Quote: Dennis Jones

If I can't take Erika I don't go

<3 Dennis!


I might try this (even though personally I'm pretty much in Dennis' camp):

For this vacation go with the pet sitter option but be sure that you have a kennel back up if something goes wrong. For myself, I would choose my vet because they know my dogs and their needs and are good hearted and kind. Then you have a fallback that she will be safe in, if not blissful.

If you have a neighbor that you are on good terms with, you might employ her to do a little covert QA for you. Ask her if you can call her and check on her sense of how things are going with your dog while you are away.

For your next vacation: throughout the year you might try a few different doggy daycares that most boarding kennels offer. If you find one you like and people you connect with, you will feel much more comfortable leaving her there next time or at least feeling confident that you have a great backup.

I'm in Dennis' camp too, but I have used both a sitter and a kennel. I actually felt much better about the kennel for a lot of reasons: I felt that I worried less about containment, I didn't have to worry about them messing with any training while I was gone, there was someone there at all times, and nobody was snooping around in my house.

The first time I used a sitter, I came home (after getting stuck overnight at the airport) to a trashed house that reeked of cigarettes, and a limping dog. She had also changed my locks "because she lost my key". When I asked about how it went with the dogs and horses, I got no real explanation...just that "everyone was good". I checked her out thoroughly in my usual obsessive manner too. The second time I tried a sitter, Murphy wouldn't let him in the house unless I was there (at which point he was his usual, friendly self) so it kind of defeated the purpose. After that I found a sweet girl that Murphy WOULD let in the house, but her schedule was so crazy that it meant the animals would be left alone for long stretches of time, and they weren't used to that. I think the sitter idea works if you have a very good friend who can manage your dog in the way they are used to, but I've pretty much lost my trust in sitters.

After I closed up the barn and just had the dogs, I vowed I wouldn't let anyone else in my house. I contacted LOTS of friends, pet owners and pros, and asked for kennel recommendations, and found a good one. On the way home from the airport I picked up my relaxed and healthy dogs, and continued on to my clean house. It rocked. I'm normally with Murphy almost all the time, and he still did well.

I still by FAR prefer to bring him with me, and so I tend to go places where that's possible. I find that I enjoy vacation more when I'm not worried about the doggie too.

Well, I guess it's obvious that it depends on one's own experiences.

My vet does overnight stays, but in the same facility as the sick dogs. And then there were some threads here about forum folks who came home to working dogs who had been "taught manners" by kennel personnel, or fed the wrong food despite having left the right stuff with instructions, and much more.

My home- and dog-sitters are pricey, but bonded and insured. They sleep over and feed what I leave to feed, and they call me and at least leave a message-update (or email) every day. They send the same person every time for overnight and one of two for the daily potty-breaks and feeding-times.

And for me, it's a huge phew! The dogs are in their own home, eating their own food, with people they know.

I "tested" them first, a few years ago, with a few short trials (stop by to feed-and-walk, etc.).

Thanks everyone, for your advice and input. Since Estonia is a small country and there are not very many kennels here, my options are few. I will probably go with my friend coming over to stay with her at night and weekends, with another friend walking her during the day. I do have some time, though, to research the kennels "just in case".

My friend is a stickler for rules - he was my youth camp director this summer and there were times that I thought he was TOO tough, but backed him up anyway because I had put him in charge. He'll obey my rules for Star and he also knows her and loves her, so he'll do what's best for her (she has bad hips, so I need someone who will give her the right amount of exercise without overdoing it.)

I think she will just do better overall being home in her environment, with someone she knows coming home to her in the evenings. I'll let you know how it goes!