Boarding our Dog

[WOW]

We have a Lab and we will be boarding her at a really nice place for the second time in 4 months. The first time it was a last minute thing and I was OK with it, but this time we are going to OKW for 10 days and I am feeling so bad about boarding her. She was good and seemed to enjoy herself there, they have a variety of things for them to do and she came home with a bath and seemed to be very happy. We really have no other options, as there is no one else to take care of her. Our two children have recently gone out on their own and live too far away to be able to take care of her.

Are there many of you out there who feel the same way????? We live in NJ so driving is not an option for us.

 

[DVCconvert]

We really have no other options, as there is no one else to take care of her.

Oh man, I hear you. We have the same problem
What I have done is to pay a friend $20 per day to go an visit our canine wonder at the boarding place, and even asked them to occassionally take the dog out for rides/walks/treats. We've done this for some time, and it seems to work out as well as it can. Our 'fur-child' is very old, and it pains us deeply to board her at all, yet, we can't leave her at home unsupervised. This helps the dog, and our peace of mind.

I hope this helps you!

 

[wls23]

WOW-

not sure where you live in jersey, but we live in northcentral jersey and we board our dog at Best Friends Pet Resort on Rt. 22 in N. Plainfield. The first time we boarded our dog there we were nervous, but they have boarding, doggy day care, playtimes, grooming, etc. and believe it or not, our dog loves it there - its like a vacation just for him....he has so much fun that he comes home and sleeps for days! Let me know if you need more info.

wendy

 

[WithDisneySpirit]

Our "fur-child" is a pretty black cat named "Magic" and we hate to leave her home. We pay a neighbor teen to come in twice a day and feed her and play with her. It works okay; tried to board her at a vet once, never again. It traumatized her for a couple of weeks after

That may be the only not so good thing about wonderful Disney vacations!!!

 

[disgirl]

I know exactly how you feel. Our dog is 4 years old and we have gone away atleast for about 9 days each summer since we have had him. Last year we went away for two separate trips, for a total of 21 days away from him. We leave him with the breeder from whom we got him and although we know she is very good to him and we like the fact that he is in a home situation with a big yard, we miss him and think about him often. We also do not have any friends or family that could mind him so this is best for us.

I def. know how you feel, but enjoy your trip and I am sure your Lab will be just fine and will be very happy to see you when you return. My breeder always says they really have no concept of time and said he does not realize we left for as long as we did. Once he is back home, it does seem like we never left each other, everything goes back to normal.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Our vet has a "puppy camp" for dogs and cats. You pay extra and they bring the dog outside to play with the helpers individually. The dog gets extra attention, playtime and snacks. Our dog like this boarding better than the old one we used. It costs more, but it is better for her. Plus the vet is right there if she has any problems.

 

[iankh]

I have to board 3 dogs. One is 14 years old. She still gets a bit frisky between long hard snoozes. However, she as now lost her sight and I feel even more terrible about boarding I hate boarding them, but can't find anyone to take care of them when I'm on vacation.

 

[WOW]

Hi WLS23---Thank you, I live in North Jersey and she gets boarded at Best Friends in Chestnut Ridge and it sure is a great place. She went to "Play Group" and they said she loved it. They are wonderful there, we call every day to see how she is doing. It is really nice there and she came home all happy and clean. Glad to know someone else who is on the same page as me. Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!

PS And, I agree, it is as if she were on vacation too!!!!

 

[mikesmom88]

WOW,

We live in Staten Island and board our dog in NJ at the Best Friends Pet Resort on Rte 22 (same as wls23) every year for 2 weeks in August. The place is really nice and he seems okay when we get back, has a bath and gets a good report card! He is usually a little stand-offish when we first egt home but he warms up by the next day! I guess it is just his way of saying he missed us.
Last year we got stuck on the Magic and I called and told them they need to keep him for at least 4 more days! He was fine but the bill was expensive!

 

[Pluto4Pres]

Don't feel guilty about boarding, it's the best way to go. Many years ago, before kids, our "dd" was a wonderful but spoiled german shepard. We went on a weekend trip to Boston with another couple and arranged for our neighbor to check in on the dog two or three times a day. We left Friday and on Sunday morning we got a call from the neighbor telling us that when they let her out on Saturday night she bolted to the woods and had not been seen since. This dog had never left the yard before and these were the days before electric fence. Needless to say it was a terrible 2 hr ride home for us and our friends riding with us. The neighbors also felt awful about letting her out. They only did what we asked them to, but they still felt bad about it, as though it was their fault. The next two days there was still no sign of the dog and we tried everthing we could to find her. Flyers, calls to all the Animal Control offices in the area etc.

Finally, after three days she showed up. She was pretty worn out and appeared to have been in the woods the whole time. Luckily we had a happy ending, but it was three days of hell not knowing if she was safe, stolen or what.

The moral of the story is: pick a good boarding facility and rest assured that your pet is safe and well cared for while you're away. I don't think dogs have much sense of time so whether it's 2 days or 12 days it won't really matter.

Boarding can be expensive, especially the crazy place that we go to that has deluxe rooms with couches, but it's worth it for the peace of mind.

 

[d-r]

Hi,
What really works well for us is that our vet's assistant comes and stays at our house. We have a great dane that is a little stand offish around folks he doesn't know very well, so having that relationship has really been a great thing for us. If you can find a house sitter that will become a "regular" for you it works out really great, and really becomes a special person to your dog, too - I think the vet's is a good place to ask for a referral.

 

[DizWacko]

For those of you who do "board" their dogs while away, could you give me an idea of what you actually paid??? I have a new 6 mo old Bassett hound and will undoubtedly need a service to care for him while away in the future..

MANY THANKS !!!!

 

[spiceycat]

if you want to board your pets here is a good site

http://www.abka.org/abka/

cats don't do well away from home (well except Spicey) - so when my friends or family can't take care of them - I go to a pet sitter - these people are generally listed in the yellow pages - a good one will give you personal recommendations so you can feel fine leaving your animal in their care.

My cats do okay with one. They preferred someone they know - friends or families.

Pet sitters here can be $15 to $25 a day - no matter how many animals. Although some do charge for more than one.

Boarding generally it is per animal charge.

I haven't found a national register for pet sitters - I am still looking. Make sure that whoever you hire is bonded and insuranced.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I have 8 dogs, so when we go, I must have someone come here and stay. They each have their own indoor/outdoor kennel, but there is a lot to do to take care of them, and they all need their personal time.

Just to aleviate some fears people seem to have of kennels....I board lots of dogs on a one at a time basis. They love it here, because they can play and interact with other dogs. No one ever goes home unhappy! Many folks talk about how excited the dog gets when they drive in our driveway. Dogs are not human. They don't have human emotions. As long as they have their needs met, they will do fine away from you.

 

[mikesmom88]

DizWacko,

Don't know what area you are from but here is a link to a place I (and other's on this board) use when we travel.

http://www.bestfriendspetcare.com/

You can search for a location near you and the cost per day depends on the size of the pet ($25 - $30 per day).

 

[lllovell]

We have used Critter Sitters here in Atlanta before and had great success. They are independent operators but you call one main number to arrange for care of your animal. They will come out before and you can get to know them a bit and show them around. You pay based on what you feel your animals need. 2-3 trips a day are possible if that is what you want. Our pups are outside dogs and our cats are all inside, but requiring some attention while we are out of town on trips, so we have them come by for an hour to make sure they all get a little interaction and care. So far, I have had great results!

 

[Patricia721]

It sure is awful leaving them behind, isn't it? I call home daily to see how our Sheltie, Maggie, is doing. Maggie stays with our son & his wife while we're on our annual two week vacation in Key West. My mom comes here to stay with her when we go home to SSR or other shorter trips. So far we've been lucky that we've always had someone in the family able to take care of her.

 

[twotoohappy]

Hi! Most of the time my father watches my 2 dogs. If I have to board then they go to their vet. You can pay extra to have "play time" with a one on one human friend It's based on size but around 20- per dog per night. When I know I'm boarding them, I sleep in an old tshirt for a couple of nights and then send it along with them so they'll have my scent. I also send their beds, and some toys.

 

[carol1231]

Does anyone happen to know the phone number I would call to find out if the Disney kennels have any room? Or any other kennels you have used in the area that you would recommend?

 

[Pa@okw95]

I had a Lab for years--Labs love other dogs and people also. They probably get more stimulated at a kennel then at home. My Lab always loved going to the kennel.