Frequently Asked Questions

Are you licensed by your local authority as an animal boarding establishment, and when were you last inspected?

Under Section 5 of the Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1963 a license is only required if "providing accommodation for other people's animals" is our main activity. In our case, the primarily activity of Lucies Farm Ltd. is the raising of pedigree Highland and Aberdeen Angus cattle in the traditional Japanese Kobe style. Our products can be purchased --- just click here.

We discussed the wording of Section 5 of the Act with our local council --- the Malvern Hills District Council --- and they reviewed this with their legal department. The reply from the Council, sent via e-mail on 9 August 2004:

Hi Mr Walsh, further to our conversation of last week re the above, under section 5 of the Act headed interpretation, sub sec 1A of the Act stating that a licence is not required if the animal boarding activity is not the main activity of the premises, then from the information you have given to me, you are not required to be licensed under the Act.

Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Paul Hine
Dog Warden -- Environmental Health Services

We have, however, voluntarily applied for, and have received, a License to Keep An Animal Boarding Establishment issued by the Malvern Hills District Council.

To see a copy of our license: please click here. The most recent license was issued on 17 April 2009 and covers the period up to and including 31 December 2009 --- license number 09/00272/DWAB.

Are you open year-round?

Yes, 24/7/365.

Can you accommodate giant breeds, i.e. Irish Wolfhounds?

Absolutely, with pleasure. A couple of our regular guests are two Newfoundlands.

We do not charge any more for a "giant."

To see some of our recent guests, please visit our photo gallery at www.bark.ch

Can you pick my dog up?

Yes, we are happy to pick up (and drop off) our doggie guests throughout the country. If you want us at Heathrow at 2:00 AM, just let us know and we'll be there.

We charge 65p (plus VAT) per mile for this service, to cover the cost of petrol, the driver's salary, and vehicle wear-and-tear. This charge is based upon our door-to-door mileage. London, for example, is about 120 miles away, so we would charge for the 240 mile round-trip --- approximately £156 (plus VAT).

Whenever possible, we try to combine journeys --- for example, we try to drop off one guest and pick up another on the same trip. In this way, the two owners would split the charges. But as we're quite small, this isn't always possible to arrange.

We can meet dogs (and their owners) at mid-way points: motorway rest areas are usually the most convenient for everyone. Oxford, for example, is half way from sunny Worcestershire to London.

Please contact us to discuss any special requirements, and we'll do our best to make it happen. Just tell us to Fetch...!

Could you inform me how long my dog will spend on his own?

Our standard programme is to give each dog (or pair of dogs, if from the same home) two hour-long walks each day. Dogs are walked individually, and not with other guests --- so they get undivided attention during these walks.

We own 45 acres --- 17 of which are our own private, fenced woodland (Lord's Wood). No footpaths, just lots of good things to see and smell. (We occasionally conduct small-scale forestry operations in the woodland to preserve its well-being. During those periods, dogs are walked in another woodland we own, Birchfields.)

Our doggie guests also get two 30 - 45 minute sessions in our fenced, two acre dog-proof garden. Ball playing, sniffing, swimming in one of our two heated swimming pools, or just cuddles. Again, we do not "mix" dogs from different groups: this is undivided attention.

We also spend time in the evening with each dog when we feed them, and when we do a later evening, and a late-late evening bedtime cookie run.

Of course, for some dogs (particuarly smaller dogs) this is too much exercise, so we replace the excess exercise with more cuddles.

So doggie guests have human companionship about four to five hours each day.

Do you accept cats?

We are asked this question every so often.

Our facilities were designed by the architects for dogs, and our food is nutritionally balanced for dogs. While we don't have a strict "no cat" rule --- heck, we hate strict rules of any kind --- our instincts tell us that cats might be happier in a pet resort that caters to their specific needs.

We're intrigued by www.thecatshouse.com --- photographed below. Perhaps a project for the future.

How large is each suite?

The suites are large.

They're 78 inches (198 cm) wide by 94 inches (239 cm) long, with a further 78 inches (198 cm) x 98 inches (249 cm) patio outside.

The total suite size is 78 inches (198 cm) wide by 192 inches (488 cm) long = 104 square feet.

How often can I call you to see how my dog is doing?

As often as you like!

We welcome these calls, and are glad to give you an up-to-the-minute progress report.

Between all of us at Lucies Farm, we are up almost round-the-clock. When your dog is in residence, we will give you a special, ex-directory number that rings all of the telephones in the house, kennel, stable, greenhouse, barn, etc.

We will, if you wish, also send you text messages (even photo-text messages) with progress reports. We can also send you e-mail messages, with or without photo attachments.

We have high-tech webcams that the viewer can pan, tilt, and zoom --- complete with stereo sound. The cameras require a user name and password to operate --- to request this information, please send us an e-mail message.

We also take photographs of your dog exercising or out on walks, and post these in our online photo gallery: http://www.bark.ch Photos in the gallery can be sent as e-cards.

We also have a toll-free number for folks who visit the States: 888-880-1531.

I have three dogs that I would like to put into your hotel. Would it be possible to put them in separate rooms at night but mix together during the day?

Yes, I would recommend two interconnecting suites for three dogs (depending upon size). If the dogs are particularly large, we could do three interconnecting suites. The dog guests would then be free to go between the various suites during the day. If you wish, we could then close the interconnecting door (or doors) in the evening so the dogs could have their own "space."

As we are a small facility, we pride ourselves on being able to provide for our guests' needs. If dogs prefer playing fetch, that's what we do. If they prefer a good run, consider it done. Just give us your instructions at the time that you make a booking, and leave the rest to us.

Sounds such a lovely place. Can I check in?

We've actually had a reporter from a national magazine spend the night, and he wrote a complimentary review of our dog resort. It's from Maxim, which is a bit of a lads' magazine, so please excuse the language.

My dog gets cold. Is the dog resort heated?

The dog resort is built to housing standards: double-wall construction, insulated ceiling, etc. The doggie cubbies --- their sleeping area --- have underfloor heating. This heating is in the front of the floor only, to allow each dog to regulate his temperature by moving forward or back.

Each floor has its own thermostat, so we can set this to a temparate that your dog will find most comfortable. On cold evenings, we shut the external doors and heat the whole of the kennel.

During the summer the dog resort has air conditioning.

Your dog will be kept comfortable at all times.

My dog has long fur. What about those hot summer days?

Unlike many kennels in the U.K., our doggie resort has central air conditioning. When it gets too hot, the dog resort is one of the coolest places in town.

We also have a dehumidification system, and we run this after we've sanitised the kennel --- it helps to dry it out quickly.

We cannot get the webcam to work to see Teddy on the hotel computer. The program does not automatically download.

Isn't technology wonderful?

Our webcams are Sony PTZ cameras --- "pan, tilt, and zoom." Both are state of the art, and both require the viewing computer to accept a small file download of viewing software. This process is generally fast and can even be invisible.

With shared computers (such as in hotel business centres, internet cafes, etc.) there can be a block on programme downloads, and this can make viewing the webcam difficult. This problem is infrequent, and often one internet cafe will have the block, but another internet cafe just down the road will be fine.

We continue to monitor this developing technology, and when we find a webcam that works without a download, we'll have it installed in a flash.

The webcams work best with Internet Explorer. They seem to have problems with Firefox, and don't like Mac computers at all.

We have a German Shepherd!! who is very boisterous, but does calm down-would he be accepted? He is not a vicious dog at all!!!

Our doggie guests are walked, exercised, and cuddled individually --- and not with other dogs.

As long as he is not vicious (we have to think of our own safety, and that of our colleagues) we'd be delighted to welcome your German Shepherd. You can see photos of many of our current and past doggie guests at http://www.bark.ch/ --- you'll see we've had lots of boisterous dogs stay here.

We're considering the dog hotel, but would like to stop by and see it first. Is this possible?

Yes, absolutely. We love visitors, and are proud of the dog resort.

All we ask is that you give us a bit of notice --- a few hours or so. Otherwise, we might be out on a walk or running an errand when you come to visit. We are happy to welcome visitors seven days a week, to suit your schedule. Please either e-mail us at [email protected] or call 01905-830-380 to set up a mutually convenient appointment

What about security?

The dog hotel is protected by a Chubb intruder and fire alarm.

We have Chubb fire extinguishers in the dog hotel. The dog hotel is kept locked, and we live only 30 or so feet away. Our farm colleagues live 20 feet away, in the opposite direction. Most of the farm is surrounded by electric fences --- to keep foxes out, but they would give potential two-legged intruders a nasty surprise. The electric fences are on the outside of regular fences, so doggie guests are unable to inadvertently touch the electric fences.

And, of course, we have two live webcams.

When dogs come to stay at your dog hotel can they bring their own bedding or do you provide this. I ask this as my dog is very settled and he only likes to sleep on his beanbag.

We are very happy for doggie guests to bring their own bedding. Whatever will help to make our guests comfortable and happy.

The only tiny caveat is that we have underfloor heating. We have found that the plastic dog beds --- the ones that are reddish in colour, and roughly oval shaped --- tend to trap the warm air beneath them. So we generally discourage the use of these plastic beds, but only for that reason.

If you don't bring bedding, we use what's called "vet bedding." It's like thick pile carpet, and has the advantage that it can be washed. We wash it at a high temperature in a commercial washing machine on a daily basis to keep it fresh and clean.

When is your check-in time? How about check-out time? What days of the week are you open?

Easy question. We're here to be of assistance. We will accomodate your schedule, and just need a bit of notice. We live right next to the dog resort, and if we're not on site, one of our colleagues will be here. We can handle check-ins, check-outs, and pretty much anything else 24/7.

We have a late check-out charge of £12.50 (plus VAT) if a guest is picked up after 4:00 PM, but before 6:00 PM. This is to cover the cost of the late afternoon walk and dinner. And after 6:00 PM we charge for the whole night, in common with hotels.

To be considerate of our other doggie guests, if you want to check in very late at night or in the wee hours of the morning, we'd ask that the process be brief --- as you can imagine, lots of activity at that time of night will get dogs barking and otherwise excited.

If you have special requests, please just let us know and we'll do our best to assist.

Will my dog mix with other dogs?

Yes and no. Dogs can certainly see each other on the porch --- through the wire fences. (If this upsets your dog, we have special partitions that can easily be put up to give your dog privacy.)

For the protection of all of our doggie guests, we do not mingle dogs off-lead unless we feel it's safe to do so, and only once we've obtained the prior authorisation of both sets of owners.

Dogs receive 1-on-1 care and attention on their garden runs and ball playing sessions. Compatible dogs will be walked together, but always on a lead.

Your dog's safety and comfort are something we take very seriously.

Will my dog get cuddles?

Yes, many of them, and often. While your dog will generally have two walks per day, and two exercise sessions --- a total of four to five hours per day outside of the suite --- we also visit dogs often when they are "in residence."

We make luxury doggie cookies and there's always a fresh supply in the dog resort. What better than a cookie and a cuddle at bed time?

My dog will be there over his/her birthday. Will you celebrate?

Absolutely yes! We love birthdays (except, of course, our own . . ) and we love celebrations.

We can make one of our special dog birthday cakes complete with his or her photograph. And serve it with haddock ice cream. Both are made here at Lucies Farm. They're formulated for dogs, and made using "human-grade" ingredients.

Will my dog just be let loose in the garden?

Yes, but with one of us always with your dog. Our two acre garden is completely fenced and we believe it to be "dog proof." But "dog proof" can be like "water tight" and "unbreakable," so all dogs are chaperoned when they're in the garden.

This is a great opportunity for us to play ball or Frisbee if your dog likes doing this. Some dogs prefer to just have a look --- and sniff --- around. There's a small stream running through the middle of the garden. When it's been pouring, the stream is about six inches deep. Otherwise, it's a muddy trickle. And there are some dogs who look at mud as a tremendous gift.

Don't worry, our doggie shower is indoors, has unlimited hot water, and we have plenty of fluffy towels.

What will my dog eat?

We are happy to feed your dog his or her regular diet. Within reason we can accommodate special dietary requirements within the room rate (caviar is not within reason . . . sorry). Most of our guests are happy to try our nutritionally-balanced dog food, made primarily with ingredients from here at Lucies Farm.

Breakfast, for example, is typically scrambled eggs (fresh from our own Black Rock chickens and Khaki Campbell ducks) with fresh Guernsey milk from our house cow, Carole. Dinner is Scottish | Kobe beef from our own herd of pedigree Aberdeen Angus cattle, or salmon and egg, or one of the great treats that Marjorie is cooking.

All food is run through our state-of-the-art ESHA Food Processor SQL nutritional software to be sure that it's fully balanced for our guests. Marjorie will be glad to answer specific questions about your dog's diet, or you may wish to read our online doggie nutrition primer.

This has formed the basis of Marjorie's new book, Cooking for Dogs. We received the advance copies of the UK and the US books a couple of weeks ago --- very exciting. The book will be published by New Holland in the UK, and by Random House in the States. It is expected to be available in bookstores --- and, of course, via our website --- in September 2007:

Do you provide medical insurance while our dog is in your care?

In our experience, most (if not all) of our doggie guests are already covered by medical insurance. We have explored the various plans available to us, as a dog resort, and have been unimpressed by the level of coverage (generally limited to £500). As a result, we do not provide medical insurance for our guests --- just as The Savoy and The Ritz don't provide medical insurance for their guests.

We recommend that all dogs be covered by medical insurance at all times, not just while they're guests at Lucies Farm. Our own dogs are covered by PetPlan, and have been for many years.

Heaven forbid, what if my dog needs a vet?

We have an excellent relationship with Chamings & Carman at the White House Vet Surgery. They provide 24/7 service. We're only a few miles from their surgery, and because we're an active cattle farm they know the way here --- and are happy to make house calls.

If your dog has any special, ongoing medical requirements, please let us know. Richard Chamings and his colleagues are happy to contact your dog's vet (with your permission, of course) so that we're sure that we can provide continuity of care during your dog's stay at the resort.

By the way, White House has a new forum where you can ask pet medical questions. You'll see that I use it when I have a quick question to ask.

My dog takes medication. Can you administer this?

Absolutely, yes.

If possible, please give us written instructions: type of medication, frequency, and type of administration. It would also be helpful to have the contact details for your dog's vet. We won't be bashful if we have any questions about medication, as we want what's best for your dog.

My little dog is diabetic, could someone give her injections twice a day?

Yes.

We are a working farm -- we raise pedigree cattle and pigs -- so our colleagues have quite a bit of experience with injections.

What precautions do you take to prevent kennel cough?

Kennel cough is essentially a cold, easily passed between dogs. We recommend that all of our guests be immunised against kennel cough: it's a simple, painless squirt in the nose and takes a few seconds at the vet.

We ventilate the dog resort thoroughly. All food bowls are stainless steel, and are washed, in a commercial dishwasher, after each meal. We sanitise the dog resort thoroughly, using special dog-friendly products from Wallace Cameron & Co. Ltd. After each check-out, the suite is given an even more thorough cleaning. Suites are steam and pressure washed every month.

We do not "mix" dogs without the permission of both sets of owners. When we move from one suite to another, we clean our hands with Hibiscrub antiseptic handwash (usually used in hospital surgical suites).

What vaccinations are required? What proof is needed?

We find that the owners of dogs who stay with us are fastidious about keeping their dog's vaccinations up-to-date. We, therefore, don't require any special documentation. If, however, you have a vet's certificate handy, please bring it along. It usually has your vet's contact details as well, and these are nice for us to have on file.

All dogs should have a kennel cough vaccination. The procedure is painless (a squirt in the nose). Dogs can catch kennel cough from other dogs pretty much anywhere --- for example, out on a walk. Our two dogs, Mana and Tapa, have had their kennel cough vaccination.

Last Update: 01-5-2007

Can you take a dog for this weekend arrive Friday evening, pick up Sunday? If so, how much would it be?

This section is for general "frequently asked questions" --- you can get a faster answer to specific reservations requests by visiting our online reservations page. You can check, in real time, our availabiliy, our rates, and even make a booking. We'd be glad to deal with you personally via the telephone as well --- just call 01905 830 380 option 1. We do not have access to a different reservations system: if you make a telephone booking, we simply enter it into the reservations page on our website.

We have a two night minimum stay. We found it was just too traumatic for our doggie guests to check in one day, and check out the next.

If you prefer to e-mail us about a reservations question, we'll reply promptly. Just click here.

Do you offer discounts? How about for longer stays?

The largest component of our rates = staff salaries. The one-to-one service we provide each guest is very labour intensive. Our colleagues are mature, reliable individuals.

We could lower our rates if we hired inexperienced folks down at the JobCentre, but we have made the decision to entrust our dogs --- and our guest dogs --- into more knowledgable hands.

Rates could be lowered if we "warehoused" dogs in their suites, but we couldn't live with that.

As a result, we are unable to offer discounts. If your dog will be here over one month, please contact us and we'll see what we can do to make the bill a little bit more palatable. If y our dog requires less attention per day that we customarily offer, we may be able to reduce the bill somewhat by reducing (say) the number of walks or exercise sessions.

Do you pay commissions to travel agents?

We're a doggie hotel --- so, yes.

We pay a standard commission on the room rate for reservations made via a travel agency. Your agency's IATAN or ARC number must be provided at the time of booking. We can also give you a special agent's log-in that will allow you to make the booking, and reclaim the commission.

Do your rates include, or exclude, VAT?

All of our prices exclude VAT. We must, unfortuntely, add VAT to the final bill amount.

How and when do we pay for your services?

We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express and debit cards --- as well as cash. In common with many retailers in the UK, we no longer accept cheques. A 25% deposit is charged at the time that the booking is made. The balance is payable upon check-in. Please see our terms and conditions.

How much do you charge to pick up or to return a dog to London?

We charge 65p per mile (plus VAT) to cover the cost of petrol, our driver's salary, and wear-and-tear on the vehicle. We measure this door-to-door. We're approximately 120 miles from central London -- a 240 mile round-trip. A pick-up, or delivery, in London would therefore cost approximately £156.00 plus VAT (£183.30).

Most of our doggie guests come from the London area, so we try our best to combine trips (for example, a return followed by a pick-up) whenever we can. In this way, the costs can be shared. But as we have relatively few guests at any one time, this is often not possible.

We are also happy to meet folks part-way: we can find a grassy, quiet area of a motorway service area car park. This can reduce charges, as we charge by the actual mileage driven.

Please can you tell us your boarding rates?

Yes, absolutely. They're on our rates page.

Also, if you use our online reservations system, it will check availability and calculate the cost of the proposed stay. You do not need to enter any of your details to check availability and price.

Wow, why is it so expensive?

Prior to our "retirement," my wife and I owned a company with offices in five countries. We travelled frequently, and were sometimes away from Lucies Farm for months at a time. We wanted to be sure that our dogs had the best possible environment when we were away. The guilt we felt when leaving them was reduced (somewhat) by the knowledge that they were in luxurious surroundings, being cared for by skilled and attentive folks.

This is not an ordinary "kennel" facility. I don't even like the word "kennel." We're more like The Savoy or The Ritz --- but for dogs. And we just can't offer the high degree of personal care and attention that we do, in a first-class facility, at Travelodge prices.

If you have any questions about our rates, or any aspect of our service, please feel free to e-mail us at [email protected] or call us at 01905-830-380 option 1.

I hate websites where I can't find a contact address. Are you one of those?

I hate this too.

Our mailing and registered office address:

Lucies Farm Ltd.
Whitecroft
Colletts Green
Worcester WR2 4RY
Tel 01905-830-380
Fax 01905-441-0133
Toll-free from the United States: 888-880-1531
Fax in the United States: 808-441-0133

E-mail concerning farm matters: [email protected]
E-mail concerning the luxury dog resort: [email protected]

Registered in England - Company 3521405 - VAT GB 704-8909-20

Where are you located? How do I find you?

We're in sunny Worcestershire, about 4 1/2 miles off of Junction 7 (the Worcester South junction) of the M5 motorway. We are about 33 miles south west of Birmingham, and about 120 miles from central London.

Traffic willing, it takes about 2 to 2 1/2 hours to drive here from London. The best way (although it seems a bit longer) is up the M40, across to the west on the M42, and then down the M5 to Junction 7.

For a Multimap that shows our location, please click here. For a Google Map that shows our location click here.

For those who prefer directions to maps:

Leave the M5 at Junction 7 (Worcester South) and follow the signs to Malvern. The signs will take you through a series of round-abouts, and then over the River Severn. You'll then come to a large round-about: continue to follow the signs to Malvern. You will pass through the nondescript village of Powick (no newsagent, no little shop, no post office). There's a house in a roundabout. Continue to follow the signs to Malvern on the A449. Once you pass the house-in-a-roundabout, you'll come upon a set of fancy traffic lights, with the Oriental restaurant on your right. (It changes its name frequently --- I believe it's now called the Four Seasons.) Turn right at this set of lights: there's a special lane, and a protected turning arrow. Follow the road for a short distance --- about 1/8 mile --- until you come to a T-Junction. This is Colletts Green Road, and there should be a sign in front of you, and at eye height. Turn left. We are approximately the third house on your right. We're behind a large confier hedge. There's a black sign on the telephone pole that says "Whitecroft - Lucies Farm." Please turn down the gravel driveway, and you will see two white gates on your right. There's a buzzer to the left of the gates. Buzz and we'll be happy to open the gates.

Please call us on 01905-830-380 should you happen to get lost, and we'll do our best to talk you in.

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