Preparing your pet’s info for facility care: groomers, daycare, and boarding intake

Facility care — groomers, daycare, and boarding — means handing your pet to staff who do not know them and cannot ask you in real time. Their intake form is the only thing standing between “everything went fine” and a preventable incident. Vaccination proof, behavior disclosure, medications, allergies, and a real emergency contact are the floor.

This is not about home sitters — for that, see our piece on the pet sitter handoff information pack. Facility care is a different setting: shared spaces, staff rotation, group dynamics, and an intake form that is the contract for what staff know about your pet.

Why facility care needs more paperwork than a sitter

A home pet sitter is generally caring for one pet in their own home or yours. A facility is sharing space with other pets, rotating staff between shifts, and operating under licensing rules that often require documentation. The intake form is not bureaucracy — it is how staff know your pet’s name, that he is reactive to other dogs, that he gets a pill at 6pm, and that you are unreachable Saturday night so your backup contact is the right call.

Vaccination proof: what most facilities ask for

• Dogs: rabies, DHPP (distemper, hepatitis, parvo, parainfluenza), and bordetella (kennel cough). Some facilities also require canine influenza or leptospirosis.
• Cats: rabies and FVRCP. Some boarding facilities require additional vaccines for boarded cats.
• Timing: bordetella often must be within the last 6 to 12 months. Many facilities require the bordetella to be at least 7 to 10 days old at intake (vaccine needs time to take effect).

Ask the facility for their exact requirements in writing when you book. Do not assume your last vet visit covers everything — bordetella timing in particular trips up many owners.

Behavior and temperament disclosure

Tell the truth on the intake form. Resource guarding, reactivity to other dogs, anxiety in confined spaces, sensitivity to handling around ears or paws, fear-based biting history — all of this protects your pet and the staff who handle them. Facilities that know are facilities that can plan. Facilities that find out by surprise tend to send pets home. Two sentences on each known behavior, including triggers and what calms the pet, is enough.

Medications and allergies

• Medications in original labeled bottles, with the vet’s name on the label.
• Written dosing and timing — not just “one pill in the morning.”
• Food allergies or sensitivities with the exact food the pet eats. Bring extra in a labeled bag.
• Drug allergies or reactions noted in writing, even if you mentioned them on the phone.

Emergency contact and vet authorization

The facility needs you, a real backup person, and your vet’s contact info. The most useful backup contact is someone local who picks up the phone reliably and has authority to make decisions if you cannot be reached — this is rarely your partner if you are traveling together. Many facilities also ask for written authorization to seek emergency veterinary care up to a dollar amount; read this carefully before signing. Our piece on pet emergency contacts covers how to set up a backup contact properly.

A short pre-drop-off checklist

• Vaccination records sent ahead, dated and matching the facility’s exact requirements
• Intake form filled out honestly, including behavior notes
• Food in a labeled container, with portion sizes written on the lid
• Medications in labeled bottles with written dosing
• Leash, harness, and one comfort item from home
• Microchip number on file with the facility
• Emergency contact and vet phone number on file
• A current photo on the file (helps if a pet gets loose during transport)

Where Driyu fits

A Driyu profile keeps the basics — current photo, microchip number, vet phone, emergency contacts — in one shareable place. If a pet gets loose during transport or pickup, a collar tag pointing to that profile makes the contact path simpler. The owner is notified when a finder submits a found-pet report, not on every raw scan. Drivers and groomers do not need access to your full record set — just the minimum that helps if something goes wrong on their watch.