Day Care, Boarding, or In-Home Care?

It's hard enough to leave your dog behind when you go on vacation. Knowing that he or she will be well taken care of helps a lot to ease the guilt and worry you might be feeling.

Anytime you need to go away on vacation, stay long hours at work or have regular scheduled activities that take you away from home you must consider how your dog will be cared for. Dogs provide entertainment and companionship but are also a huge responsibility. You show respect for your pet by taking its needs into consideration and planning accordingly.

Fortunately there are many services available to assist you in caring for your dog during times when you can't personally give them the attention and care they need. What are they? Which is best for your pet?

DAY CARE

Social animals like dogs can suffer emotionally from a lack of attention. If your dog has access to the outdoors they will be able to relieve themselves when necessary but a house-bound dog will physically require a walk or you will come home to an accident on your rug and a frustrated animal.

Day care centers provide the needed social stimulation most dogs crave. At the day care your dog will spend time with other dogs and have people looking after its physical needs. If you have a young dog this can be especially important as your dog may become destructive with a lack of supervision and an abundance of unused energy.

BOARDING KENNELS

If you plan to be away overnight or for longer your dog may be placed in a boarding kennel. This can be expensive but will ensure your pet is cared for daily and overnight.

IN-HOME CARE

If you are comfortable leaving your dog at home all day you may find the in-home services of a visitor or dog walker to be sufficient and less costly while still providing personal attention. This has been our choice in the past. We hired a professional care-giver to come over twice a day to feed and play with our three dogs.

Now when we go away a family member, my mom, stays at our home. My niece and nephew have stayed with her. We were only gone for 2 nights.

When I was young we always took our dogs with us on trips or had a trusted neighbor come over twice a day to feed them. That worked well for us.
In-home care can be as basic as someone taking your dog for a walk in the middle of the day or as inclusive as having a sitter stay in your home with your pet.

Examine your situation and budget when choosing a method of care. Take your pet's best interests in mind. If you are having someone come to your home be sure they are reputable. Licensed businesses should be insured and bonded when employees are trusted with entering and locking up your home.