Adults Only --- nervous to leave furbaby behind

[Sweet Pea Reed]

Looking for advice/encouragement/insight into taking a 9 day trip to WDW with DH. Our third trip in 8 years is coming up in February. On previous vacations, we've left our dog Ziggy with parents in law. Last week for a mini trip, he refused to go inside their house, now terrified of steps leading up to their living space, as he is 14 and is much more happy to be at home. So FIL and DB checked on him and visited 3-4 times a day. He stayed alone overnight, and the thought of that made me very sad. But he ate and drank and played like usual.

Feeling sad already about leaving him in February, even with a friends' 25 y/o daughter offering to stay at our place that week.

He's our furbaby, we have no children. I've never worried about him like this before. And sometimes I think I miss him more than he misses me. He's 14, healthy, not incontinent.

Advice on how to enjoy this trip instead of worrying about the pupper....or should I just cancel and stay home?

 

[DuskKodesh]

You should definitely go and enjoy yourselves knowing that he gets to be in all the comforts of home and will be well attended to. You guys will have your phones, you can call whenever you feel nervous but it sounds like he's in good health and going to do fine. Maybe even bring him home something? I know Disney has the new line of pets stuffs.

To help the nervous maybe set up a webcam and schedule a specific time to call with video chat so the pup can see you? You could also record some audio for your pupper, make sure the housesitter has your vet's number and location, leave some special vacation treats for him, or leave a used article of clothing that smells like you to put in the pup's bed area. Most importantly relax. he's safe, warm, happy, and he'll be happy to see you when you're home. (I miss my own pets on vacay too and tend to worry)

 

[MusicalAstronaut]

I definitely agree with @DuskKodesh, we have a couple of webcams on our pups & I feel much better knowing I can check on them whenever I want. If your doggo is more comfortable at home, then that's the best thing to do! I also love the idea of a friend's daughter staying the night with him so he's not alone. I think I wouldn't want to leave mine with just someone checking on them a few times a day for that long, so if anyone can stay the night (or hang out during the day and just even watch TV with your dog) I think that'd be a great idea. That way he's getting attention but he's happy at home too!

 

[Valbot]

I totally understand but the fact your furbaby can stay in their home and if you can have a family friend over for play time they will be fine.
I get it because I feel the same way about my furbaby but it sounds like your baby will be just fine. Plus think of all the playtime when you get home

 

[loves to dive]

I totally understand, we even went so far as to buy a RV so our furbaby can travel with us. She is a tiny yorkie and totally her people dependent and subservient to other dogs so she can't be boarded. She goes everywhere with us and is rarely even left alone during the day as my hubby works from home.

If you can get the friend to come and stay at your house, I think she will be fine. Being in her own home around her own things should make her feel comfortable.

 

[Wild4Walt]

I had a hard time when we left my fur baby with my parents when we went on our trip this year. It was hard the 1st few days and I called to check on her often ( we hadn't left her in the past ) and after a few reports that everything was going well, I was able to relax.

I agree, if you are concerned get some web cams and still do your trip.

 

[Lizgistix]

We brought our 2 furbabies along and boarded them at the Pet Resort across from Port Orleans. They had an indoor room which included 2 potty walks and then I also added on a "walk and explore" which is a walk around their nature trail in back. I hope they had an okay time while we were at the parks. I know they were very happy to see us when we came to get them and they both slept most of the way home. We even got a report card from the resort. Apparently our 2 boys are 'potty pros' and members of the clean plate club.

 

[KristinU]

I totally, totally understand. Our first dog stayed at a boarding kennel when she was younger and loved it, but as she got older we found someone to stay in our home with her. When she passed and we eventually got new furbabies we just continued with the in-home care. Especially as a senior, your boy is going to be so much more comfortable at home. So if I were in your place, I would pursue the 25 year old friend coming to stay, and I would schedule a weekend trial with her beforehand so you have a comfort level.

If you do webcams, be sure to watch them ahead of time during a normal day so you know what is typical for him. We also RV travel, and set up webcams when we travel in our RV with our dogs so we can take a look if we are out without them. It is helpful to know ahead of time what their normal behavior is when they're by themselves.

Best of luck, and enjoy your trip!

 

[SteveH]

Our pups have always been a huge part of our family. We kenneled them once, but after that we've had house sitters stay at our home. It lets our pups stay on their schedule; going out, playing, eating, and of course... sleeping on the couches Over the years they developed a good bond with the house sitters and we've never had an issue. It allows us too go away without being overly worried about them. Change is hard for an older dog so being at home seems the way to go. Do be sure to leave any information about the dogs Vet with location, Vets name and number. Reality is that you're only a phone call away but it will give you more peace of mind.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[cobright]

Advice on how to enjoy this trip instead of worrying about the pupper....or should I just cancel and stay home?

As some have already said, webcams will give you a lot of peace of mind.

You could also record some audio for your pupper

This is a good idea but a bit clunky. Another option is a WYZE wireless security cam. Home Depot sells them (among other places) and they are a great little camera to have a few of if you travel. They are 1080P video (HD) and have a microphone and speaker so you can listen in and also so you can talk, through the camera, to whomever is in your home.

They're only about $25.

 

[Sweet Pea Reed]

Thank you, everyone! I love the suggestions and am so very grateful for the empathy, and knowing I'm not the only one who worries about leaving pupper behind. I'm feeling better about the prospect, but I don't think I'll get DH on the same page. He wants to postpone another year, and that absolutely crushes me. I've been waiting for more than a year, he's not as Disney crazy as I am, so it's no biggie to him if we dont go.

 

[gatour]

I would go with the friend's daughter. If the dog isn't familiar with the daughter, I would have the daughter come over a few times, so the dog becomes familiar with her. Perhaps taking the dog for walks or otherwise engaging with the dog in the dog's normal activities.

I have a friend that while she is not a dog caretaker, will babysit other friends dogs. Sometimes she stays in the other friends house other times she just stops by.

 

[Redbudlover]

I would leave hubby with the dog and go yourself. That is what we do. DH will go with me every couple of years but I like to Go more often and that way he takes care of the dog and we both win

 

[NH-to-FL]

I totally understand your concern. Like you our dogs were our children. We had great danes for over 30 years and we went through a couple of kennels before we found one that treated our dogs well. We had one supposedly well regarded kennel allow one of our dogs to stop eating without contacting us. When we returned he was so weak he could barely walk. Finding the right kennel made our vacations to Disney much more relaxing. Though we still would call the kennel frequently to see how our babies were doing. Having a senior dog makes it even more challenging.

I think your plan to have your friend's daughter house sit is a good one. Especially with your older dog. I second the suggestion to set aside some time to introduce your dog to your sitter. One thing we do when we bring a new dog into our home is to do a couple of quick pack leadership exercises with the dog. We take them on a short walk to practice some leash discipline and practice some door discipline, person goes through first, when entering and leaving the house.

Remembering how we used to agonize over leaving our pups we now provide dog sitting service to a few danes. The dogs get plenty of attention and we get our "dog fix". We treat them like our own and usually spoil them. Couches to sleep on and plenty of exercise and car rides to keep them busy. A few weeks ago we had three danes, mother, daughter, and granddaughter. That was a busy but fun week.

Wishing you a relaxing trip to WDW!

 

[goofyintoronto]

Omigosh I can totally relate to this! I have a 13 year old furbaby myself (my avatar pic), and it makes me really sad everytime i leave him behind. Now that he's older, im more hesitant to go away because i dont want to leave him. Lol. I'll still go away though...a part of me just doesnt want to. The guilt kills me sometimes.

My dog is more comfortable at home...so given the choice, in your situation, i too would ask your daughters friend to stay there while youre gone. Perfect solution. My dog would be devastated if i left him at someone else's house.

 

[justme0729]

I was hysterical leaving my 1 year old lab (no kids- like my baby) who had never been boarded before heading to Disney for 2 weeks for our wedding and honeymoon. The night we dropped him off before our early flight, I was miserable thinking about it but once we got on the plane to go, it all went away. I think you will have a great time! It's awesome you found someone to watch the dog in your house...Just leave some of his favorite treats for her to give and you will feel better about it- they are more adaptable than we think. Don't let it stop you from going.

 

[cheryl.UK]

I totally get it. We have 4 cats. We always get someone we trust to stay in our house to look after them. We visit the US for 4-5 weeks most summers so it's importent that they are happy. Apparently they miss us the day we leave and look for us coming home but after that they go back to their normal routine. Our sitter sends us daily photos of them doing cooky stuff or just sleeping.

When we get home they make a big fuss of us and we basically become cat sofas for a couple of weeks but to be honest they seem happy and healthy.

 

[Morieris]

I went to Orlando for a week and left the dog with my parents.

(We live in the same house but still).

I was worried she would forget about me - besides going into my room and putting her head on the bed, she was fine without me and didn't forget! I've watched people's pets (mostly cats, some dogs) and they were either too afraid to come out and say hello, or were curious about this new person with food.

 

[ludari]

When my kitties where alive it was always difficult to leave them when I traveled especially when I did two separate month long trips. I had a family member stay at my home while I was gone but it was still very difficult especially since those kitties meant the world to me. It's been five years since the last one passed and I still haven't gotten over it completely. I often think about adopting another but I can't bring myself to do it yet. Hopefully soon I will be able to provide a home to a shelter cat.

 

[sponica]

Well my dog is legit insane (medicated crazy) so having a pet sitter isn't an option for us, but if she wasn't absolutely bonkers I'd totally go that route. She's perfectly happy living the spoiled life at her daycare/boarding facility....

While I understand your husband's reluctance, postponing doesn't guarantee ANYTHING. Unless something wacky happens healthwise, the only thing that will happen by postponing a year is that your dog will be a year older