You are young, your kids are small, there will be other occasions that you will need to travel and can not take your dog. Finding boarding near your home would be better for you and the dog. You'll come to trust them, and the dog will be familiar with them. Most likely, your vet has fewer boarders than a kennel, and they usually have the same staff maintaining the animals.There could come a time when your dog needs to stay overnight at the vet, you and he will stress less about leaving him at that time.

IMO, the less people dealing with him the better, I wouldn't want someone working on his commands, no play group activities, just feeding and shelter, a bone if they allow.

Olivia,

How is he doing with the crate, is he still peeing in it?

This was what I was thinking of, not the OB, when you said you were boarding him soon. Having him go backwards in the housebreaking/crate situation.

Like your advice kelly. We boarded an airedale in our house for two weeks this last august while the owners took a trip to new zealand. Having fostered dogs for many years with airedale rescue makes the adjustments easier. Many rescue groups use homes to foster dogs.

 Quote: Tammy Moore

You are young, your kids are small, there will be other occasions that you will need to travel and can not take your dog. Finding boarding near your home would be better for you and the dog. You'll come to trust them, and the dog will be familiar with them. Most likely, your vet has fewer boarders than a kennel, and they usually have the same staff maintaining the animals.There could come a time when your dog needs to stay overnight at the vet, you and he will stress less about leaving him at that time.

IMO, the less people dealing with him the better, I wouldn't want someone working on his commands, no play group activities, just feeding and shelter, a bone if they allow.

I agree. The other option (boarding him near you in N.C.)might ease your mind because she'll be closer and you'll be able to visit, but I wonder if it would be more stressful on the pup to have you leaving him multiple times. I may be off base on that one, but for my dog I think it would be more stressful for her to have to go through multiple 'goodbyes'.

As others have said and I will reiterate from the point of view of a kennel owner....The dog will be fine. I personally would NOT board at the vets but rather with a good kennel with indoor AND outdoor runs. Vets sound great til you think of all the sick animals coming and going. Yes, the facilitys are often separated well....yet the germs are only yards away. Two local vet connected boarding facilitys here were closed for a couple weeks this summer by the flu. Now I hear one of the two has KC .

Take your own food. And do not think less of the kennel for feeding Sci Diet. Personally I feed DADS, yup, the same stuff I feed my rodents. WHY? Cause it is the one food that 99% of the dogs coming in do just fine on AND has not been recalled lately. I tried several different foods from top notch to this and the dogs do the best on this. Because 90% of the pet owners feed a crappy corn based kibble (Iams or Purina) and their dogs do fine. Changing the kennel diet to higher end food messed up the majority of the dogs when I fed it. Dads they PREFER over their own kibbles....must be the crack the put in it. With your vets it is likely the vet connected kennel gets subsidised for feeding Sci Diet.

Don't take the dog and board near your vacation spot and visit. This will be a HUGE stress for your dog.....wind him up and then dump him every time you stop by. I don't care if you wear him down. He is deflated, confused and STRESSED. This is one of the times I will tell you flat out...DON'T, this is entirely for you and will not help the dog.

Board him in a place he can be more active(not indoor only with walks), go on vacation and enjoy yourself!

 Quote: JessicaKromer

BUT 99% of the dog owning population would put their human family first, and should NOT be made to feel like derelicts or that they should never purchased a puppy. That is ludacris...

Ditto.

I'm with Tammy: IMO, the fewer people dealing with him the better. No group stuff with other dogs; feed him and give him lots of walks. No training, no corrections of any kind ever, nothing but basic dog-sitting.

ETA:

 Quote: anne jones

... The fact that they feed Science Diet would be the least of my concerns.

Me too. Not even on my requirements list for such a short time, for me, although I'd at least ask about supplying my own food.


I'm not such a fan of vet boarding because at my vet's, the boarding dogs are in the same building as and quite close to the sick dogs.

But I imagine other vet boarding situations are different.


I have someone come and stay at my house. (You might want to look into this for other times.) This is a dog-walking service, a small local service (three people) which is bonded and whose references I checked very carefully (years ago). It costs a lot, but so does boarding where I live. I then have my house looking (and being) lived in, the mail and newspapers brought in, the dogs staying in their own place, the knowledge that the food I leave is the food they are getting, and so on. It works for me. I'm an over-the-top worrier, and this set-up (going on my fifth year) is the least stressful for me. Worth every cent (to me).

ETA
The first time I used them, I first (not on departure day!) had the person who would be sleeping here come over and run through my instructions with me, see how everything worked, take the dogs for a walk, and actually come at a mealtime .... so much easier than explaining meals. (I demonstrated "mealtime sheriff" in case any dog might take it into his head to take advantage of a new person and go hover over another dog's bowl, etc. )

Edited by Connie Sutherland (10/31/2010 07:30 PM)
Edit reason: 2 ETAs

P.S.

Either of my dogs' clubs (big dog and small dogs) would be the definitive source, IMO, for names and contact info of boarding options that club members could recommend first-hand, and in fact this was how I found the dog-walker/dog-sitter service I use. (I still checked every reference they had.)

Where but a training club would there be such a concentration of people who want their dogs dog-sat with zero "training" thrown in and no "play groups" involving strange dogs?

Olivia, I am new to this board but read this thread with interest. Obviously you are a caring mama to your dog and I empathize with your decision process. My dogs are pets and in the past I've had to leave "the kids" from time to time. They have been boarded at my vet's, at a kennel, and at home on the farm with relatives or friends to stop by and care for them. In all cases they were fine.

I will back up those who say do what is least stressful for the dog. Keep your reservation at the vet's while you continue to look around your area and maybe find something you like better. Reputable dog care will start booking up now, so don't lose the rez you have. Personally, I'd pass on trying to take the dog and visit during your trip. You will be amazed at how little free time you will have with all your family around.

I'm sure there are others on here who have worked at either a veterinary clinic or a boarding facility; I worked at a clinic. We boarded dogs for our clients, and took good care of them. Indoor runs only, but we took them out for long grassy walks at least three times a day. Our main concern was the dogs' health and safety because we valued our clients and their pets. I like the idea of getting in a few warm fuzzy visits at your vet clinic over the next three weeks. You and the staff will get to know each other on an informal basis and everyone (mainly you) will feel more comfortable about leaving him. Most dogs are remarkably adaptable and do quite well at boarding (much to some owners' chagrin).

He will wait patiently for your return and give you all that unconditional love when you arrive home. Have a great trip!
Barb

 Quote: connie sutherland

Either of my dogs' clubs (big dog and small dogs) would be the definitive source, IMO, for names and contact info of boarding options that club members could recommend first-hand, and in fact this was how I found the dog-walker/dog-sitter service I use. (I still checked every reference they had.)

Where but a training club would there be such a concentration of people who want their dogs dog-sat with zero "training" thrown in and no "play groups" involving strange dogs?

The additional info you provided on how to use the clubs was helpful, Connie.

I've avoided boarding my dogs and have had excellent luck with sleep-in house sitters, and pay between 30 - 40 per day/night. I find this far less stressful on ME as well as the dog.

If you can not make this happen, I know you will do your best to find the right, short-term solution for your dog.