Hotel – House Rules & Booking Terms

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 a Trial Day.  All new guests must be assessed by our team during a Trial Day and given the go-ahead for further stays.
• 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 some periods of the year are subject to booking a minimum number of nights.  These times are indicated on our online accommodation calendar, with a different colour and an icon (i) which indicates that there are special terms for bookings taken during this period.

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.
• Booking balances are fully payable if cancellation notice is received within less than 30 days of the booking.
• Booking conditions for stays affected by COVID restrictions or foreign office travel advice may be subject to deferral, if hotel availability allows, this is at the discretion of the hotel owners are subject to our normal terms and conditions stated above.

NEW VISITORS

Registering a New Guest

• Bookings for new guests require a pre-stay trial, of daycare or an overnight stay.  This is for the benefit of your dog and our team and it allows us to assess their suitability for our environment.
• If Bath Country Pets team, for any reason, conclude on a trial day that our environment is not suitable for your dog and then we will refund in full for any future booking deposits.
• We will follow up each 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 in good time and at least 5 days prior to your dog’s first stay.  This enables us to fully assess their suitability for our environment and to brief our team members.  We do this to ensure that we offer the best possible experience for your dog with proper preparation and planning.
• It is essential that we receive all paperwork for your dog including the registration form and proof of vaccinations at least 5 days prior to your arrival.  Failing to do so may 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 them from the start 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.
• Our Luxury Boutique Dog Hotel is open from 8 am – 10 am and 4 pm- 6 pm every day for drop off and collection. If you should require an out of hours drop off (prior to 8 am or after 6 pm) this can be done by prior arrangement but will incur an out of hours charge.
• To allow our guests to properly settle and get acclimatised our latest drop off for an overnight visit or longer staycation is 3 pm.

Vaccinations

Please check your vaccination certificate!

The vaccination certificate must be up-to-date. Vaccinations must be given at least 72- 96 hours prior to a dog’s stay.

You MUST supply a copy of your dog’s vaccination certificate at least 5 days prior to their arrival or we cannot accept your dog into 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.

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 an immediate treatment, which will be charged to the owner at the time of collection.

CARE POLICIES DURING YOUR DOG’S STAYCATION

Health & Hygiene

• All our guests have their weight & diet monitored (on longer stays) and 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 and towel-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. 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.
• We will contact the owner or his/her nominated contact, as soon as any injury or illness has occurred and emergency treatment has been administered.
• Bath Country pets are covered by a Petplan Sanctuary Insurance Policy, for vet fees, up to £1500 per animal, any vet bills above this cover are the responsibility of the owner.  All bills will be retained for the owner’s records and insurance claims.

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 cafe 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, of course, 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.
• In a social environment, there is ample playtime, during which we supervise energy levels.  However, should rough play ensue, we will separate dogs for down-time or increase their one on one time with staff members.   That said we cannot be held responsible for small grazes, cuts or nips which may occur.  First aid would be administered and you would be informed of any incidents immediately.

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, 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 unless you consent to off lead walking (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.

Bedding, Toys & Comfort Items from Home

• Due to COVID restrictions, we are currently asking that clients leave all personal belongings at home, we supply fresh bedding and blankets daily, we have a large and varied toy box on offer, 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.
• We assume consent is provided for such usage unless specified by you either before, or at the latest, upon commencement of the stay.

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
• Our Luxury Boutique Dog Hotel is open from 8 am – 10 am and 4 pm- 6 pm every day for drop off and collection. If you should require an out of hours drop off (prior to 8 am or after 6 pm) this can be done by prior arrangement but will incur an out of hours charge.
• To maintain our calm environment and routine for all of our guests, we regret no collections are available after 6 pm – an additional night’s accommodation will need to be booked if you cannot collect by 6 pm.
• Daycare visitors can be dropped off and collected between 8 am and 5 pm.  Daycare is for 8 hours maximum, additional hours are charged at £5 per hour.
• To allow our guests to properly settle and get acclimatised our latest drop off for an overnight visit or longer staycation is 3 pm.
• For hotel viewing, please arrange appointments in advance, so that we can give you ample time and attention. We encourage visitors to come and view our wonderful facilities before booking; we are open, transparent and proud of what we have to offer, however, we do like to ensure that we are available to give you a personal tour, therefore an appointment is preferred.

Sundays and Bank Holidays

• We are open by prior appointment for dropping off and collection, we do not open our shop or the hotel for viewings on these days.