What Do You Do With Your Dogs When You Go Away?

[Marion 01]

One of us stays home with them while the other one goes, and vice versa., but it doesn't happen very often now anyway. The only other person I would trust is my sister and she used to stay with them years ago, but now she has a few animals of her own and can't babysit ours.

[lovemyrottie]

if pup can't come with me then i don't go either, i've got a weekend holiday booked soon but i made sure it's dog friendly so my little fella's coming with!

[Esky the husky]

Sometimes I have to go away without taking my dog.

Nowhere I go would be very fun for her, eg going away for Christmas would be very boring for her as I would be busy catching up with people I haven't seen in ages.

I din't trust any relatives with her because they don't share the same ideas about raising dogs.

So the only option is kennels, I'm hopefully trying out a decent one this weekend, our local one is less than desirable.

[nickyp]

It depends on how long we're going away for.

If it's just an overnight camping trip I leave them at home. We leave just after lunch and I feed the dogs a big dinner before we go. We usually get back at about the same time the next day and they get a feed as soon as we get home.

If it's longer my sister comes over and stays with them. That might not be possible for much longer though because my sis lives with my parents and my dad is getting very frail. My mum does lots of stuff for him but needs sis for backup.

We've used kennels in the past, but the dogs are getting older now and would find it stressful. Also, the cost gets a bit much.

My ideal, now that my kids are getting older and don't need constant supervision, is to take the dogs with us all the time.

[Guest lavendergirl]

I am researching kennels at the moment. It would be great if there were a pinned thread with kennel recommendations for each State and what to look for when choosing a kennel. I am thinking individual runs, indoor overnight rooms, 24 hour attendance, regular human contact - preferably without huge extra cost, quality food....anything else??

[Jetson]

We take ours with us when we go away at Xmas. Otherwise they go into kennels, I really trust the owner and feel safer when they are there than if I had someone look after them from home. They share a run with an indoor area.

[Miss Danni]

We use a professional that comes and stays at our home while we are away. If we are overseas, we might have 8 or 9 dogs and 2 horses that need to be looked after. While I could board the dogs, my options are limited with the horses and we have no family close enough or knowledgable enough to look after horses.

Virginia is a God-send, we never have to worry about our house, the horses, or the dogs while she is there and she is often booked up for 12 months in advance. And because she is a professional, she will follow your instructions to the letter, which we found in the past that friends could not always do, especially if they were dog people.

While it might cost us an arm and a leg to have her stay while we are overseas for a month, it's cheaper than boarding the dogs and the peace of mind is invaluable.

And our animals lover her! :D

[Kavik]

Mine either stay at boarding kennels (individual runs - no mixing with strange dogs) or with Diesel's breeder

[meggie]

My lot go to the kennels that were recommended to me by the vet when I first moved here - 12 years ago now &, though they have changed hands, I'm still happy with them. Dogs always come home in good condition with all their little extras like jackets, etc. THe old Stafford who has gone there his whole life will cheerfully walk in off lead.

The two whippets go in one run with the old boy in the run next to them & they all get playtime outside together.

Costs me a fortune (the only negative having three dogs now), but I'm happy to pay for peace of mind. When I had to stay longer overseas recently after an unexpected death in the family, it was a great relief not to have to worry about them too - one phone call & they were set for the extra week or so.

The cat stays home in peace & quiet with a neighbour popping in daily. A holiday for her too.

[Inevitablue]

My old dogs used to stay with my parents. That was easy, as the dogs were older and mum misses having animals since her dog passed away. However now I have two under the age of 1, I cant see dad minding them. What is it with the number of pot plants people accrue as they age?!

Mine will go back to their breeder, but that's going to be a rude shock - kennels!

Edited November 3, 2011 by Inevitablue

[di_dee1]

My 4 blue heeler x stay here in their 90mtr circumference dog yard with huge trees, garden shed with their beds, clamshell pool of water, a gravity fed drinking trough, snake netted and my FIL or a trusted friend comes daily to check and feed. They have dry food available 24/7 at these times and our carer feeds them a bone each and replenishes dry food and water as needed.

[grizabella]

I haven't gone away since getting Bella, but will be next year, she will most likely be staying home with Mum, who she lives with anyway. She might stay with a friend of mine for a few days, my friend is a Greyhound person so is sighthound-savvy, and Bella adores her Grey.

[Sheridan]

I have staycations.