FAQ's

The Hotel you will be checking in to wouldn’t dream of asking you to bring your own duvet and sheets, Mornington Lodge does not require you to bring your pet’s bedding! Being a hygenically controlled environment, all bedding is provided by Mornington Lodge.

The favourite toy can also stay at home – we have box loads of toys available for guests to play with. As your dog will be sharing with a compatible friend, this also ensures no jealousy between roomates over toy selection.

We are happy to take dogs coats, please ensure they are clearly and permanently labelled.

We are happy to keep your pet on its own specialised medical diet. Please ensure the food is supplied in individual meal proportions in clearly labelled containers. 

It is best to come in as soon as possible after opening hours. This enables your pet to settle into its new environment before spending its first night away from home.

As with humans, your dog has a large sub-conscious memory, and a very small conscious mind, which can only entertain one thought at a time. The major difference between a dog and a human is that humans can retrieve a memory at will from their sub-conscious mind. Your dog is completely unable to do this, and all retrieved thoughts must be physically prompted. This means that when you say goodbye to your dog in the office, by the time it reaches the complex and sees other dogs, thoughts of you have left its conscious mind. His mind is then filled with his new environment, and will remain that way until he sees/hears you in the office on your return.

Leaving him at home, on the other hand, can cause fretting, as he is surrounded by physical reminders of yourself. He will be waiting by the door for your car, waiting for his routine walk, waiting for you; in other words, he has no chance to forget you. This can cause him to fret, go off his food etc.

There are two things which will contribute to your dog having an enjoyable stay at the Lodge:

1. He has a compatible friend to bond with in your absence
2. He will receive plenty of mental and physical stimulation every day; lots of play times in large gardens, a comfortable, clean environment with 24 hour care, delicious food and plenty of human contact (daily grooming, cuddles and health checks).

With plenty of guests to choose from, we will endeavour to find your dog a compatible friend – which means someone his own age, size and energy level.

“I get anxious and upset when I am due to leave my dog to go away. My dog always seems to know when I am going to leave him, as his tail goes down and he looks miserable.

Does he know he is going to be left?”

No, not at all. It is quite natural for us, as ‘parents’ to these gorgeous pets of ours, to feel miserable and anxious when we know we have to leave them to go away for business or on holiday. Your dog will immediately be sensitive to any mood that you have. He will know instantly when you are upset.

THE PROBLEM is, however, that dogs simply do NOT have the reasoning power to think:

“Mum is upset, I wonder who or what her problem is, I will comfort her”.

Unfortunately, their lack of reasoning power results in:

“Mum is upset. WHAT HAVE I DONE WRONG??”

Showing signs of submission is instilled equally and as strongly in both domestic and wild dogs as the best way to get back in favour with the leader of the pack and to remain part of a pack (you and your family).

As your dog naturally thinks that you are upset with him, he will do his level best to show all the classical signs of submissive behaviour; tail down, lowered head, be quite subdued and will want to stay very close to your side. He may even roll over on his back, or in worse cases, urinate on floor.

If you DO have a tendency to become miserable and anxious when leaving your dog, you need to remember the effect you are having on him. It is hard, I know, however you need to be purposefully cheerfull and bright in the lead up time to your departure.

The trip to Mornington Lodge in the car should be happy, and the same with walking into the office. You do NOT want your baby feeling anxious and upset as he walks into our facility. He has come to have a great holiday, surrounded by canine friends, a wonderful and dog-loving staff, daily activities, a friend to share with at all times .. in other words .. it will be his holiday as much as yours. We can supply you with plenty of Kleenex tissues (and a stiff drink!) when he is out of sight and on his merry way to his Big Adventure.

Remember … your dog adores you as much as you adore him … however he loves the company of another dog at times just as you love the contact of human beings at times.

Canine guests are fed their main meal in the morning. We also serve an evening meal for dogs that require two meals a day. Cats are fed morning and evening meals.

Naturally we have several vets on call 24 hours a day. If your personal vet is not local to Mornington, our vets will communicate with your vet if necessary.

Pick up is between stated office hours opening hours (see below)
At Mornington Lodge we charge per day. If you collect your pet/s after 11 am you will be charged for that day. Other facilities only offer a 10am checkout, therefore we feel our 11am checkout allows you an extra hour to leisurely collect your pet/s.