Ingrid Grayling, Penrith, Cumbria Review

Overall Rating

Clean and tidy kennels
Dogs walked

Very rude service
Dog items not returned
Instructions not followed
Proprietress has 'extra-curricular' business interests, kennelling secondary
Expensive (poor value for money)

I've had a particularly bad experience with Ingrid Grayling boarding kennels.

I kennelled my two border collies for 3 nights on a trial-only basis and was informed that they were 'among the best dogs we'd ever had'.

Delighted with this compliment, I booked them in for a further 17 nights and left strict instructions to contact a friend in the event of any problems. I also instructed the proprietress not to over-exercise one of the dogs due to mild arthritis (left shoulder).

Five days into my holiday, I rang the proprietress to check up on the situation. Again, I was informed that the dogs were 'perfect, no problem whatsoever'. Over the next 14 days, I remained in telephone contact with my friend, who informed me that she had not heard from the kennels and assumed everything was in order.

On my return to the UK, I rang the kennels to arrange a suitable time to collect the dogs. I was rather taken aback by the very brusque tone of the proprietress, who shouted down the phone that the dogs had 'kept her awake from 2AM onwards' and that her husband was 'ready to kill them'. The latter comment was particularly upsetting.

When I tried to point out that a) she herself had informed me over the telephone that the dogs were impeccably behaved and b) she had my friend's telephone number which could be used in an emergency, she slammed the phone down on me. I collected the dogs that same day. It felt like I had become an extra in a particularly gruesome episode of 'Fawlty Towers'.

On my return home, I discovered that the dogs' food bowls and toys had not been returned. Moreover, my arthritic dog was limping, a possible indication that he had been over-exercised and that the proprietress had failed to listen to my instructions.

In my opinion, these kennels offer a very poor service (considering the cost of £22 a night). Furthermore, the proprietress has 'extra-curricular' business interests. Kennelling appears to come very low down the list of priorities.

I would not recommend these boarding kennels.