Boarding my Yorkie?
 

Hubby and I want to go away overnight for our anniversary which means leaving our Yorkie in a kennel. We have never left him before. I'm afraid it will be traumatic for him. I'm away from him at the most three or four hours at a time. When I come home it takes hours to get him calmed down he's so excited.
This may sound like a dumb question to some but we have only had Louis for three months and he's our first dog. So any helpful comments would be appreciated.:animal36

Do you have a friend or relative that can keep him?

I'm not sure about the impact that going to a kennel might have on one so young, I have never done that with a young one, so I'll leave that to the opinions of others.

How old is your pup? Has he had all of his shots?

What I did do with Jezebel was to take her to a training facility for puppy classes, and then occasionally take her back there for doggie day care, just to familiarize her with the place and make it a very positive place for her. I got Chuy as a rehome (they were both a year old at the time), and when they were about a year and a half old, I brought them both there for daycare twice in the week before and week of boarding. It included not only play, but also time in one of the enclosures that they would stay in. Then, when I had to leave them for four days, they were really excited to be there, and when the girl took their leashes, they readily went with her and didn't even look back at me. I also arranged for playtime and daycare during their stay. When I went to pick them up, they were glad to see me, and when they got in the car they were as calm as could be. They acted very normal and calm when they got home, too. Very easy adjustment when they went in, and very easy adjustment when they came home.

I used a dog sitting service. They are licensed and bonded. The initial visit/consultation was over an hour. My gal met my babies and went thru everything you could think of and more - to include what I would want them to do in the case of an emergency if they could not get in touch with me. My girl comes daily at mid-day to play with the puppies and clean up any mess they may have made. She leaves me a note about what they did. She even brings in the trash bins, collects the newspaper and my mail.

They also do overnight visits. They are more expensive than a kennel, but will stay at my house with the babies - which is great for me. I have had the same sitter since I got my babies and got the name of the business from co-workers. I even have the same sitter as some of my co-workers. When she went out of town for a mini-vacation, the owner of the business came by for the mid-day visits.

If anyone in your area knows a good pet sitting service, that might be a good option. Best wishes.

If he is still a puppy, I would think a kennel would be better than a pet sitter who comes and goes. A bored puppy is a pup who gets in to trouble.

Woodlawn
 

Hi, do you live in Woodlawn VA?

Hi,

Just a suggestion, but have you checked with your vet to see if they do boarding. That way Louis would be in good hands and taken care of, and you wouldn't have to worry about him. It shouldn't cost you a lot, and I'm pretty sure he would be okay for one night.

A 24-hour vet would be ideal, because there would be someone there with him all the time.

Anyway, like I said, just a suggestion. I do hope you find a place to leave him that makes you comfortable so you can have a good time on your anniversary.

Also, try to find a place to specializes in only boarding small dogs, say under 20 pounds and has someone on staff there 24/7.

Thanks everyone.( Yes, I do live in Woodlawn Va Rusty's Mom)

Mine either go with me or stay with family.

If I lived close to you, I would take him for an overnight. Good luck in finding a good place and enjoy your overnighter with hubby. :-)

I work at a veterinary clinic, and so thats where i have left all my small dogs when we go away. Even when my yorkie was about 3-4 months old, he stayed. ITs a safe and clean enviroment, and they provide lots of walks, and give them plenty of attention, and it helps knowing they are at a veterinary clinic, so that if anything goes wrong, they are in a good place. And although they may be sad, you dont have to worry about anything bad happening. ANd you know they are safe, and thats whats most important.

Just another thought...you may ask and see if your vet office has an employee that does house sitting. My sister is a Certified Vet Tech. and up until she married she used to do house sitting for their patients. Their clients always felt safer leaving their pets with someone who knew the animal already.

Hi LisaSunshine, I wish I was closer....come there alot for family reunions....
Yes a small breed vet with 24 hour employee is good and a housesitter is good also. Good luck! Let us know!