Boarding and guilt!

[Libby, Rufus & Jacoby]

UPDATE: I was reading our local rag (two days after its publication) and believe it or not a casual acquaintence just re-started up her pet sitting business!!! Yeah - she will come to the house four times each day and care for our two doodles, four cats (one insulin dependent). I am so excited that the kennel is now not an option!!!! Thanks to all for your information and understanding about my quilt. I can now relax and enjoy NYC!

My husband and I are headed for a long w/e in NY and we've decided to board our doodles at a local kennel. I am feeling really guilty about this - somewhat similiar to the first time we left our daughter for a week when she was seven. What do you do when you go away? Will the experience cause a regression in housetraining?

[Adina P]

We've never boarded...gets pricey with three, but mostly I know mine are happier and feel more comfy in their own home. Usually we have a set of friends stop by 4 times per day to let doggies out for a 15 minute break: 7/8 am then noonish...then 5/6 pm then about 10pm. Has always worked out for us that way...we are lucky living in a small town, no friend has to travel very far. One set of friends lives down the street.

Lately we've had Clark's cousin's hubby stay at our house for our last two trips out of town.

However, some kennels and boarding facilities are fabulous and dogs have so much fun they will barely miss you! They will be fine...harder on us then on them usually.

[Libby, Rufus & Jacoby]

We thought about a house-sitter, but my husband thinks that their usual routine of walks/exercise would be too much for the only sitter we know (70 year old retiree). We'll see how the dogs will do this time. I bet we'll get a house-sitter in the future!

[Adina P]

Our house sitter doesn't walk them...he just throws the ball for fetch in the backyard. But yeah...a younger house sitter might work out better. But they will probably be fine at the kennel.

[9pavxfihcp80]

Hi Libby,
I know exactly how you feel. The first time we boarded our older girl, we felt really bad, too, since she was all by herself. She did fine with it, though we noticed she "jumped" a lot more when we came home. That aside, we didn't see any long-term issues from the experience. Then this last June, we went to California and boarded both our doodles-- Cooper was just four months old-- and they did beautifully. We noticed no changes in their behavior and Cooper's housetraining didn't change a bit.

I guess the best advice we could give would be that you should check out several kennels, and actually take a tour of them. Talk to the owners. Trust your gut as to whether or not your babies will get loving care. The cost is irrelevant. We board ours at a kennel just two miles from our home, and they are much more expensive than the other place we used to take them to, but the care they get is far superior and the owners are truly decent people.

Good luck!

[Libby, Rufus & Jacoby]

Thanks so much for your encouraging words. The kennel is one we used with our last dog, and they're good. (We only have a couple to choose from in this part of Maine!) Wish we had one of those pampering pet hotels that I've seen on the news.

[Libby, Rufus & Jacoby]

Wow, you are lucky! Our parents are all too old and we live in a summer tourist area, so availabilty to stop in several times a day this time of year is too much to ask! (Everyone is already working at least two jobs) I do think that's what we'll do in the winter if we have a get-away week-end

[Richard Crowe]

We send Holly to Doggie daycamp because she had been very timid around larger dogs (but loved small dogs like the Maltese she shares our home with). We are very lucky that we have a wonderful daycamp that is set up great for dogs. They are not in pens but, have the run of a large area with some shaded and inside places to take their naps. They have a cemented area with several kiddy pools to keep them cool if they want to wet down. The owner knows every dog (each dog has to be auditioned before it is accepted) and has areas for time out and to separate dogs who don't quite get on with the others. We have not needed to place Holly there overnight but, this facility also has overnight boarding. The dogs are not put in pens for their overnights - its like a second home for them.

Our daughter and her husband and Holly's best big-dog buddy, their Labrador Shadow, would take care of Holly if we needed to go out of town. Our daughter's mother-in-law (yes - there are some great mothers-in-law) has also volunteered to house sit with our animals any time we need that.

At first, we were hesitant about seeing Holly off in the morning (a van stops by, just like a school bus), and picks her up. However after the second day at camp, when Holly ran to greet the driver/owner we felt better.

The camp has done wonders for Holly. She is much better around big dogs. As I said, we are very lucky to have a camp like this available. The cost is pretty minimal also.

[sbis0oszc95r]

We kenneled our 5 month old puppy for the first time in early august and he did great! I cried in the car after I left him, though. The kennel was highly recommended by the local doodle chapter and the manager was wonderful with him. He even stopped biting me after we came home. I think the socialization with other dogs worked wonders. Other than my guilt, it was fine.

[Libby, Rufus & Jacoby]

How long did the guilt last, were you able to enjoy yourself?

[Joannie]

We haven't boarded Barney yet. Mostly because he is still young and just got his final shots. We did board our previous dog "Pork Chop" at a great kennel. They got lovely country walks, there was a play area with agility types of stations, and they got a daily yoghurt ball treat. She always wagged her tail and couldn't wait to get into the reception area when we arrived. She loved it there. We called it the Doggy Hilton. We did a lot of homework before we picked this place. The nice part is that it wasn't stinky.