Boarding puppies

[emmababy]

Hi there. We are coming down for Christmas and would hate to leave our dogs. Where would you all recommend to board them?

 

[Dug720]

Best Friends

 

[Sue M]

Are you driving or flying? I live too far away to drive, and no way I’d subject my dogs to a flight. There are some WDW hotels that accept dogs, but of course you’ll have to frequent back to the room to walk them. Even at Best Friends boarding you have to do there and walk them. Really, WDW isn’t a great place to take dogs. If at all possible I’d try to find a friend or family member the dogs are comfortable with to dog sit them. Preferably in your home.

 

[SteveH]

You say puppies and dogs, I would not board puppies personally and even dogs I prefer to find a house sitter to stay at our house while we are gone. Never really have had a problem, and both of our boys throughout high school and college did this as it's pretty easy money and the dogs get to hang out.

 

[SharonZ]

I would find a dog sitter at home.

 

[emmababy]

It’s over Christmas so it may be hard to find and of course that’s first choice but we are looking for a plan b.

 

[Dave006]

Hi there. We are coming down for Christmas and would hate to leave our dogs. Where would you all recommend to board them?

Have a look at rover.com you can find someone near you and since you have some time before Christmas consider trying out one or more options before you leave for Disney. Rover has dog boarding and/or house sitting for your pets in your home.

Dave

 

[Deb & Bill]

I'd board them with my vet. That way they will be well taken care of. We always board our pets with our vet.

 

[AngiTN]

If you can't board them at home, or find a pet sitter, then Best Friends would be a good (albeit expensive) option. They are actually a chain, not exclusive to Disney.

Are you driving or flying? I live too far away to drive, and no way I’d subject my dogs to a flight. There are some WDW hotels that accept dogs, but of course you’ll have to frequent back to the room to walk them. Even at Best Friends boarding you have to do there and walk them. Really, WDW isn’t a great place to take dogs. If at all possible I’d try to find a friend or family member the dogs are comfortable with to dog sit them. Preferably in your home.

Best Friends is a full-service kennel. You do not HAVE to go by there to do anything. You can of course, but don't have to. That's what you pay the boarding fee for

 

[Nancyg56]

I would check on a town FB page for pet sitters. Our page has turned into the go to place to referrals and recommendations for people to either board animals, sit or stay within the home. The feedback is kind of subjective, however you can generally tell who is widely supported and who is not.

 

[TooBoyz4us]

Another thing to note about Best Friends Pet Care is they tend to book up far in advance. Especially for holiday weeks. We booked an indoor/outdoor accommodation in January for this Nov. and all of the deluxe villas etc were booked solid.
I also believe they have strict rules about ages on puppies. I would call NOW if your interested. They require one nights stay as a deposit.

 

[AngiTN]

Another thing to note about Best Friends Pet Care is they tend to book up far in advance. Especially for holiday weeks. We booked an indoor/outdoor accommodation in January for this Nov. and all of the deluxe villas etc were booked solid.
I also believe they have strict rules about ages on puppies. I would call NOW if your interested. They require one nights stay as a deposit.

Yes, puppies must be at least 5 months old

 

[Soarin4us]

Ask your vet for names of reliable pet sitters. Their techs often sit as a side business.

 

[mommyrosa2]

I'd board them with my vet. That way they will be well taken care of. We always board our pets with our vet.

When we don't have a family member that can stay at our house this is what we do as well.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Best Friends wants to reserve the right to give your dog a "flea bath" and/or flea treatment. They require you to sign a release for it with a great deal of pressure. They test your dog with a flea comb when you arrive, and even if no flea dirt shows up, they still want you to sign that form for flea treatment. This could be detrimental to a puppy or dog as flea treatment can be toxic if given too much. My dog was already on flea and tick preventative and showed no flea dirt. Still, it was a big fiasco at the intake desk when I refused to sign. My dog also got a nasty eye infection and a mild case of kennel cough there despite the vaccine. He did have fun with the other dogs and staff there. I would not be in a rush to bring my dog there again, unfortunately. (We were on a last minute college visit, drove, and stayed at a dog-friendly resort, but thought he'd be more comfortable there during the day when we were out than sitting in a crate in a room. Live and learn.) When we go away generally we either have someone take care of our pets at home (where they miss us, but are safe, calm and comfy), or at a local kennel (where they don't come home sick and there is no pressure to over-treat with flea and tick preventative). Good luck with your decision.

 

[ambellina]

Adding on to the advice that you ask your vet for recommendations and board them locally. We have boarded our two dogs many times and there is always an off chance that they could become ill while they are boarded. I would much rather want them to be able to be seen by a vet that knows them best, though I'm sure Best Friends would also provide adequate care. I was also advised early on to have my pets get used to being boarded, and to have them go for an overnight every once in a while so they could get accustomed to those surroundings, making it less stressful for them.

 

[kiford]

I'd board them with my vet. That way they will be well taken care of. We always board our pets with our vet.

I have friends cat-sit for two of my cats but one I board with the vet because of medical issues. I'd prefer to have someone who not only has the ability to do something if there are issues but who also has their medical history which, in her particular case, is very important due to the surgery and implants that she's had. Also, when one of my previous cats got very old, I had her boarded at the vet again because of the potential for medical issues. I really hate to take them away from home but if I can't leave them there, I'd rather have them with a known (to me) vet practice for peace of mind. Plus they get a LOT of attention. Much more than my friends can provide.

I'm not in a position to even consider bringing them with me (we live in Canada) to Disney to board at a local kennel, but I would not be personally comfortable even if I was. I'd want to really personally know the kennel, the standard of care, and the medical options and expertise. Plus, unless I lived very very close, I'd be concerned about the stress levels due to travel. This may be different with dogs than cats and you'd have to know your own pets' ability to handle it but it just seems an extra level of stress that may be best to be avoided. I get wanting to have them close, though. I check my phone obsessively when I'm away in case of an emergency call from friends or vet and worry about them constantly and miss them constantly but I figure I'm doing the best for them with the arrangements I have.

 

[Jennasis]

We board at a local kennel right by our home who has been caring for our dogs for several years now. They know our dog and her quirks and she really enjoys staying there. Of course i would prefer to have her board in our home with someone but she'd hate being alone all day and night so unless we hire a house sitter...not gonna happen.

 

[dansdad]

We board at a local kennel right by our home who has been caring for our dogs for several years now. They know our dog and her quirks

Nice to know ours aren't the only dogs with quirks.

 

[Farro]

I'd board them with my vet. That way they will be well taken care of. We always board our pets with our vet.

We always board our boys with our vet. They love them there, the cats get so much attention and the techs never want to give them back!