I'm already a wreck...
 

I should start by saying my husband and myself built a house last year. His grandpa was our contractor, so we did most of the work ourselves. So the last two summers we did not get to take a vacation.

This year my family is planning a vacation in July, and we are going with them. The problem is my babies. They are only allowed 50 feet from the road where we are going, and honestly for their safety I wouldn't want them to go anyways.

I refuse to board them bc they won't eat. Plus, I'm not sure of any single place around here that I would trust for 10 days with them. Most people (including my family) think I'm crazy bc I care so much about my animals. I have offered several people money to stay at our house and take care of them bc they are comfy here. I figure enough is changing without taking them to some new place. Not to mention, we just lost a family dog of 14 years and one of my babies still looks for him everywhere, that was her best buddy. She's acting a little strange.

So my question is... am I crazy for thinking this way? My husband gets so mad at me bc I won't just drop them off someplace and go. I'd rather stay home. Am I overreacting? :confused:

I dont think you are. You can't help it that you love them so much. I can understand his point of view but everyone should respect how you feel. Even if they don't understand why or how you can be so attached. I've cancelled a few dates with my friends and have stood home since I got my puppy. I think the first week or so at a new home are so important. Everyone thinks I'm crazy but I don't care.

Good luck with your babies. What ever you decide to do I know being apart 10 days will be hard enough.

I guess I just worry bc the only other people they have stayed with are my parents, and they are going with us. They are 4 and 5 years old.

I don't think you are crazy at all!! I would feel the exact same way. Do what you think is right for you and your babies.

Thank you! I don't know what I am going to do. I told my brother I would fly him in from Florida if he would watch them. He didn't want to go on vacation with us. My family also has a farm, the pool, and a huge garden, so I've been using this to my advantage. We'll see if he takes the bait.

Thank you!

It's nice to be in a place where we are all 'crazy' about our babies together. :D

I won't leave mine in a kennel either- I have a sitter who comes to the house and watches them there. It did take some time and a number of interviews and trials to find someone I trusted and that worked well with my dogs. But it was so worth it- she is amazing and I am able to go on vacation and enjoy myself knowing my babies are safe and sound.

I found her through here:

Welcome to Fetch! Pet Care - Dog Walking, Pet Sitting, Dog Boarding, Cat Sitting by Fetch! Pet Care

you can also try:

Babysitters, Nannies, Child Care and Senior Home Care - Care.com

Congratulations on the new home :). I'm a hardcore DIYer, love building, and always have a project in progress.

I've never boarded a yorkie of mine. I almost always take her with me. On the rare occasion I can't, she either goes to my parents home, or I have someone come & stay at my home. The cost of paying someone to stay at your house is well worth your piece of mind and your dogs security & comfort.

Thank you!! I checked it out. The closest one is 163 miles away. It was worth a shot. A family friend was going to do it, but she is a counselor at a church camp at the same time.

I would love to take them, but we are going to Yellowstone and we camp. We've had some close encounters before with animals. I wouldn't want to risk their lives.

I've offered several friends a lot of money (up to $500 for 10 days - I think that's reasonable) and they all prefer to have them at their house. We live in the country and everyone that said they would live in town. They have a swimming pool, unlimited supply of beef/pork, and all the garden veggies they could eat. It's not working.

I don't think you are crazy at all. I gave up vacations 3 years ago because I felt the same way. My husband doesn't seem to care. I understand how you feel. my friends and family think I am crazy also, just crazy about my babies.

I really hope that this works out for you.

We go on a family trip every year and the past 2 years I have not taken my babies.
Where we go is to my dad's place but he prefers that we not bring them.
Last year he had a really bad case of swarming bees and I was grateful that they were not there.

Mine stayed with a friend who lived close by. They were spoiled as much I do and I knew that they were well taken care of.
I still missed having them but it was only for 4 days.

I hope your brother is willing to come.

Take an Xpen with you that way they can play in safety. I use my xpen for a lot of different things. When we go to a hotel and I go shoping I put them with there bed, food, water and toys in the bathroom and put the xpen in front of the doorway so the door isn't closed Or on the deck in front of the stairs so they have the deck to play on but can't escape to the street. The xpen is good for many things. I hope this may help for you vacation have a good vacation.

Linda, Sassy and Patti

I wouldn't leave mine at a kennel either. Luckily hubby feels the same way as I do about them. I've also am fortunate now that I've got a few neighbors that wouldn't mind taking care of them if need be.

So sorry for your loss of your older dog.

I hope your brother will do this for you. It will be sort of a vacation for him as well. :)

I don't think you are crazy at all. I don't go if Rosie can't go with me. And after three years, my husband completely understands now. He has come to the realization that she is just like a baby to me. I feel for you having to decide what to do. I have friends and family that would watch Rosie but some people just treat dogs differently than others. So, I just take her with me. Hopefully, you will find someone that will keep them and where you will be comfortable leaving them. If you don't, you wouldn't enjoy your vacation anyway. Good luck!

I would be the same way

I don't think your wrong in feeling that way at all. I would have to be in a very dire situation of need to consider boarding. Just like sending a little kid to daycare a pup can't tell you what they did all day. It'd be much more comforting for them to be some where that at least resembles a home setting.

I'm sorry you're having a hard time getting someone to commit to doing it. Would your vet possibly have someone they could recommend or maybe a collage student off for the summer you could get to know over the next month?

That would be a good idea, unfortunately, Yellowstone wouldn't allow it. Plus, we had a bear break into our ice chest a couple of years ago. He wanted some gatorade. I've taken them camping around the lake here. Yellowstone is just too risky for me.

Our vet is a family friend.... He told me he would board them for me. I'm just not into boarding at all. My dogs refuse to eat. He knows how I feel about overnight at the vet. Whenever my babies were super sick and had to stay overnight, I cried and cried. He went in at midnight to check on them so I could come and pick them up if they were ok... Thank goodness because I'm a sissy.

Maybe if I could get all of you guys to persuade my brother this could work out to my advantage. LOL ;)

I'm working on him. He'll be here anyways for the 4th of July. He'd just have to stay a couple of weeks longer. :D

This is exactly the reason we have not gone on vacation, and I would be embarrassed to tell you how long, because I will not board mine and do not have a friend (sorry) that I would trust to take care of them like they should. I also have a special needs baby and I would rather forfeit the vacation and stay home with them than to worry constantly. So, I understand completely. Hope you find the right person and better yet, maybe your brother will have a change of heart and stay. Good luck.

I don't think you're overreacting at all. My husband and I decided not to go on our annual trip to Cabo San Lucas when Prince was sick. There was no way on earth that I would have gone. Is there a Camp BowWow near you? We have used the one here in GA a few times, and really like it. They have an app so you can watch your baby on your iphone while he's there. Father's Day weekend will be the first time the Ian will have stayed there for two nights, and I am a little nervous, and it is only two nights!
All of my friends said I was overprotective of my son when he was little, and I was the same way with Prince, and now with Ian.
I think everyone on this site understands.

Is this near you?
Camp Bow Wow® - Bentonville Dog Daycare and Boarding

I understand how you feel. I wouldn't go on vacations for over 25 years because I didn't want to leave my baby/babies. I finally broke down 2 summers ago when I felt I could trust my DD to watch them. They were all fine. Now we have gone on 5-6 short vacations and she comes home and stays with them. I don't think I could ever board them but left in their normal environment they do well.

Same! I won't leave Jackson in a kennel either. I honestly think he would freak out. He's such a sensitive guy anyways, lol. Kennel setting would not suit him well.

I'm very lucky my dad watches him usually when I'm gone.

It is unfortunate that people are so insensitive to the feelings of these little dogs that trust us so much. Their lives revolve around the routine we have set up for them and they don't understand when we suddenly break their routine. I would feel better having my pets with me but the next best thing is to have a house/dog sitter. I don't cave to people who are insensitive to me or to my pets.

As a last resort if you had to board him at your vets, is there a food you could give him so you know he'd at least eat? When I HAVE to board mine I finally realized I should give them the Science Hills canned ID (horrible quality food- we only use it for Bandit's upset stomach- but they devour it). Just in case?

No, canned food gives mine EXPLOSIVE diarrhea!!! I learned that the hard way. It took us so long to find a food that agreed with their sensitive bellies. We are on Wellness - Small Bites of course. I think they would freak, they are so sensitive about things like that.

I totally hear you...we've only had Daisy for a few months now and my fiance and I are supposed to be going on a 10 day honeymoon at the end of September. Obviously, I'm not giving up my honeymoon here, BUT, 10 days!? I've already found myself mentioning how I'm going to miss her sleeping with us...and I'm really worried about who's going to watch her...her safety...what if she gets sick? gets hurt? doesn't eat? and we're like miles and miles away. nerveracking....

Yay!
 

GREAT NEWS EVERYONE!!

We are taking my 2 babies (Bentley and Zoey) with us... We have arranged our trip to exclude Yellowstone. We've been several times, I'm not missing anything. They travel well, they always have bc we went to school in another state and drove back and forth on weekends.

but....

Chloe the Yorkie mix that I saved when I lived with my parents is staying home.... My sweet cousin (and his bride-to-be later this year) are going to stay with her the entire time. I am so excited! They are going to have to stay in the crate (inside the fifth wheel) at least while we are white water rafting, but other than that we are good! Thank goodness for my sweet mom and dad! They love my babies! :D:D:D