The core difference
A kennel is a licensed facility: your dog gets a run, scheduled exercise and shared airspace with dozens of other dogs. Home boarding places your dog with one vetted host family, usually as the only guest dog, living the way it lives at home.
| Home boarding | Kennels | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical Irish price | €28–€45 / night | €22–€35 / night |
| Dogs on site | Usually 1–2 | 20–100+ |
| Sleeping | In the house | In a run or pen |
| Updates | Daily photos and messages | On request, often none |
| Suits | Anxious, elderly, single dogs | Confident dogs, long stays, multi-dog homes |
Where kennels win
Be fair to kennels: they take dogs many hosts won't. Intact males, dog-reactive dogs, packs of three or more from the same home, and stays of three weeks or longer are all easier to place in a licensed facility. Kennels also have fixed opening hours and formal insurance, which some owners prefer.
Where home boarding wins
Stress. A dog that has never slept outside a house does not understand a concrete run, and kennel cough risk rises with the number of dogs sharing air. Home boarding keeps the routine — same feeding pattern, same sofa habit, same twice-daily walk — which is why it suits nervous dogs, seniors, puppies and small breeds.
What to check before you book either
Ask these questions regardless of which route you choose.
- Vaccination policy — reputable hosts and kennels require up-to-date DHP and kennel cough.
- Insurance — public liability plus care, custody and control cover.
- How many other dogs will be there during your dates.
- Whether your dog can do a short meet-and-greet first.
- Emergency vet arrangements and who authorises treatment.
- Whether you'll get daily updates, and in what form.
How PawPals hosts are vetted
Every boarding host on PawPals is ID-verified and Garda vetted before their profile goes live, holds insurance through the platform, and can only be reviewed by owners who completed a real paid booking. Payment is held in escrow and released after the stay, so a booking that doesn't happen doesn't cost you.