a blanket or toy from home to help settle your dog, we cannot be held responsible if toys or blankets that are brought in are damaged. If your dog has a specific favourite toy, we will do our best to keep that toy separate from general play however we would recommend that any special possessions stay at home if at all possible.

Photography

• During their stay, we will take pictures of your dog/s, some of which may appear on our Facebook or Instagram pages and might also be used for our own promotional material, such as business cards & flyers etc. Images may also be used for staff training purposes or for work related training courses.
• We assume consent is provided for such usage unless specified by you either before, or at the latest, upon commencement of the stay.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE TIMES FOR DAY CARE VISITORS AND OVERNIGHT STAYS

• Our Luxury Boutique Dog Hotel is open from 8 am – 10 am for check in and check out of overnight guests and 4 pm- 5.30 pm for day guest check outs.
• Much like a normal human Hotel, guests who are due for departure must checkout by 10am to allow space for new arrivals. If further daycare is required on departure day beyond 10am. this must be arranged or booked in advance of the staycation.
• If you should require an out of hours drop off (prior to 8 am or after 5.30 pm) this may be available, by prior arrangement but will incur an out of hours charge of £25.
• To allow our guests to properly settle and get acclimatised to our daily activities and routine our latest drop off for an overnight visit or longer staycation is 10am.
• If, on the last day of your dogs stay, they are collected later than their check in time, £6 will be added to the outstanding balance for every extra hour of care.

OPENING HOURS AND HOTEL TOURS

Boutique Hotel & Country Store Opening Hours

• Our Country Store is open from Thursday to Saturday from 10 am until 5 pm.  You may make personal shopping appointments for small groups or individuals outside of these times by emailing hello@bathcountrypets.co.uk.
• For hotel viewing, due to safety policies for staff and visitors we organise open days, these are advertised on our social media channels.  We offer online booking for these events, please arrange appointments in advance, so that we can give you ample time and attention. 

Sundays and Bank Holidays

• We are open by prior appointment for dropping off and collection, we do not open our shop or offer private shopping appointments on bank holidays.