Going on Vacation: Pet sitter or Boarding?

[Rajah]

Neither. We are lucky enough to have my best friends living just down the street, and they're as fond of kitties as we are and as good with them. I feel completely comfortable leaving my kitties at home and them with a key to come check on the kitties while we're gone.

 

[Duchie]

Depends on the pet....

We had a dog that got WAAAAAY too stressed out if he went to the kennel. So we got one of the neighbor kids to let him out a couple of times a day, and play with him. The added bonus was that they picked up our mail for us, too. Since it was a fairly young kid we didn't have to pay much at all.

We usually do the same thing with the cat, only they need much less care. Plus, the girl who watches them for us LOVES cats so it's fun for her.

Now that we have a puppy we'll probably send him to the kennel. There's a "pet resort" right around the corner from us that I think is $22/day. But our friends rave about it, so maybe we'll give it a try.

 

[PatriciaH]

DH and I own a pet-sitting business (part time) so I would vote to try a pet sitter! If you go to www.petsit.com and enter your zip code you can find and interview some pet sitters in your area. That page is for Pet Sitters International and the members of PSI follow quality standards of excellence and are insured and bonded.

Most pet sitters charge about $12 for a visit so it looks like boarding is more money from these posts! Most of my clients would never board or kennel their animals. It can be fine but they just want their animals in their own safe, familiar environment.


We love our clients and have to watch some dog friends this week. Looking forward to it!

 

[EsmeraldaX]

We always send Monty dog to a kennel. He seems to like it there. When we drop him off, the girls who work there come running up to him and he runs right to them wagging his tail , and excited to go into the "kennel area". He gets several playtimes a day in a large room with a lot of toys. He also seems to enjoy being so close to other dogs.

Its funny, I see a lot of older dogs getting dropped off who look horrified, and then this 12 lb little Jack Russell runs in and charges past them to kiss the caretakers.

At the end of his stay , he gets a report card that tells us how he did and how well he ate, played, went to the bathroom etc.

He's only gotten bad marks in anything twice! One time he nipped the groomer and one time he did not eat his food (nothing odd though, he isn't a big eater).

It is expensive. Costs us about $40 a day for all things included.

But we do not know anyone who could dog sit, and I'm not comfortable inviting a stranger into the house. Also, Monty is still only a little more than a year and he needs constant supervision.

 

[Disney Doll]

I think it's less traumatic for the animal to be in their own home. Plus, that lessens the possibiltiy of them catching something (like kennel cough). Plus, it's the cheaper option for you.

As long as the pet sitter is dependable, I think it's the better choice.

 

[PatriciaH]

Originally posted by EsmeraldaX

Its funny, I see a lot of older dogs getting dropped off who look horrified, and then this 12 lb little Jack Russell runs in and charges past them to kiss the caretakers.

I LOVE Jack Russell's! What a great breed.

 

[airhead]

....this time family will be "vacationing" at my house! I live about 5 miles to the beach and that's what they like so it works out great for them and they can bring their dog!!

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

Wow, $10/day sounds heavenly. Our pet sitter charges $45/day! But..... we have 4 dogs, and she comes 3 times a day to let them out. It is slightly higher than boarding them, but the advantages for us are overwhelming in favor of a sitter. (she doesn't stay, she just visits..) We actually save some money because we don't have to pay for any extra days-the night before leaving, and the night we get home. No bortadella vaccines that are necessary at a kennel. She gives them great attention, and the dogs are at home protecting our house.

Also, it seems like everytime we have boarded the dogs in the past, they either got in a fight with another dog there, or most usually come home with diarrhea. That alone is worth the extra cost.

one note of caution about the pet sitter. Make sure that you contact her at least once while you are gone. We had a mix-up once with ours, and I didn't call her. She didn't come for 4 days! Thank God all the dogs were ok, but no water or food (or going outside) for that long, I'm sure they couldn't have lasted much longer. What a nightmare that was, but I take the blame because even though I know that we had an arrangement, I didn't call to check on things. It was an honest mixup. You'd better believe that I do now.