Caring for Your Dog While on Vacation
Summertime is a popular season for getting away on vacation, but many airlines and hotels won’t allow owners to bring their dogs along for the trip, especially those of larger dog breeds. Leaving your dog while you go on vacation can be difficult if you’re constantly worrying if your dog is being well taken care of. So how do you ensure your beloved canine is properly cared for while you and your family enjoy your trip?
Here are a couple of reliable options for leaving your pet behind and keeping him happy and comfortable until you return. You may even receive dog training as an added bonus.
Boarding Kennels
Boarding kennels are brick-and-mortar businesses that have been established for the sole purpose of housing and caring for pets while their owners are away. According to the American Boarding Kennel Association (ABKA), there are approximately 9,000 boarding kennels in the U.S. and Canada offering services to more than 30,000,000 pet owners annually. Some kennels, such as board and train kennels, even have a dog trainer on staff to provide dog training classes.
Some veterinary facilities offer boarding services. Make sure to book your dog’s stay as early as possible, as boarding facilities can book up, especially during popular vacationing seasons. Also, check out the facility personally in advance to make sure that supervision, sanitation and security are up to par.
All boarding kennels require your dog is up-to-date on his immunizations. For dogs, required immunizations are the DHLPP (distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parainfluenza and parvovirus) and bordetella vaccines as well as the rabies vaccine. Inform the kennel staff of any special instructions upon booking your dog’s spot. For instance, if your canine is dog-aggressive and must be kept away from other dogs, it’s essential for the kennel to be aware of this in advance.
RELATED: Canine Distemper
Pet Sitters
For some dog owners, hiring a pet sitter may be preferable to boarding their dog in a kennel. Pet sitters go to your house to feed, water, exercise and watch over your dog while you’re away. Sometimes, pet sitters also work as dog obedience trainers. Many offer the option of staying at your home for 24-hour supervision. Although you can also choose to have the sitter stop by once or twice daily instead, depending on your preference. Some families have the ideal situation of a pet sitter who stays in and provides animal training to their dog throughout the vacation.
RELATED: Animal Training Certification
Another one of the benefits of hiring a pet sitter is that your dog can stay in the comfort of his own home during your absence. This can be especially comforting for the dog. You can also give more specialized instructions for the care of your pet, such as daily maintenance of your dog’s obedience cues. It’s recommended you meet with potential dog sitters before choosing one to confirm her qualifications. Some pet sitters are certified through Pet Sitters International (PSI) or the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS), meaning they’re prescreened by the association. These and other sitters can achieve certification in pet CPR as well, which can be an added comfort to an owner away from home.
No matter which option you choose, make sure to check out the facility, sitter or animal trainer before leaving on vacation. Also, ensure your dog is essentially healthy and if he has special medical needs, inform the kennel operator or pet sitter of required medications prior to your departure.
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My husband and I have a dog and a cat that we normally try and take on vacation with us. We will sometimes leave our cat with a relative, though. However, we are going to need to leave our pets with a boarding kennel next month when we go to Mexico for a week and a half. I’m a little bit nervous about leaving our pets for that long amount of time and so I will probably call the kennel to check up on them once or twice. When pets are at the kennel, do they normally sit around all day or do they have activities that they are engaged in? I really like the idea of having dog training classes and I might ask if my local kennel has those or any other pet services.
I’ve debated whether to hire a pet sitter or use a boarding facility. In the end, I think I like the idea of a boarding kennel better. In a place like that my dog would have other dogs to socialize with, the people would be better trained than just a regular sitter, and they would be able to contact my vet right away if anything happened.
Usually, when I go out of town, I have my sister come feed my pets. Next month, though, she will be busy when I need her, so I’ve decided to look into boarding kennels. Thanks for the tip about booking as early as possible! I will have to start calling around to local dog boarding facilities right away.
Thanks for bringing to my attention that up-to-date immunizations are required at boarding kennels. My husband and I are going to be going on a trip in a few months, and we think a boarding kennel would be the best option for us. We’ll definitely make sure that his immunizations are all up-to-date by the time we leave.
My wife and I are planning a vacation for next month. We have a husky that will need to be taken care of since we are flying to our destination. I didn’t realize that some dog boarding services have dog training classes available so that the dog’s stay is valuable and beneficial. That seems like a great options for our upcoming trip.
I liked that you pointed out that some kennels will have pet trainers on site. That would be a great thing to have if you are in the middle of potty training a dog or a cat. I would hate to drop off a new puppy or kitten and have all of my hard work destroyed when it comes to training them.
I appreciate that you mentioned to check out a boarding kennel in advance to see what the environment is like. Seems like a great opportunity to also ask them any questions about the facility as well. You mentioned briefly that the kennel should be aware of any special instructions for your dog, so maybe it could be beneficial to make sure you know exactly what information they will need to make your pet happy while staying there, especially if they need to make preparations for it.
I am glad you suggested to book your dog’s boarding far in advance for popular vacation seasons. We are going to Tahiti this summer and can’t take our puppy with us. Thanks for the tips on boarding your pet while on vacation.
This is some really good information about pet boarding. I just got a puppy and I really want to go on vacation sometime soon. So, I liked that you pointed out that it would be smart to check the ABKA for a good place near me.