Flying Home From the Gulf for Summer or Onam? How to Plan Your Dog's Boarding in Kerala (2027)

A summer visit home sounds simple until you count the trips inside the trip. These are the families who most often need boarding in July and August:

• •Families whose dog lives in Kerala with grandparents or relatives. You arrive, then plan a week in Munnar, a wedding in Kochi, a pilgrimage or a trip to Bengaluru, and the dog cannot come along.
• •Relatives who look after an NRI family's dog all year and need a real break while the family is home.
• •Kerala households hosting Gulf relatives. A house full of guests, children and suitcases can be hard on a dog used to a quiet routine.
• •Families moving back for good after years abroad, who need a safe place for the dog while the house is opened up and repaired.

If your dog lives with you in the Gulf, bringing it to Kerala just for the holidays is rarely practical. As of November 2026, per India's Animal Quarantine and Certification Service (AQCS), pet dogs can come in under the baggage rules with an owner who shows at least two years of continuous stay abroad and proof of transferring residence to India, while people on short visits need a DGFT licence before AQCS will issue its clearance. Most Gulf-based dogs therefore stay in care in the Gulf during a summer trip. Our guide on travelling with a dog from Trivandrum explains the import rules in more detail.

As of November 2026, these are the dates that shape the summer rush. Confirm them with your own school, because not every school follows the same calendar.

• •UAE Ministry of Education schools: the official 2026–27 calendar, for public schools and private schools on the ministry curriculum, gives Friday 2 July 2027 as the last day of the year for students and 9 July 2027 for staff.
• •Start of the next year: the ministry's three-year calendar, as reported by WhichSchoolAdvisor in October 2026, has the 2027–28 year starting on Monday 30 August 2027. That gives a summer break of roughly eight weeks.
• •Dubai private schools: in 2026, Dubai private schools began their summer break on 6 July, per Gulf News. Expect a similar early-July start in 2027, but check your school's own calendar.
• •Indian-curriculum schools in the Gulf: many run their own academic year and holiday dates, so their summer break may not match the ministry calendar.
• •Onam: Thiruvonam is on Sunday 12 September 2027 for Thiruvananthapuram, per Drik Panchang. It falls after most UAE schools are due back, so many families will make a separate, shorter Onam trip.

July and August are also wet months in Kerala. Ask your own vet whether your dog's leptospirosis protection is current before the monsoon, and read our leptospirosis guide for the warning signs.

Work backwards from the day you land. Screenshot this plan:

• •8 weeks before: WhatsApp Neolokam on +91 77363 90719 with your dates, your dog's breed, age and size, and whether you also want Onam dates. Ask which package fits and what the team needs from you.
• •6 weeks before: book the trial visit and temperament assessment. If you are still abroad, a family member in Kerala can take your dog. Every new dog has this visit before the first stay.
• •4 to 6 weeks before: take your dog to your vet. Check that rabies and core vaccinations are up to date and recorded on the card, and ask whether any booster is due.
• •2 to 3 weeks before: give tick and parasite prevention as your vet advises, and write down the date and product.
• •1 week before: confirm pickup and drop-off timing if you need it, and send the team your dog's feeding routine, fears and any medicines.
• •Travel day: hand over the records, any medicines with written instructions, your dog's own dry food if you want it continued, and a familiar blanket.

If you leave it until the week you land, there may still be space, but you lose the time to fix a missing vaccination record or a dog that needs a second visit to settle.

Neolokam asks for a trial visit and temperament assessment; up-to-date rabies and core vaccinations with the record; current tick and parasite prevention as advised by your vet; and dogs must be comfortable around other dogs.

For an NRI family, the paperwork is often split between two countries, so gather it in one place:

• •The vaccination card, with a clear photo of every page saved on your phone and shared with the relative in Kerala.
• •Your vet's name and number in Kerala, and a short medical history including allergies, past surgery and current medicines.
• •The date of the last tick and parasite treatment.
• •A note of your dog's habits: meal times, food it refuses, fear of crackers or thunder, and commands it knows.
• •Two contact numbers: yours abroad or in Kerala during the visit, and a relative who can make decisions if you cannot be reached.
• •Your full itinerary inside Kerala, so the team knows which days you can collect or visit.

The team sends daily photo and video updates, so tell them which number to send them to while you are moving around.

All prices are plus 18% GST and are confirmed after the assessment.

• •A short trip within the holiday: the 3-Day Dog Village Vacation is ₹5,555 and includes meals, grooming, home pickup and drop, and videos. It suits a long weekend in Munnar or Wayanad.
• •Two to four weeks away: long-term boarding is charged per day, at ₹444 standard, ₹555 for additional care and ₹666 for heavy and giant breeds. For example, three weeks at the standard rate is 21 days at ₹444, which is ₹9,324 plus GST, or about ₹11,002 in total.
• •A month or longer: monthly boarding is personalised and ranges from ₹9,999 to ₹17,777 a month. For a whole summer, ask the team to compare this with the daily rate.
• •Two or three dogs: multi-dog monthly boarding is ₹8,888 per dog for two dogs and ₹7,777 per dog for three.
• •Grooming before your dog comes home: Neolokam's grooming is a doorstep service at ₹1,700 for a regular groom, and dogs already boarding are groomed during their stay.

Pickup and drop-off for confirmed boarding are by appointment from Kollodu, Edathara, Malayinkil, Kattakkada, Nemom, Karamana, Balaramapuram, Neyyattinkara, Kovalam, Pattom, Kowdiar, Vellayambalam, Sasthamangalam, Kazhakkoottam, Technopark and Sreekaryam. Ask the team about charges and timing for your area.

A dog that lives quietly with grandparents can find the summer visit as tiring as the boarding stay. A few things help:

• •Keep its meal and walk times the same even when the house is full.
• •Give it a room or corner where children and guests do not follow.
• •Do the trial visit before the guests arrive, not in the middle of the chaos.
• •Watch for signs of stress such as hiding, panting when it is not hot, refusing food or new accidents indoors, and ask your vet if they last.

When the trip is over, give your dog a calm first day home. Our guide to dog stress and anxiety in Kerala covers the signs worth knowing.