ChrisAtlanta

I searched the TravelBuzz archives and found some threads about travelling with your pets, but I've got a question about how FT'ers handle leaving their pets behind.

I'm on an international assignment right now, and have had the fortune of a very good house-sitter who takes care of my house and my dog, but after this project is over, I am considering working on a project that would have me travelling to New York or Chicago every week (probably Mon-Thurs away from home).

Some of the options I've thought of are the pet-sitter services that come to your home and let the dog out/play with it (pro: she gets to stay at home in a familiar environment, con: lots of time by herself might not be good) or boarding her at one of the "fancy" kennels (where they are not just stuck in a cage, for example The Inn at Barking Hound Village, pro: lots of attention and play with other dogs, con: would run about $500+/month).

I guess this is one of the downsides of being single and living alone, no one at home to help out with this type of thing. Have any other FT'ers been in similar situations and have any advice to offer?

Thanks,
Chris

mauld

I have four cats + a husband who is retired, so when I travel solo it is not a problem. But we use a 'pet sitter' service when we go on vacations. We've used the same service with the same person coming to our home for several years now and so are comfortable with it. This service charges $16.00 a visit and with cats, thats only 1 visit a day. She also takes in the mail, newspapers etc and always leaves us a daily 'note' about the cats activities.

cawhite

I'm also single & no roomies (aside from doggy) and travel quite a bit --

My dog (who is spoiled rotten but the best dog I could ever want) got used to going to "doggy camp", aka the kennel, at a young age -- he was maybe 6 months -- for a few days/month and an occassional weekend. I was very fortunate and found a fantastic kennel owned by a very nice family and he got very spoiled there very quickly (anyone who lives in/near IND and needs a rec...send me a PM or post). Even now at nearly 12 years, if you ask if he wants to go to "camp" he turns into a lunatic running around the house at full speed (he's a lab) because he's so excited. The place he goes now has several outdoor yards and he gets to play with other dogs while he's there. Mine is a really social dog and wouldn't deal well with being left in the house alone for several days with someone coming in to check on him a few times/day -- I would come home to a house that looked like a tornado struck within. But I've also been very particular with where he gets boarded -- no second rate for him!

My last job had me on a temporary relo for 4 months where I was only home on the weekends and couldn't take my dog with me. He did fantastic at the kennel and they gave him even more attention than usual given the circumstances. It was (I think) harder on me than it was on him and he never once balked at going back when I dropped him off on Sunday evenings (always excited).

Good luck!

boilermaker

Normally, my wife takes care of our dogs, but she is now working in LAF and I'm bach-ing it for the time being. We found a kennel near by (at home, I can hear the dogs barking if the wind is right) with reasonable rates. Although they are homebodies, they like socialization at the dog park.

If I could find a sitting service to come by a couple times a day, I would rather go that option. But, a kennel will do the trick in a snap.

cordelli

Dogs are another issue then cats, we can load up a feeder and the cats are fine for four or five days, after that the Sister In Law stops in, and we take care of hers when she's away.

I would price it all out and see how the home visit versus the kennel (even the fancy ones) works out. If possible I'd probably go with the home visit, at least this way somebody is checking the house every day, etc.

ATLpax

I, too, am single and travel frequently. I take my dog to a kennel here in ATL where he is extremely happy and I feel like he's well taken care of. I've considered switching him to one of the newer, fancier kennels - but I figure he's happy where he is, so I'm just going to keep going there.

I think one of the reasons he likes going there is he gets to play with other dogs, and the employees there love him (they have a chance to get attached since he's there frequently). When we arrive in the parking lot, he gets extremely excited and pulls on the leash to go inside.

I also considered a house/petsitter, but the thought of my dog being alone in the house night and day is very sad to me. I think he's happier in this environment.

The biggest problem I have with the boarding is the inconvenience of having to drop him off/pick him up, and my kennel is not a 24-hour operation. Sometimes I have to wait until the next day to pick him up, and the first day back from a trip is usually very hectic for me.

PM me if you'd like the name of the one I use in ATL...

3ata

I have 2 cats and am lucky enough to have a neighbor that will drop in and take care of my cats. I won't leave mine for more than 2 nights without someone checking on them. Years ago I had another neighbor that helped me for years. After I moved I went for a couple of years of using various friends and petsitters. One friend left my cats with no air in 100 degree heat. She didn't think to turn on the other unit after the one that was running went out. A pet sitter did not follow directions and another lady left my cats without food or water for a couple of days because she thought they would be fine without her stopping by for a couple of days. One of the cats was ill and on medication. I had to rush her to emergency when I returned but unfortunately she did not recover and died about a month later. I guess my suggestion is just to be sure you really know who is taking care of your pets. Dogs may like the camp or daycare idea but it would be too stressful for my cats

SS255

What a timely thread, since my dog just passed away suddenly yesterday.

I used a dog walker for a while, who would come in 2-3X/day to feed/walk my dog. I found that even being in a familiar environment, he would stress out being primarily left home alone. I luckily had two dog-loving friends whom my dog loved, who I would alternately impose upon to dogsit when I was away. They had dogs of their own, so he stayed at their houses, but even with the disruption of his normal routine, at least he got a lot of attention, and after a day or two he was used to the new environment enough to de-stress. I would bring back gifts for my friends, or get them giftcards to Petco for their trouble. It was cheaper than kenneling him, and I knew I could trust his temporary caregivers. And I had the piece of mind of knowing that his hosts had alot of experience with dogs.

The problem with kenneling a dog is that the best kennels with the most individualized attention usually cost the most money. My employer does not pay for petcare for employees on business travel, but they do get discounts at several good kennels, so if you do decide to go the kennel route, you may want to inquire as to what discounts they give.

boilermaker

My condolences, SS255

cawhite

My condolences as well.

ALadyNCal

This has been a BIG problem for us. When we got married, my husband had two small dogs, but he hadn't been traveling a lot -- like we do now. They are very spoiled and used to being with people 24/7.

We tried taking them to a pet sitter -- which was fine, but too expensive and she spoiled them so much it was hard for them to come home!

I don't like the kennels around here -- tho we've used them a few times. It is very expensive ($38/day) and they are in cages in a noisy environment and let out very little. Even more $ now that one is diabetic and requires shots.

We had a friend's niece who came a few times to stay and house/pet sit. That was perfect. She moved away

We left them a few times with a friend who has a big yard. Worked OK, but they were alone a lot and one of the dogs doesn't like his big dog.

NOW, we have a perfect situation -- finally! I got a kitten a year ago, so there are 3 animals now. My Aunt decided it would be something she'd like to do and likes the animals, she's retired, and doesn't mind giving the shots. She is the perfect house/pet sitter -- we can never even tell she's been here! So, we are helping add to her income and she is the perfect sitter. It was a long time to get to this point tho.

WashingtonIBMer

My thoughts are with you as well SS255.

This is getting to be a big issue with me. If I am gone for work, my husband takes care of our three bassets, one who requires twice daily medication. We have tried several different things when we want to travel together. One solution was for only one of us to attend out of town events. We have tried various kennels, friends, family members and even our vet. The cost of three days in the kennel, complete with "play time" and medication administration was higher than our two night hotel bill! In our case, having someone "stop by" doesn't work very well, partly because of health issues, but also due to that lovely basset bay. In July, we took them to a friend's home; while there, our almost blind boy jumped off a deck that is probably 4 ft off the ground. He didn't hurt himself, thankfully. Our most recent solution was to have a breeder friend move into our house while we were gone. This appeared to work well, but I don't want to impose on her too often. I have often wondered just how single folks do it....

SS255

Thanks, everyone.

I was actually thinking alot about this thread, because my dog happened to have a stroke in the middle of the night. Thank goodness I was there when it happened, and was able to rush him to the animal hospital. Even though he didn't make it, I am comforted by the fact that I did everything that I could for him. Since I travel frequently, I wondered what would have happened had I been away at the time, with just a dog-walker coming in 2-3 times/day to take care of him? If I ever get another pet, I will never again leave it home alone while I'm away. I would only leave it with a professional kennel with 24-hour supervision, or someone with pets of their own whom I trust, and who will know what to do in an emergency situation. I'd rather have the pet be a bit stressed out in an unfamiliar environment than to have it suffer because nobody was around when it got sick.

Daydream

I only have a cat at home, which is easy to take care off (some neighbor stops by once day and gives him food, he goes outside for the potty).
My fish I left here over summer and they all died. Now, I had three roomies living here, plus one person coming in on occasion to clean the tank, but they are just not made to keep thigns alive (all are farm kids, LOL)

I love dogs but travelled too much to have one. but I loved to dogsit friends dogs. They dropped the dog off at my place (or I picked him up, we had our horses at the same barn) with some food and I had my own dog for a day or two or three.
I do know of quite a few people who have deals like that going on, I would check Craigslist and your local newspapers, put an add in. You can pay the person, dog stays at their place and gets lots of attention.
Alternativly, the most expensive kennels are not neccesarly the best. It all depends on the personality of your pet, do a few trial runs in each place!

Stagedoor Suzie

There's no easy solution when you have to be separated from your pet. Here's a story to illustrate that.

My friend "J" used to live near me in South Florida. When she travelled, I'd often watch her dog, a long-haired chihuahua named Gizmo, and she'd watch my papillon, Honey, when I was away.

J got relocated, so she and Gizmo moved to LAS. Shortly after, her BF moved in with her, which solved the problem of what to do with Gizmo while she was away on business.

During one of her trips, she got a call from her BF saying Gizmo ran out in front of a car, and he had rushed the animal to the vet for treatment of her eye. When J returned, she took Gizmo to the vet for a follow-up.

The vet said that he didn't understand how such a small dog could be hit by a moving vehicle and the only damage was to one eye. The vet then suggested Gizmo's injury may have been caused by the toe of her BF's boot that he was wearing when he brought the dog in after the "accident". Gizmo was now blind in one eye, which was stitched closed permanently.

J kicked the BF out, and chose to leave Gizmo alone when she travelled. She installed a pet door so the dog could get into the enclosed yard. A neighbor would come by and check on the dog and refill food & water.

I'd also go by to see Gizmo when in LAS, even if J was out of town. I'd enter the yard, call for her, and she'd come out, often dragging a stuffed toy with her.

On one of these trips, I noticed that all of the toys she dragged out had one thing in common. Gizmo was never destructive before, yet all of these toys had the left eye missing. I was stunned! Just like young children use dolls in therapy to demonstrate awful experiences which they can't verbalize, Gizmo was telling me what happened, as it was her left eye that was taken from her.

There really is no perfect solution for those of us that must leave our pets behind. The only advice I have is to pay close attention to how your pet reacts to the situation.