What do you do with your dog?

[mshanson3121]

I wasn't sure where to put this, so feel free to move it to it's proper place admins.

But, for those of you who have a dog, what do you do with them while you're gone?

We are toying with the idea of getting a family dog (large breed), but the one thing that has held us back is knowing that in another 18 months we plan on going back to Disney, and well be gone 2-3 weeks.

What do you do with a dog for that long? I really don't know if we have any family/friends that would be willing/able to care for a dog for that long.

 

[mom2rtk]

I wasn't sure where to put this, so feel free to move it to it's proper place admins.

But, for those of you who have a dog, what do you do with them while you're gone?

We are toying with the idea of getting a family dog (large breed), but the one thing that has held us back is knowing that in another 18 months we plan on going back to Disney, and well be gone 2-3 weeks.

What do you do with a dog for that long? I really don't know if we have any family/friends that would be willing/able to care for a dog for that long.

The Community Board probably would have been a better fit than Theme Park Attractions and Strategies.

 

[amylevan]

Our neighbor has a teenage boy who loves dogs and is very responsible. He "dog sits" by coming over several times a day to feed/let out/play with our dogs. It's a win-win for us because the dogs get to stay home in their own house/environment and the boy gets to earn some cash.

 

[Klinger13]

We don't have family or friends nearby so we have to board our two dogs when we go away. Probably a big reason why we don't go away very often, since their boarding will actually cost more than our stay at POP.

 

[ArwenMarie]

We kennel but we only go for a week. Not sure if I would kennel for that long, I would try to get a family member to mind him.

I love dogs, but they do tie you down and make it hard to travel. Even when we go somewhere for the day, if it's a long day, I have to get someone to come in and let him out.

 

[lovndisney12]

For years we had family that would watch our dog when we traveled (and we watched theirs). Unfortunately, they now are snowbirds and our current dog can leap their fence. So, we have found a wonderful kennel. I was so nervous the first time we left her there but they came very highly recommended. Before picking the kennel, we also visited several in our area and this one certainly had a very personal feel - felt like leaving her with family. You could tell that both the husband and wife love dogs very deeply.

I have to be honest - when we left her with family I was always nervous that she might get out and hit by a car. We live in the country and they live in town and when she was a pup she jumped their fences and had a nice jaunt across many streets before finally being caught. When I leave her at the kennel I know she is safe.

Here are things I would look for when selecting a kennel and other tips:
1) Do the dogs get any personal time with the staff - at the kennel we use they walk the dogs, have a large room where they play with them, and also let a different dog out with them while they do office work (there is even an old couch they let the dogs lay on - if you are ok with them being on furniture)
2) Ask around and get feedback from other people. Do their dogs seem happy when you drop them off (tail wagging etc.) or timid (tail between their legs).
3) What are the facilities like? You probably won't be able to actually see the area where the dogs are if there are other dogs back there - at least that was the case for us at every kennel we visited due to safety reasons. But you can still tell a lot about the grounds, building, etc. - and most importantly the people who will be caring for your dog.
4) Use your own dog food and bring your dog's bed/pillow from home. We buy a cheap one a couple weeks prior and leave her really nice one at home. The kennel provides food but keeping her on her regular food makes the most sense to me as I know how I feel if my diet is changed.

As far as cost - I believe we pay around $22 a day. It is just something we build into the cost of our vacation.


Hope that helps!

 

[patty57]

We have a dog sitter/house sitter stay at our house, although we've never gone away for three weeks. The longest we've been away from home is two weeks for bigger trips such as Europe or Alaska.

 

[lovin'fl]

My mom dog sits for us, at her house. We just have one 20 pound dog.

 

[Klinger13]

As far as cost - I believe we pay around $22 a day. It is just something we build into the cost of our vacation.

Wow, I am so jealous of that rate! Ours is $75/day for 2 dogs (and that includes a discount for 2nd dog and for sharing a kennel). Ouch! But you're right on in your advice to look around. We felt good about this one since they'll get some play time, walking, cuddle time, and have indoor & outdoor space. Others looked like they'd be quite dismal for the pups.

 

[wilkeliza]

We board at our groomer who has a puppy day care as well. Only the younger dog goes. Oswald plays with the little pups during normal hours and then all nice boarding dogs play together after regular day camp pups leave. Then they each get some time with the handlers. The place we go also emails videos which I much appreciate. Since the cost is so high (80 a night standard 100 during holidays) we work it into the budget and only send him if it is 5 or less days. Over 5 days and we find a trusted friend. The older dog always stays with a trusted friend. She is from a shelter so if she gets anywhere near a kennel she has an anxiety attack and is just a nervous wreck. She is small and easy to care for so most friends enjoy getting to spend some time having a dog with out all the financial responsibilities.

 

[NH-to-FL]

We had great danes for over 30 years. For a while we had two. For many years we didn't travel very much. When we started our trips to Disney they were usually for 1 week at a time. Once for 10 days. We would board at a kennel. We did have difficulty finding a kennel who could properly handle a great dane. They are surprisingly sensitive and typically do not handle change or being away from their owners very well. One kennel that came highly recommended and passed our inspection visit did a very poor job. I say this to reinforce an earlier comment that it is important to be diligent when selecting a kennel. Breed experience is very helpful. We were so happy when we finally found a place that our last dog did well in.

We were always anxious when we left our dogs. We provided our own food, a few toys, and soft bed to make them as comfortable as possible. And we would call the kennel at least every other day to check in.

A new internet based service that might help in your situation is home pet sitters. A friend of mine signed on to be a home pet sitter after their dog passed. They take in one or two dogs at a time into their home. The dog gets a very "home" experience. You might even find someone who specializes in your dog's breed. I think this would be very helpful especially as you are planning longer trips.

 

[loves to dive]

Disney has a kennel, there are not many pictures available since it's considered behind the scenes but you can visit your dog while on vacation. We have a little 7 lb yorkie and none of the boarding facilities in our area have small animal areas so our only option is to board her in a separate room where she only gets interaction once or twice a day, which is unacceptable for us. There is a doggy day care facility where my son boards his two dogs but the small dog area doesn't have any dogs smaller than a mini poodle, which is twice the size of ours. They have cameras and you can watch your dog all day if you want. They let the dogs all into the big area during the day, taking them to their individual kennels during feeding and rest times and you can pay extra to get a bigger room but again, since our dog is so small and very submissive it doesn't work for us. We take her with us just about everywhere we go, since DH doesn't "do" Disney, he keeps her and my son's dogs when we go together. Thankfully, now days there are more and more pet friendly hotels, but Disney has not jumped on the wagon yet.

 

[wilkeliza]

Disney has a kennel, there are not many pictures available since it's considered behind the scenes but you can visit your dog while on vacation. We have a little 7 lb yorkie and none of the boarding facilities in our area have small animal areas so our only option is to board her in a separate room where she only gets interaction once or twice a day, which is unacceptable for us. There is a doggy day care facility where my son boards his two dogs but the small dog area doesn't have any dogs smaller than a mini poodle, which is twice the size of ours. They have cameras and you can watch your dog all day if you want. They let the dogs all into the big area during the day, taking them to their individual kennels during feeding and rest times and you can pay extra to get a bigger room but again, since our dog is so small and very submissive it doesn't work for us. We take her with us just about everywhere we go, since DH doesn't "do" Disney, he keeps her and my son's dogs when we go together. Thankfully, now days there are more and more pet friendly hotels, but Disney has not jumped on the wagon yet.

There are a ton of photos of the kennel at Disney World. It is a 3rd party company so no behind the scenes stuff to hide.

The place on property is a Best Friends boarding and grooming. I have a friend who is a CM who uses them for puppy day care when she has long shifts and knows keaving them at home would be unfair to them (and her sanity later). After yesterdays long day I told my fiance we should have sent the pup to daycamp. We both had work then went straight to the theater. Little guy did great holding his potty that long but not so great when we only had an hour to calm down before bed time. He was cranky in his den all night.

 

[jrmasm]

College student that stays in my home.

 

[tzolkin]

I would just have the dog boarded (although 3 weeks seems like a long time).

Personally, I think it's too much to ask someone take your dog for any length vacation. In the past we watched my parents dogs (in our home) a few times, but it did annoy me a bit that they were too cheap to have them boarded.

We took care of our neighbor's dog for a week over Thanksgiving. We didn't mind taking him for walks/feeding/etc, but my kids were pretty upset about how depressed the dog seemed in their house alone. (We would have brought him to our home for a few visits, but we adopted a dog aggressive dog a few months ago.) I think he would have been happier at a kennel than wandering around the house wondering where everyone was for a week.

 

[wilkeliza]

I would just have the dog boarded (although 3 weeks seems like a long time).

Personally, I think it's too much to ask someone take your dog for any length vacation. In the past we watched my parents dogs (in our home) a few times, but it did annoy me a bit that they were too cheap to have them boarded.

We took care of our neighbor's dog for a week over Thanksgiving. We didn't mind taking him for walks/feeding/etc, but my kids were pretty upset about how depressed the dog seemed in their house alone. (We would have brought him to our home for a few visits, but we adopted a dog aggressive dog a few months ago.) I think he would have been happier at a kennel than wandering around the house wondering where everyone was for a week.

If you are so against taking care of dogs then just stop doing it. We only ask people who are more than happy to have the dog and most of them stay at our place during that time as we are more centrally located in NYC than their apartments.

 

[whitney250]

Since I don't have any family or friends that are able to take care of my babies, I board them at a pet resort They have their own rooms with TV's to drown out the others barking, and get play time with the other dogs for 30 minutes and then get individual play time for 40 more minutes. They seem to love the place, and it's the only place I trust with my dogs. Once I own my own home, I would feel more comfortable hiring a friend or someone to come over to feed them, etc, but I don't feel safe leaving them in an apartment like that. If you are leaving for that long I would look into having your vet board them, that way if something were to happen they are already at the vet, and since they may be a puppy still they may not have all of the required vaccinations for a resort. Vet boarding is a little cheaper most of the time as well.

 

[EarsAndTiaras]

Many people I know use & love Camp Canine for vacations. One of my friends actually sends her dog there a few days a week, like a human child going to daycare, because he enjoys it so much.

 

[hsmamato2]

I wasn't sure where to put this, so feel free to move it to it's proper place admins.

But, for those of you who have a dog, what do you do with them while you're gone?

We are toying with the idea of getting a family dog (large breed), but the one thing that has held us back is knowing that in another 18 months we plan on going back to Disney, and well be gone 2-3 weeks.

What do you do with a dog for that long? I really don't know if we have any family/friends that would be willing/able to care for a dog for that long.

well, 18 months is a long way away, so you have plenty of time to research and hire a good dog sitter...or find a good kennel you like. I hire a sitter since I own the chihuahua from h*** that pretty much hates everyone and everything (excepting her carefully chosen sitters) Our dogs miss us,yes, but they are also quite happy with whomever we choose to leave them with....

 

[ars0525]

I house/pet sat lots in college. Especially at the holidays.

I had cats which aren't as hard to care for, but I still wanted them checked daily so I hired a friend to stop by. Did that many times over the years. Pets are a long term responsibility & I commend you for thinking ahead about things (I am sure your Disney trip wouldn't be the only time you leave town).