Across the region, the demand for kennels is ever increasing, so dog owners will be delighted to here that Sara Savage has opened a new boarding facility in the Penina area. “I haven’t been here very long,” she explained, “and the kennels have only been open since mid-November, but over Christmas we were fully booked, with a waiting list!” When the Resident visited the new kennels, Sara was again fully booked with 15 dogs. “Because I have been so busy,” she told us “I am planning to build another 10 kennels by next summer, when a lot of people go away on holiday and need their dogs looked after.”
A dog lover with three of her own at home, Sara enjoys the challenge of running the kennels. “Balancing all my attention between so many dogs keeps me very busy,” she admitted. The kennels are located on farmland in the Western Algarve, so when the dogs need exercise, Sara has acres of land to walk them on. Her daily routine consists of swapping the dogs between their kennels and the land, so they can run around and play to their heart’s content. “Sadly, I cannot have all the dogs out of their kennels at the same time,” she explained “because they each have their own personality and temperament, which will not necessarily complement the other dogs. In general, the dogs will get on well,” she explained. “But occasionally they do not. In these cases, I tend to notice almost immediately and, from then on, keep them separated.”
Sara is on site all day and almost never leaves the dogs in her care. “The only time I do leave them”, she revealed “is if I have to either collect a new boarder, or return one to its owners.” This is something Sara will also do to accommodate her customers. “If necessary I will ferry the dogs about, but I don’t like leaving the kennels for any great length of time,” she told us.
When we visited, all the dogs seemed very happy, were barking and wagging their tails furiously and seemed very comfortable in Sara’s company. It is clear she has a natural rapport with dogs of all breeds. “I love what I do,” she revealed. “I couldn’t be more delighted with how well the kennels are doing and I’m looking forward to all the projects I’ve got planned for next year.” As well as expansion, Sara plans to develop the play area into a canine adventure playground. “Dogs are just like children; they love to dig in the sand and play with toys,” she laughed.
So if you are planning a trip away and have a dog which requires lots of attention and exercise, contact Sara on 282 969 434 or 968 606 812.
