Dog Boarding Tips
Where does your dog stay when you leave? When you go away, say for Christmas, do you kennel your dog? If you do, now is the time to call the kennel, if it’s not already too late. Kennels with good reputations fill up quickly and early at Thanksgiving and Christmas. But we’ll walk through dog boarding tips today.
And don’t forget the kennel cough vaccine. Though word on the street says it may not be effective. I’ve heard stories. Quite a few. People whose dogs have been vaccinated, yet come home from the kennel with bordetella, or a bad cough. Use your best judgment there.
Does My Dog Stay or Come With Me?
Does your dog always travel with you? Is your dog, or are multiple dogs, welcome at family gatherings, or in a hotel? A couple of Christmases ago we took the dogs with us, but kenneled them near where we were staying, which worked out nicely. I recommend it if your relatives can vouch for the vet or groomer where the dog will stay. We called ahead and spoke with the kennel owner.
If you’re putting your dog up in a kennel, make sure to bring a handful of their favorite Jones Natural Chews. 😉 Y’know, so they’ll be happy without you.
Dog Sitters
Do you find sitters for your dogs? You know, call the local college and find a coed to stay at your house, throw parties in your absence, make sure the dogs are fed and walked? Better yet, hire a neighbor kid to come over twice a day and let them out? Even that you should schedule now, since families go out of town.
We used to ask people to let our dogs out and feed them while we were away for holidays. The poor neurotic Australian shepherds have torn up carpet, pooped all OVER the house, refused to eat – things they wouldn’t dream of doing when we’re here. It was too traumatizing for them. The last time that happened, we took them with and kenneled. All it takes is one time of someone forgetting to come over and the dogs are a wreck.
An Alternative You May Love
This weekend, while at BarkWorld, I spoke with someone who has come up with a way cool alternative to kenneling or leaving the dogs home with a sitter. Dogvacay.com (who is not paying me and has no idea I’m writing this, by the way), puts your dog up in a real home in the area. I was blown away by the idea.
Here’s the deal: the dog boarding starts at $15 a night, your beloved pup is put up in someone’s house, the putter-upper is screened. Some people are professional pet sitters, while others are just dog lovers. HOW COOL IS THAT?
Pretty darn cool. Don’t forget to pack your dog’s favorite Jones Natural Chews, though.
Y’all, I will do this in a heartbeat next time we have to go out of town. Here’s what I’m wondering, though: How do I get screened as a dog sitter, to have someone else’s dogs in my home? I mean, I can’t do it in my current state, having chickens in the backyard, but what a fun way to bring in a little extra cash and love on someone’s pup!
I wonder if they have chicken sitters.
Spreading the good chews …
Flea
