Help! We HAVE to board Wosie...
 

OK, don't hate me for this please! My hubby and I are going away for 17 days (Hawaii, too far to take her with us) and we need to board Wosie for the time we are gone. We used to board our precious old ones at the vets before they passed on, and they did OK. But Wosie is only 4 months old, and I am afraid she is going to be an emotional wreck when we get home. The women at the vets already adore her (have seen her 4 times) and I know they will spend as much time as they can with her, but hey, they have a business to run too. I don't know anyone else who can take her, so that's out. I also do not want a stranger in my house while we are gone, so no house sitter will do. It's the vets, no other way.

I am asking if there is any suggestions you have that will make her time easier and make her feel comfortable. I will bring her food, bed, favorite toys, and her blankie. I will also wear an old T-shirt for a while and let her have that too. I just fear that she will be a nut case from being crated so much, and of course I already know I will have to start at square one for potty training. Sigh... I wish there was another way, but there's not. Any suggestions you can give me, please do. We leave on the 1st.

THANKS!

Hi! My cousin works at a kennel & she is great. This particular kennel is also a doggie day-care. You might want to look for one of these places as the dogs get all kinds of attention during the day, whereas they might be crated all day at a vets office.

I boarded my 2 at my cousin's kennel recently. I brought their little beds from home, their regular food (make sure you bring her usual food because a change in diet will upset her stomach, especially if she is away from home), a t-shirt of mine, a few of their toys, and a picture of my & my fiance to hang in their crate - I didn't want them to foget what we looked like!

Best of luck - and have fun!! You aren't doing anything wrong, don't feel guilty!! You deserve a vacation!!!

There certainly are times when we HAVE to board our babies. last Feb. I boarded 7 younguns. They were fine but they did have each other all the time. Have you tried taking your baby to the vet for a sleepover or two? That might ease your mind--and hers. I am sure you wish you had family to keep her but so many of us do not and we have to do the best we can.
Enjoy your trip to Hawaii. We have been to several of the islands and it is paradise..

We recently had to board Jo and Riley for 5 days and I was a nervous wreck. I looked at the facilities our vet had available and wasn't happy with the idea of them being in a little cage all day, going outside 2 or 3 times to potty and then being left alone there all night so we checked around for a suitable kennel. We found one just a mile or two from our house and it was great. Our boys had a climate controlled indoor/outdoor kennel and the outside kennel was covered on the top, there was a flap door to the outside and if they're too little to push it they'll take it off or fasten it up for them. They were let outside into a play area several times a day, they had music to listen to and other dogs around for socialization. The owners live on-site so I didn't have to worry about them being alone and they also had an on-site groomer. I was worried about having to retrain them when we got home too but the kennel actually seems to have helped both of them. We have a doggie door to the patio and since they've come home I think we've only had to clean up one accident and that was when Riley only had his front feet on the pottie pad :rolleyes: We took their crates, beds, toys, food, treats and their big play pillow bed. The kennel asked for any special feeding or medication instructions and I gave them permission to take them to the vet just in case. We were pleased with the condition and attitude of the boys when we got home and the daily cost was only $19.50 for both of them. They don't seem to have stressed a bit while we were gone and they were the same sweet boys when they got home.

We had to board over Labor Day, and my husband and I were a mess. We went to 4 different boarding places and talked to about 10 on the phone, and we found an awesome one (it is also a dogggy day care). It is in a Vets office but they have 2-3 boarding tech that are there specifically for the dogs that are boarding. They also have an option where you pay an extra $2.50 for "pampering" where they take the dog to a big grass fenced in field behind the vet where they get treats, get to play games, run, dig and have special one on one time with one of the techs. (Everytime I drive by the vets I see a dog getting pampered, and they really get spoiled, I have even seen on of the techs laying on the grass letting the dog just lick their face over and over and over.)

We left Keeley with his bed, 2 of his favorite toys and some food.

Like I said before... my hubby and I were a mess, but honestly Keeley had a GREAT time! He even seemed a little sad to have to leave his new friends.

Find a place you love! And a place you know your dog will get spoiled! And also warn them that you'll be calling ;) ... (we ended up calling almost everyday just to see how he was doing).

AWW Im sure you will miss her. But some times he have no other choice.

Aww, too bad you don't live close to me, I'd dogsit in a second ;) Bender LOVES other puppies, and so do I.

I'm sure if you research your kennels you can find her a nice place to stay! :animal36

Hate you? No way! Boarding pets is a fact of life. It sounds like you have already put serious thought into how to make Wosie comfortable.

I also need to board Joey over the Christmas holidays. As the time approaches, though, I'm getting more uncomfortable with the idea. I'm going to try to find someone who petsits in their home. It will be more expensive, but I think I'll worry less.

Have a great trip! You're not doing anything wrong! Just think how happy Wosie is going to be to see you when you get back!

I worry about that too! Do you think she will really remember me? She's only 4 months old! I am wondering if that much time will make her forget...sigh...

Thanks everyone for all your great comments!! If anyone else has anything to add, please do!

where do you live in NC???? There is a very nice place up the street from me called Best Friends Pet Resort and Salon. I just checked it out a few weeks ago and it was really nice. Instead of boarding them in a kennel, you can pay extra and rent a little room like area. Here is the website:

www.bestfriendspetcare.com It's very nice and very expensive :D I'll try to scan the brochures and price list I got and put it on here.

It's here in south Charlotte near Pineville NC. About five mintues from my house. I would also consider keeping her but I have four yorkies already. How big is your yorkie at four months??? When are you leaving on your trip? I think I could get some pretty good references from people on here if you wanted to think about leaving her with me :)

I just notice there is also one in Durham NC :) I can't get the photo tour link to work from their website.

Nah, she'll remember you; I'd bet on it!!!

I'm sure she'll remember you. It's going to be harder on you
than it will be for her. It is too bad you don't have family there
to keep her. I would ask how often they will take her out of the crate.
Do you keep her in a crate now? She is small, but maybe you could ask for
a big crate, so she will have lots of room to play. :)

Michelle, how do you get the bows to stay in Bitsy's hair? On your avitar, you have one on either side of the head. Any suggestions? I have a hard time keeping one in on top of her head.
Thanks! Pat

Our groomer also boards so that might be an option for you. I would just take some familar toys and a blankie. I am sure she will be fine.

hi

i just wanted to add that, although we worry ourselves sick, our little ones are more resilient than we think! sure, they will wonder what's going on and why you aren't around, but time to a dog is different than time to a human.

i agree it will be harder on you than on your yorkie.

i have to board my guys too, as i don't have family around. the kennel that i used before was wonderful and the dogs had a great time. now, i've moved to a different area and will be using my vet's office for boarding when i go away in january! i think there is less worry in that - they seem to love dogs, they are very responsible, and they take them out three times a day, and they'll get extra attention, too!

good luck and try to enjoy your vacation. although you care so much about your dog, you have to take care of yourself and enjoy your life too! have fun!

oh, and i just wanted to add that i boarded charlie when he was only 5 months old and he did really well! he wasn't stressed at all. small dogs tend to get a lot of attention in kennels and at vet's offices.

at least at the vet/kennel, you know they are in a controlled environment and they are being looked after by people who love animals and who have lots of experience dealing with animals. it's the safest bet!

First, I'd buy her a really big crate so she could really bounce around - or if they have large kennels, use one of those to give her plenty of room. Do you have a friend she knows that can go by and visit from time to time to make sure she gets plenty of love?

I bet she'll be okay. I'd hate to leave her too though.

Because she just had her last round of puppy shots, Wosie doesn't know any of our friends as yet. We have been keeping her to ourselves until recently. Today we took her on a 4 hour drive and she did great, met some new folks, and had a blast!

They do have large kennels at the vet, and as this is not a popular time of year for vacation, I am sure there would be one available. I will ask. I know they do take them outside at least 3 times a day, and if I ask I am also sure they will take her out more often as they are pretty excited to even have her there. All the techs adore her, as they did our other two yorkies before they passed away. These people are pretty special, and I have a great deal of confidence in the fact that she will get loads of attention. I really think it's me that needed the good words to assuage my guilt for leaving her, lol.

Someone asked about her size at 4 months: she weighs 3.7 pounds. (can you say OINK?, lol) But she's not fat at all, she's lanky. I need to get some new pics on site so you can all see her now. The one in my atavar is when she was 10 weeks.

Thanks, all, for your kind words and suggestions! I am so glad I can visit here anytime I like!

I just wrap it pretty tight, but not too close to her head so it doesn't pull her eyes open, and they stay in. She actually looks better with the pig tails as opposed to just one little pony tail :) The bows in her avitar are free from Build-a-Bear! They stay in great...probably wrap those about four times around. I just LOVE her pigtails :) Thanks for asking!

Update on boarding Wosie
 

We just got back from Hawaii and picked Wosie up yesterday. She looked GREAT! She wasn't fat (I was afraid they would overfeed her), she was clean, she was happy, and she did NOT forget me! Nor did she forget potty training or any of her tricks we have been working on!

Apparently one tech had one of her college daughter home for a few days, and she took one look at Wosie and rarely put her down for the entire time she was home, lol. The techs were sorry to let her go, as she had stolen all of their hearts. I am not surprised as I missed her terribly all the while we were gone.

Kauai was awesome! If you ever get a chance to go there, do NOT think twice, just GO! It is truly paradise, and we are so lucky to have the Hawaiian islands as part of this incredible country of ours!

Thanks again for all your help and advise!