More pet advice needed....

[Dax]

As most of you know I have 4 puggles and I also have 3 cats. A co-worker here also has 3 cats and 2 dogs. There is a possibility that she will be moving to Barbados in the near future, and she has to quarentine her animals for 6mo. She is willing to pay about $1200 for the 2 dogs alone to be fostered for the 6mo, and also for the cats an amount of money too. She wants to keep the cats together and the dogs together, but is ok with cats going one way, and dogs another. I have yet to bring this up with my DH yet, but it is a quick way for us to make some extra money. Any ideas?

 

[Dax]

come on anyone?.....

 

[nancy679]

What kind are her dogs? How would your dogs get along with hers?

Sounds like a good way to make some extra money, but you should also find out who would be responsible if those dogs incurred any vet bills.

 

[mep319]

That would be six dogs...are you up to that!?! I don't know. $1200.00 is good for 2 mos but you have to think about your peace of mind...are they big dogs? Would they get along with your pets? If so and you have the room I say go for it;

 

[TigerBear]

My main concern would be whether your dogs would get a long with her dogs.

 

[Pugdog007]

I tried to foster 2 for a short period about 2 weeks ago and well... 6 is a lot more difficult than 4. Maybe if I'd given it longer it would have worked out but there was growling and hysteria.

I would let them visit together in your home for a day or so before making a committment.

 

[Shugardrawers]

take your dogs on play dates with hers to determine if they will get along. They might not hit it off right at first so try it a couple times to see what happens. have them come to your house since that's your dogs territory. Maybe have them stay a weekend and see how it works with your schedule too. 6 months is a long time and 6 dogs is a LOT of work. If you are happy with $1200 then take it. It's pretty cheap for boarding though. You are basically getting $25 a week when the average boarding cost is $100+ per week. If you are only concerned about the cost of food then that should cover it.

Also, you'll need a limited power of attorney from her concerning the dogs. This will enable you to seek veterinary care for them and CYA in most situations. You can print one free off the web. Just run a google search on "limited power of attorney forms" you can also get one at Office Depot for less than $5. Are these dogs pedigreed? If so you may want to reconsider. If anything happened to them even accidentally she could sue for a TON of money from you. These are things you need to discuss with the owner first. Get EVERYTHING in writing.

 

[phillybeth]

Don't the dogs need to be quarentined at a vet at their destination? I didn't know a lay person in the country of origin could quarentine.
Look into the requirements for quarentine, you might have to keep her pets TOTALLY separate from yours to prevent the spread of diseases- no playing together, her dogs crated almost all the time, separate walks, maybe even a full change of clothes! Private homes are not really set up for that sort of arrangement if it is even possible.

 

[phillybeth]

I checked online, these are the requirements:

Barbados
(Located in the Carribean)

An import permit (and 6 month quarantine) must be obtained before the entry into Barbados of all pets. Dogs and cats can be imported by permit (without quarantine) directly from the following countries: the UK, The Republic of Ireland, Jamaica, St. Kitts/Nevis, Antigua, St.Lucia and St. Vincent. Cats and Dogs originating from any other countries must undergo six month quarantine in Great Britain after which time an import permit can be secured.

I don't think you can do this unless you live in Great Britain.

 

[Shugardrawers]

Oh, I guess I misunderstood. They have to be quarentined? That's another thing altogether. She needs to find out exactly what they mean by quarentine. When my DSis moved to Germany with the military I kept her dog for the 3 mo quarentine time and that was ok with for them. Quarentine basically meant that they had to be certified by a vet as up to date on their shots and couldn't be brought to the country until they had military housing. If they mean no contact with any other animals for 6 mo she'll have to board them at the vets and that will cost her an arm and a leg. She's GOT to find out exactly what they want from this quarentine.

 

[hoosll]

Try to introduce the dogs at a neutral site. Since dogs are very terrirtorial they will be upset if starngers come into their home - so have them meet and play at a park until they get to know each other, then they could be introduced at home.

ALWAYS remember to keep to the pecking order no matter how much you want to be "fair" or play with the new dogs - human behavior is not hierarchical pack behavior and you can cause jealousies.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I'm confused. How long is she going to be gone, and how long does she want you to keep the dogs? I thought at first you said she was moving there. Since Barbados is an island, the animals would need to be housed in a quarantine center ON THAT ISLAND, if she wants them to live there with her. If she is only going to be gone for a short time, and wishes someone to care for her animals in here abscence, I think $1200 would barely cover feeding costs for a very short time, much less vet bills etc.

 

[Dax]

Well according to her all that needs to be done to get them into Barbados is they have to be microchipped, then get all there shots, including rabies. Then 6mo after they receive the rabies shot, they will then have to have there blood tested to verify that the rabies shot has gone through. The they are free to go.

To answer some other questions, No they are not purebred, yes they are bigger than my dogs, but not much. They are about 20lbs or so.

Any extra vet costs would be paid by them. They already have a plan for that.

This is still all in the planning version currently and we are still gathering as much info as needed to do this. I appreciate all the input. Please give me as much as you can.

 

[mep319]

I tought it is $1200.00 for 2 mos...not way for 6! that is way too much work...unless of course you are home all day anyway...even then I don't think I'd be up for that...it is just A LOT of work!

 

[phillybeth]

I think your friend has her facts wrong, please ask her to double check. This is from a second up-to-date online source.

Barbados:

Embassy of Barbados
(202) 939-9200
2144 Wyoming Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20008

The following guidelines must be followed when importing any animal into Barbados:

An import permit must be obtained from the Chief Veterinary Officer before the importation of all animals, reptiles and birds.

A Veterinary Officer must examine the animal before it is allowed to leave the customs area.

Dogs and cats must be free of any communicable disease. These animals may be imported by permit directly from the UK, Ireland, Jamaica, St.Kitts - Nevis, Antigua, St.Lucia and St.Vincent.

Cats and dogs originating from all other countries must undergo 6 months quarantine in Britain after which time an import permit can be secured.

For further inquiries, contact Veterinary Services at Tel: (246) 427-5073 or Fax: (246) 420-8444 .