What do you suggest for your pet while gone

[mom4scrapbooking]

We are hoping to do a family trip in March to Disneyland and possibly legoland. We are not sure to do with our dogs though! We wanted them to be home. All of our friends have spring break free so noone will be home so now what? I have a 3 year old chihuahua and a 8 month old lab/ weimaraner mix. What would you guys suggest? I love these little creatures and I want to know they are having fun too while we are gone! Any suggestions!

 

[21yankees]

If you don't have someone that can take them into their home you have a couple options. First find a reputable kennel. Or do you know a teenager/college student that could use some extra money that you trust. If so, have them check on your pets a couple times a day in your house.

There is a kennel at Disney, you have to go to them throughout the day to feed them, walk them, etc. The kennel is just a place for them to stay. With that though you need to have a pet friendly hotel for them when you're not in the parks.

steph

 

[Disney Dreams]

I completely understand where you are coming from. My pup is my kid. He's my buddy. He's part of the family. He's on my lap as I type.

When we go anywhere, he is of utmost concern. We can't go anywhere and enjoy ourselves if we are not comfortable with where he is while we are gone.

We have been VERY lucky in that we have friends with dogs who have taken him in to their family when we have gone away.

However, when this was not an option, we have had to explore other venues.

Some people rave over various dog care places. I encourage you to research and visit any recommendations you receive. We did. We decided we were not comfortable leaving our little one at any of the places we visited. If you find one you llike - knowing your dogs needs - there's your solution!

There are also people that will come to your house daily to look after your pets. Again, ask around, research, and decide what you like. Again, we were not comfortable with this option for many reasons.

Our best "last choice" option is our vet. We found out they offer boarding for their client's pets. Our pup would be in whatever size kennel we selected most of the day. Our vet offers walks 3x a day and feeds per our instructions for a set rate. The thought of our pup sitting in a kennel all day alone killed me. He's a people-pup. We shared this concern. They told us we could give him extra play time for (something like) $5/15 minutes (can't remember exactly). We paid for 3 extra play times a day and gave instruction for them to just hold him and pet him during that time..

Did it happen? We have no idea. But - he was happy, healthy, and safe when we came back, which of course is what matters. Maybe your vet offers this? We calculate the cost right into our vacation budget, as it's a requirement for us to be able to go.

You can also research taking them with you. DLR has kennel services during the day and there are pet-friendly hotels.

Hope these ideas help get your mind thinking of options,
Dreams

 

[FlameGirl]

Our next trip to DLR we are bringing our Great Dane with us...we will stay at the Residence Inn Anaheim Maingate, and either board her at the kennel at Disneyland, or find a doggie daycare in the area.

 

[disney4metoo]

We found a reputable dog kennel in our area. They offer suites, air-conditioning, one on one play, treats, etc. This year it will be hard because we will be gone for 11 days in WDW. We never leave our dog longer than 7 days. he is so attached to us and is definitely a lap dog. It will not be easy, so I understand your concerns completely.

 

[Peri]

I would second contacting your vet - our vet has one assistant who does pet sitting at your house. Your vet might know of someone to recommend, if you don't want to leave them in a kennel.

 

[blackjackdelta]

We have a pet sitter come in for the time we are gone.

Jack

 

[FallDisney]

We usually have a family member stay at the house to watch the dogs and the cat but we have boarded the dogs before at the vet. It worked very well! If you live in or near a larger city you might try your local Petco or Petsmart. The ones near us offers lodging for pets. Good luck!

 

[Queen Elisabeth]

Where do you live, OP? We have a great doggie daycare in my area (East Bay, CA) That we're really happy with. We came back to find our dog happy, healthy, and worn out from running around (supervised) with the other dogs. Maybe there's something like that in your area?

 

[tommya60]

We have a College student who graduated from DD's Senior Girl Scout troop stay at the house. The Standard Poodle is fed, played with, gets her meds, etc. The plants get watered. I stock the pantry with her favorite snack foods (getting that list took some doing, she didn't want me to bother, I wanted her to have the snacks she likes). I know the house, poodle, and yard are taken care of, and she gets some spending money.

 

[deedeetoo]

We send our dog (a big yellow lab) to doggie day care while we are gone. We joke that he gets to go to camp while we are on vacation. He loves it there. The staff are outside with the dogs most of the day in a supervised play environment. The dogs have to pass an "interview" to show they can place nicely with other dogs before they take them for boarding. Aggressive dogs aren't allowed. Our dog loves it. He goes there about three times a year and as soon as we turn in the parking lot he starts getting so excited, he can't wait to get in. When we get him at the end of a vacation he is so tired and happy.

 

[Queen Elisabeth]

That sounds a lot like the place we go to. As soon as we start down the windy road to get there, our dog starts wagging his whole bottom and going crazy, lol.

 

[50sjayne]

Think you all have issues--I have 15 cats. My daughter did the litterboxes last trip, she moved to a different state though so this time is an issue. My Mom will come scoop the boxes but I hate, hate hate to ask her. I'm working on attaining some good automatic litterboxes that we could put into use while were gone, that'll help with maybe the 2 cats that will be in the garage and for the one that will be relegated to a bedroom. I'm just going to have to ask Mom and put litterboxes everywhere strategically.
We're also going to leave the cat door open this time, something I hate to do but I think it's best. They have a big feeder and multiple water stations so they'll be ok as far as that goes. I hate worrying about them though.

 

[goofycathy]

Call your veterinarian and ask if any of the techs there do pet sitting. When I lived in California and worked for a vet the person answering phones knew which ones did petsitting (in and out of your home) and would give the called her recomendations, was really convenient and you have the comfort of having someone who is TRAINED to take care of your animal and (more than likely) wont charge extra for things like medicating your animals....just a thought but everyone I ever pet-sat for was very pleased with what I offered!