Last year, Fred hopped in his owners car and enjoyed the ride until the car parked in front of an unfamiliar dog boarding facility and then his owner walked him through the front door, said goodbye, and promised to return soon.
Since Fred is a social, lovable dog his owners thought their pooch would have make plenty of doggy and human friends during his weekend stay but that was not the case. Instead, Fred secluded himself from the other dogs, barely ate or drank, and came down with a case of diarrhea. Fred's personality changed from happy-go-lucky to depressed and by the time his owners picked him up on Sunday night they barely recognized him. They were sure Fred would perk up by the time they arrived at home but that was not the case. Instead, Fred hung his head down low, barely touched his food, and was not interested in going for walks.
After two days of this strange behavior, Fred was examined at the vet's office where he received medication for his stomach virus and a recommended diet of chicken and rice until his stomach settled. Needless to say, Fred taught his owners a valuable lesson: some dogs do not thrive in kennels and prefer in-home boarding instead.
And that is how Fred ended up in our kitchen last weekend! We weren't sure how he would adjust to in-home boarding but he soon settled ....
on his pet sitter's bed
and in his other pet sitter's lap
and in his pet sitter's car
and on his three-time-a-day walks in the neighborhood!
I am happy to say that by the time his owners arrived for pick-up Fred hopped in the car and thanked them for his stress-free in-home boarding experience and he can't wait to visit us again!
Where do your pets go when you vacation? Are they boarded at a daycare? Does a pet sitter visit them in their own home? Do they stay at a friend or relative's home? What type of personality does your pet display when you return?
Our dogs always stay at home when we go away, and several of our friends do the same thing or leave them with someone they know. The only time the dogs were boarded was at a very small kennel with only 12 runs and they were "interviewed" prior to their being allowed to stay there--They received fresh scrambled eggs every day and had piped in music and swim time and nature walks! One of our dogs is a bit like Fred, very sensitive to a lot of noise and choaos so this was perfect!! When I picked them up 4 days later, it was like they'd been on an adventure--They were so happy and I was so releived!!! :-)))
ReplyDeleteOh adorable and lovely Fred!!!! I'm so glad his owners left him with you this time round and doesn't he just look so happy and settled! What a sweetie!
ReplyDeleteOh gosh I've not been on a proper holiday for nearly 4 years now. I nursed my older kitties until they went over the bridge and now I have Charlie and I cannot cannot cannot leave him full stop! LOL!!!
Take care
x
My Bella is like Fred. She either stays at someone's house (preferably the in-laws) or we have someone come live at our house with her while we're gone. I prefer the latter - she thrives in her own home and then I don't have to worry about whether she will get along with the dogs she's staying with or not. I've watched other people's dogs who haven't been that friendly to Bella, and it was stressful!
ReplyDeleteThat's why our house is always full of pups because our families can't stand the thought of sending them to jail!
ReplyDeleteawww, fred, you are too cute! we try to take all the pups with us when we travel. when that is not possible we have used boarding facilities. the best results were from a combonation we tried on one family trip. we were sharing a beach house with the extended family and pets were not allowed. we knew our dogs would enjoy the beach so we found a kennel close to where we were staying. we picked the dogs up in the morning, played and had fun with them and then brought them backc in the evening. as this was fourth of july weekend, they could not come out on theactual holiday, that was fine as they were safe and sound in a nice kennel. i do agree that research is the best way to find the right spot for your sweet pet.
ReplyDeletehugs,
puglette
:o)
We're lucky in that there's almost always someone home. Blog Mom and Daddy haven't been able to go away since I've been with them, but if they did, Alpha Mom would just take over. Alpha Mom has gone away and Blog Mom and Daddy are still there, so it hasn't been a problem. I don't think they can ever all go anywhere at once, though.
ReplyDeletelotsa licks, Lola
We always go to camp, but we really like it there. It is the same place where we go for grooming and daycare so we know all the people. We are usually very tired when we come home because it can be kind of noisy, but no worries on that account.
ReplyDeleteSlobbers,
Mango
we like in home boarding too...
ReplyDeleteBenny & Lily
Mom would love to have us stay at home with a sitter when they go away. But she is paranoid that someone will let us get out and we would just run and run. We always stay at the boarding kennel of our vets. It isn't high luxury but all the workers there love us and we get lots of playtime outside too. Mom packs our own food and toys and blankies so it is as close to home as we can get. She feels good knowing that our vets are only a room away if there is a problem.
ReplyDeleteNow if we had a sitter like you around, it might be a different story:)
Woos ~ Phantom, Thunder, and Ciara
On the rare occasion that we have to stay home alone, we have someone who lives next door come over and take care of us several times a day. Usually we go along with Mom and Dad on our trips, though, since they look for places where we can all go together.
ReplyDeleteBunny
We always have a sitter come and visit our kitties in our home when we go away. Our one cat, Moosey, is more sensitive than the Sammy and Maggie, so he always gets a little worried when we bring out the suitcase. He's SO happy when we come home (and follows me around even more than usual). :)
ReplyDeleteSure Fred loved being there with you!
ReplyDeleteMy family has not taken any vacations since I came to live with them because they don't want to leave me at the Vet while they are away!
Kisses and hugs
Lorenza
We LOVE the kennel. We can run around and bark, and well, act like dogs. There are games and treats and pats. We never turn down food. We always come home in great condition. First thing we do, is check out the house and then settle into our routine. We never forget the routine.
ReplyDeleteSHE is confident that we're taken care of, and no one is inconvenienced with a dog who may run off, or get sick, have an accident, etc. So we all enjoy the time apart.
And we come home bathed, groomed and looking like scotties.
XXXOOO Daisy, Kendra & Bella
THats a great story and I am sorry it has taken me so long to come back and view the wonderful things you are doing. Thanks for your wonderful commnets on my blog, much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteWe don't usually travel to places where we can't take the dogs. The last time we travelled, Sam (this is in the pre-Monty days) stayed with my Mom. If we vacation, the boys are coming with us!
ReplyDeleteSam
Very good post! Haven't been left yet, but will let you know :-)
ReplyDeleteYour buddy,
Bocci
Our humans are always home it seems. Having farm animals and goats to milk they can only take short day trips. So we cats and the dogs stay home.
ReplyDeleteLu-Lu & Lucius
What a happy ending for Fred! I can't imagine boarding my dogs up. I don't think they would do well in a cage most of the day.
ReplyDeleteFred was lucky to have someone who does in-home boarding; poor buddy!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up. I used to go to a daycare farm and still will, but I find it brings out the bully in as they say. No need of that so I'm fingers crossed and hope the guys don't go away.
ReplyDelete1st choice- dogs go on vacation!
ReplyDelete2nd choice- We have our pet sitter in our home.
Not had much luck with 3rd choices!
Keep up the good work!!
Stanzie and Wyatt too
What a wonderful way to go on a trip and not worry! We have a retired lady come live at the house when we travel. It's the only way to go when you are owned by 12 cats!
ReplyDeleteHi, hi! I know I'm real late on this but I just wanted to tell you that me and Brudder Ranger go to in-home boarding, too! It's SOOOO much better for us than a kennel or even a regular doggie daycare. We're just way more comfy that way and we luvs the peoples we stay with. AND mom and dad don't worry about us so much. It's a double win for everybuddy!
ReplyDeleteWiggles & Wags,
mayzie