Boarding my dog while on vacation advice??? Hi, We are planning a trip in the late spring we will be gone for 5 nights. I am starting to look into boarding places around my area and at the same time thinking of possible friends who may consider it. Its myself, my fiance and we have an 13 month female Yorkie/Poodle mix named Gia. Quick note:) We met online and talked for about 5 to 6 weeks before we met in person at a restaurant named Gia's so later as things progressed in our relationship we got a puppy...and her name was easy! Back to business...so I'm worried that she may get beaten up by other dogs if at a boarding place and they mingle or socialize. Gia has only come into contact with maybe 2 dogs in her life time. I also think it may be good for her if its like doggie play camp???As you can see Im all over the place here but any thoughts would be beyond appreciated. |
For me personally, I will only leave my dogs with a friend that they are familiar with, or leave them at home with either someone staying in my home (a friend or even a responsible older teen) or someone coming all throughout the day to take care of them. If you must board then I would go with a nicer dog establishment, like a dog hotel, if you can afford it. We have a doggie daycare where I live that I took a dog training class at, so I saw the facilities and talked to the workers there. The dogs do get daycare time where they are watched for potential problems. They also have 3 areas based on size of dog, so she would not be put out with large dogs at a place like our local one. They also do individual time for those that aren't as social as others there. I would personally have someone she knows watch her though in your home or in theirs. I dog sit in my home and I also will go to friend's houses to care for their dogs. I go there several times a day and my teenage daughter will go to their house and watch a movie so she can hang out with the dogs too so they aren't lonely. Good luck! It is difficult leaving our fur babies behind. My Yorkie usually travels with me when I go places and our big dog stays home with our neighbors coming by all day long and hanging out as well to care for him. Since we usually only go to visit family or go camping I can take my little one with me. The big one gets car sick going to the vet so taking him on a 12 hour trip to Michigan to visit family is not happening. |
I had this same problem a couple months ago when we went on vacation. I ended up getting a list of kennels and just dropping in to see what they were like. One we visited the gates did not fit the kennels very well and my dogs could have easily slipped right through the gap. It was also dark, wet and cold even though they said it was heated. Another one had stacked crates that they put the little dogs in all day, didn't even have kennels. The one we chose was warm and clean and they had a whole separate building for the little dogs. We also took them for a play date ahead of time because Chili has a lot of fears and hadn't been around very many other dogs. So we left them to play for like 4 hours as a trial run to make sure they would be okay playing amongst the other little ones. I was also really impressed just watching the employees play with the dogs, none of the dogs looked stressed or bored. The other places had pups that looked sad and bored. I know how stressful this can be, good luck! |
Sadly, I think the best boarding facilites are private and run a bit underground. When I lived in greater Boston, I boarded, unofficially and for a very low price, Yorkies that originated from my own breeding program. They and their owners were happy to have me as a resource at vacation time. Unfortunately, we now live in such a regulated environment that unless you have a secret, private, connection to a private boarding situation you'll have to do your own research on any commercial kennels you're considering. Best wishes. I wouldn't dream of leaving my own Yorkies in the hands of total stangers. My travels require careful planning and having close relatives available daily to be in charge of carefully screened and vetted hired help. It's very expensive but still better than commercial kenneling, IMO. :) |
How about find a dog sitter? You can try Dog Boarding Just Got Awesome! | DogVacay to see if there are any in your area. Good luck! |
I have used dogvacay in my area and found some really great people to watch Lexi. We don't leave very often, but it is nice to know she will be well taken care of when we are away. The one we found is in their home. They only take small dogs and of course Lexi is always the smallest. Lexi is free to play, sleep, lounge, whatever. I get daily pictures and an update. She comes home tired and very happy. I have found this to be a much better environment than a kennel for us. |
Boarding I know what you are talking about! Finding a safe and loving place for our dogs when we are out of town is so hard. Of course if you have a friend or relative who knows your dog well, that is a wonderful solution, but many of us do not have that. I found that a doggie day care based boarding facility worked so well for me. You can always leave your dog at the daycare or even for one night to see how she does? It is important that the owner of the facility is sensitive to dogs' needs and is qualified for medical situations. There should always be caregivers there 24/7 and enough of them to supervise the dogs. My dog is quiet at home but comes to life when at the daycare. He has so much fun with all the action! In fact he does not want to leave when I pick him up, and when I take him there he can't get in fast enough! That is my experience, but you may not have such a great facility where you live. To me, it is good for my dog to have playmates and have someone always there. It is difficult to get that with a home sitter. You also know they are safe and well supervised. Good luck in your search. Please let us know what you find and how it worked out. :-) |
When I had bigger dogs I would leave them in a local kennel but there is ZERO chance I will leave these two babies in a kennel. We are fortunate that her son will stay at our house while we are gone. We went to Disney for a week in November and he spent the week at our house. The babies get to stay in their own home and her son gets a week of pizza and video gaming on a 65" plasma. It's a win-win! If a kennel is your only option do your research. Ask to see the facilities. Make a list of questions and insist they give you answer to every one. |
Are there any in your area that offers webcam so you check in on them? |
We are going on vacation this summer for the first time in years, and the first vacation without kids since getting married. It will be our 20th anniversary. But I don't trust anyone with Oliver, including my grown children. I'm sure things would be fine, but I'd rather not. LOL So Oliver is coming to Mackinac Island with us. :) |
My husband and I quit going on vacations because of a bad experience. We left our 3 dogs at the time, at an expensive day care place. They had their own private "suite" where they were in a little room with doggie videos playing for them. Looked great. Was expensive. We were only gone a few days and we called every day to see if they were eating, etc. Oh yeah, they are doing fine...they told us every time we called. When we got back, we paid for the boarding, then they led us to the suite where the quilt we brought for the doggies to snuggle up in was loaded with urine and feces. My husband's little Llasa had not eaten and she was so weak, she coudnt stand or even open her eyes. She was close to death. We rushed her home and got her to eat and nursed her back to health. I just want to tell you about our experience so you know what *can* happen. I will never leave these little guys with anyone Ever. I left them once with my sister and they came home with fleas From her dogs. |
I'm inclined to say if my lil guy can't go I'm not going either. That being said, I'd try to ask family or friends next time. |
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Not sure if anyone mentioned this yet, but what about your vet. I know many vets also have boarding facilities. It may not be as "fun" for your pup, but you know they would be safe and if anything was to happen, there is a vet already there. I would worry about Lexi not wanting to eat since she is already a picky eater, so when we go on our first vacation without the pups this summer, we will be keeping them at the vet office. |
The first time I boarded a pet I was 15. Boarded my adorable 3 month old poodle puppy at the vet. Came back and was told he grieved himself and died 3 days after we left. |
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