Goin on vacation without my dog..

[crazycanuck]

Ian & I are travelling to Canada in May & we're trying to decide what to do with Yukon whilst we're away. It'll be hard leaving her and i don't want her to think she's been abandoned again. We adopted her from the doggie refuge last year and she's lovely

I really don't want to leave her in at a dog kennel as i've never dealt with one before. I want her to be able to run around whenever she wants & not be locked up @ night.

I've browsed through a few of the ones here in Perth and they look alright. There is one that's part of the dog refuge we got her from but I worry she'll think we're not going to return.

Any suggestions???

I'd rather not be driving in Canada and worrying about my poor doggie...

[Wahine]

When we went on holidays we always tried to find someone to stay at the house with the dog. We paid them the same as what it would cost us to put him in a kennel and it worked out really well. But our dog was really laid back and DH had an endless supply of starving grad students that were falling over themselves to come to a real house and hang out without 20 roomies. Maybe you could put an add in the local University newspaper?

[Tokie]

I think every dog handles these separations differently. My 2 dogs came from rescue shelters too. So I thought they would take being kenneled in stride, especially since they were together in a larger kennel at the pet boarding facility. We were gone 2.5 weeks biking, and when we picked them up, they were so pitiful. They didn't bark or play for 3 days, then they gradually came around. This summer we have found a boarding facility where they will have a little house like shed with an attached yard, and will be out in a bigger yard once a day with other compatible dogs. Nicer than being in a noisy kennel. But having a live in dog sitter is the best. We do that for shorter trips - it's hard to find someone to stay a long time. College students are usually good, a house is nicer than what they usually have to live in, and dogsitting is more fun than babysitting. Or you could board your dog and pay someone to come daily to get your baby out for a few hours.(my sister in law in Alaska does that when she goes south in the winter to thaw out!). Sometimes dog groomers know people that are good dog sitters too, or you could ask at the vet's office.good luck in finding something that makes you both happy! Carol

[Tuckervill]

There are pet sitting services, too, aren't there? That might be less expensive than a house-sitter or a kennel. The dog can stay in his own home, and someone comes in twice a day or so to hang out with it, feed it, let it out, etc.

I'm fortunate that my dad and my son both live nearby with their own dogs and fenced yards. So my dogs go to stay with their "cousins" when we're away. My son took them while we were on our cruise, and my dogs were happy little clams when we got back.

I did consider a place called Dog Party USA, which is lovely, but it would have been over $400! No thanks. At my son's house, they kicked him out of his bed and all three dogs crowded in with his girlfriend! Lucky dogs!

Karen

[latelatebloomer]

I'm dogless now (sighhh) but we had a very sweet German Shepherd named Reba. She had been severely abused for her first 5 years and while it took a couple years, she recovered and became a secure, happy girl. When we finally had to go away for an extended trip (rare for us), I asked around and called the kennel with the highest recommendations. They were very sympathetic with our girl's plight, and suggested we bring her down for an overnight stay and pick her up the next morning, so that when we brought her in for our vacation, she knew that she just had to wait there and we WOULD be coming to pick her up. And for Reba, who was athletic and liked other dogs alot, I think the excitement of so many friends at the kennel kept her from pining and made the time go faster.

At this kennel, every dog got daily 1-on-1 play with a person as well as with other friendly canines, and they had a good plan in place if a dog stopped eating. I seem to remember that we were able to bring her bed and a toy, they suggested an unwashed T shirt so my scent would be there.

I really recommend that first overnight stay for psychological security for BOTH of you!

[sundial]

We use a house sitter and it works out nicely. If we're going out of town for the day we call my parents to check on them.

[bouncybouncy]

It is important to put yourself in your dogs paws...sort of speak! We have an active trail dog, Lucie, that needs lots of play time and an abused ankle biter, Ebbe. The first kennel we tried was a typical kennel...Lucie came back with behavior problems (barking, hyper) our little one, Ebbe, was over-fed! I found a place that is a daycare/kennel...the owners are animal trainers (exotic and otherwise) they have webcams so you can check on your babies while away...and for a small fee I was able to be specific about training with Lucie since she is still a pup. My dogs were together at night but separated (by request) during the day...so Lucie could play with the big dogs and Ebbe could find peace in her own little corner. They came home in great condition...Lucie was well fed (she doesn't eat when things are out of sorts...they made sure she did) and Ebbe was happy and well-adjusted...she even had some play time with some of the small, calmer dogs (now that almost brought tears to my eyes...she has been a troubled dog and has lots of old unpredictable behavioral problems that have been reduced since bringing in a sister for her)

So...in short: It was costly!!! not something we do often (we usually plan trips the dogs can join us) but it was worth every penny, even to my penny-pinching hubby!!!!

Hope you find something similar and maybe cheaper...

here is a link to there site just so you can check it out if you wish

http://www.ywipdogdaycare.com/index.html

[kelownagirl]

Ian & I are travelling to Canada in May & we're trying to decide what to do with Yukon whilst we're away. It'll be hard leaving her and i don't want her to think she's been abandoned again. We adopted her from the doggie refuge last year and she's lovely

I really don't want to leave her in at a dog kennel as i've never dealt with one before. I want her to be able to run around whenever she wants & not be locked up @ night.

I've browsed through a few of the ones here in Perth and they look alright. There is one that's part of the dog refuge we got her from but I worry she'll think we're not going to return.

Any suggestions???

I'd rather not be driving in Canada and worrying about my poor doggie...

Ditto on the house sitter. My house was cared for, the dog was happy, and it didn't cost me much. Most house sitters will sit for free but we wanted to pay her because we have two big active dogs and a cat....

[smilingcat]

we have pet sitters who come by twice a day to feed and play with all of our children. It makes it look like someone is coming and going from my house so no buglers (burglers) to worry about. They are nice enough to pick up our mail and haul out the trash. And the dogs also get to go on walks twice a day. We also get report on how they are doing. In case of emergency, the vets are well aware too.

Vote for pet sitters or house sitters who don't mind taking care of our children.
Smilingcat

[Brandi]

Pet sitter here too. and I am gone a lot. My neighbor takes care of them. if she can't i have back up neighbors as well as freinds who will trade off days.
With my neighbor friend we trade off. I help her out with babysitting her 3 kids and she watches my kids. I have it all worked out with the vet. If anything happens she is to take them there and leave them. then the vet get's in touch with me and we go from there.

[SalsaMTB]

The group we adopted our greyhounds through have some people who watch dogs for a living. We've used a couple of them and have had excellent results. We have no hesitations at all leaving them and they seem to enjoy it. They get to live in someones home, socialize with other greyhounds and get walked/fed as we do.

Any possibility the group you got your dog through has contacts with people who do it for a living? We went and met the people, introduced the dogs, saw their home, etc before committing.

[KathiCville]

If you decide to check out the 'kennel' route, you have time yet before your trip to explore options and maybe find one that will work well for Yukon. Start asking around for recommendations now among your fellow dog-owned humans, you might well find one or more appealing possibilities.

I travel on business occasionally and actually prefer to take my sidekick Sam to the kennel, in part because I feel better knowing she won't have long periods of being totally alone at the house. Also, I like knowing that if she falls ill for any reason, the kennel knows how to recognize it, deal with it, contact her doctor, etc.

Key for my peace of mind was finding the 'right' place----meaning a place that came highly recommended, where the staff is really friendly, the standards are high, and where I knew Sam would be comfortable. Sure, she doesn't have nearly as much room to run around as she does at home, but she gets three solo play sessions a day with staff members, and her run is plenty big enough for me to bring along her bed and a bunch of toys from home. I like the fact, too, that the place is diligent about requiring all boarding dogs to be up to date on their shots.

Before I went away on a 'real' trip for the first time, I took Sam to the kennel overnight. Dropped her off just before closing, picked her up the next morning as soon as the place opened. Tough? You bet! Like yours, she was a rescue dog, and it was obvious by her droopy, sad body language when I handed her over that she thought I was giving her away. I burst into tears before I even made it out the door! But the strategy worked/helped: After two or three short stays, Sam quickly caught on to the fact that she was NOT being given away, and that "mom" always shows up to take her home.

After about a half dozen stays at the kennel, she actually started wagging her tail with excitement when we pull into the kennel parking lot, because she likes the staff, knows she'll be well taken care of, and knows that I'll be back at some point to get her. In fact, saying goodbye is now *much* harder on me than it is on her, LOL! ["Don't hurry back on my account, Mom!" ]......I'm hoping they'll install webcams at some point so I can check in on my baby from afar!

Whatever you decide, good luck!

[crazycanuck]

Ladies, thank you for your replies.

I asked around at work & a few folks have given some good recommendations. We'll check them out on the weekend.

I'd love to have yukon looked after at a kennel but am afraid she might get a bit snippy with the humans. She doesn't care about other animals being around, it's the humans that she needs comfort with. We think she wasn't treated very well prior to being homed at the doggie refuge . To make a long story short, she needs to know you and will nip if she doesn't. Great guard dog!

I've thrown the idea to Ian about paying our friends to stay at our house (they lived with us & know Yukon) and take care of her & our home. The other idea was to have her at the kennel for a week or so & then our friends the rest of the time.

[SlowButSteady]

I suggest that you pick a kennel that you are comfortable with and that has good references. I board dogs at my veterinary clinic so I've got some ideas for you. Also make sure your kennel has some health/vaccination requirements. They should require proof of immunizations and their immunization requirements should pretty much agree with your vets'.

Also, do a "trial run" or two before you leave. Take Yukon one morning and leave her for a few hours. That will give the kennel staff time to evaluate how she is going to do. Then you might try her another time for overnight.

Some dogs are happy, well-adjusted and laid back boarders. They actually like coming to the kennel, get to know all the people, some other dogs and the routine there.

There are also dogs that are terrified. I've literally had people leave to go on vacation for 2 weeks--on cruises or to places where they cannot be reached--and their dogs wouldn't eat, drink or walk outside to poop or pee for days.

Another idea: get a kennel that will feed your dog her own food and take it for her. You may consider taking familiar-tasting water, too. A favorite toy (indestructible) and treats are good. We love people whose dogs have special dietary and med requirements and they bring their dog's food organized into zip-loc baggies of individual serving sizes.

I discourage people from bringing bedding--some dogs chew it up, poo or pee on it out of frustration or boredom, so it's often destroyed.

Last but not least, do consider a pet- or house-sitter if it is feasable.