Too little supply

Dog boarding kennels are completely full during vacations

Irmgard Pavlik lovingly looks after the four-legged friends in her "Dog-Care" hotel, while the owners can spend their summer vacation without their beloved pet.(Bild: Dostal Harald)

For good care during their vacation, the owners of four-legged friends are looking for suitable places, but unfortunately there are only a few of them in Upper Austria. And these are bursting at the seams, especially in the summer months.

I can't accept all the requests," explains Sylvia Rehberger, operator of the "Amico" dog boarding kennel in Engerwitzdorf. Especially in the summer months, many dog owners want to keep their four-legged friends in boarding kennels like hers while they travel.

However, they are at full capacity because they also look after dogs whose owners are in hospital or on a cure. "It's always full, but especially during the vacation season," says Rehberger.

(Bild: Dostal Harald)

The "Tierwohlfühloase" boarding kennel in Frankenburg am Hausruck is also fully booked from May to September. "It's like this every year, I have my regular customers," says Katharina Jelinek, who has been running the facility for nine years.

Demand has risen sharply since the pandemic
The "Dog-Care" dog hotel in Steyregg is also in a similar situation: it is fully booked all year round, with particularly high demand in July and August, as well as during the Easter, Christmas and autumn vacations.

All-round care is provided for the animals at the local kennels(Bild: Dostal Harald)

"Demand is extremely high," says operator Irmgard Pavlik. However, the situation has become even more acute since the coronavirus pandemic. "Demand is particularly high this year - probably because many people bought a dog during the pandemic and are now going on vacation again for the first time and are looking for a suitable place for their four-legged friend," Pavlik suspects.

Too few boarding kennels
She finds it sad that many dogs are no longer being given a place in care facilities at the moment. Rehberger sees a clear reason for the current difficult situation: "There are simply too few dog boarding facilities in Upper Austria."