Are you a pet owner, traveler and have a guilty conscience? As any pet owner knows, your animal quickly become more than just a cohabitant in your home, but part of the family. Unfortunately, they aren’t always able to come on family vacations with us. So what do you do about pet boarding when the world calls but your beloved pet stays home?
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Quality Kennel Pet Boarding
The most cost effective option for most pet owners, other than taking them to stay with friends or family, is usually a kennel. Kennel’s offer your animals (especially dogs) the chance to interact with each other. However, not all kennels are equal, so these are some of the important things to take into account when choosing a kennel.
- Tour the kennel first. A good kennel will give you full access to all pet areas and want to spend some time getting to know your pet before agreeing to board them. Look for things like kennel cleanliness and smell, good lighting, proper bedding and access to multiple water sources. Many top level kennels now have 24 hour video access so you can keep an eye on your fur baby from the road.
- Does the staff seem to have a good report with the animals and are there enough of them. Ideally, 8-10 dogs/staff member is a good ratio. For cats and other animals that spend more time in individual areas, the numbers might be lower.
- Pay attention to play time. Your animal will do much better while you are gone if they are occupied and stimulated with play and interaction. Some kennels will include only small amounts or no play time in base rates. Ask exactly what your animal will get to do each day and know if you should bring your own toys.
- Safety issues: Look for broken equipment or insecure fences. More importantly, ensure that pets will not be left unattended with chew toys or other small choke hazards and requiring a quick release collar (or no collar) will help make your pet safer.
- Immunizations are going to be required at reputable kennels. The usual for dogs include: rabies, the combination (DHLPP), and bordatella, but there may be more requirements, like a negative fecal sample. Cats should have a rabies vaccine, and their Distemper (FVRCP) combination shot.
Pet Boarding in a Private Home
- Many services are available to match your pet with a qualified pet sitter. These include care.com, rover.com, and dogvacay.com.
- The advantage is that you generally will be able to be more selective. The cost will be comparable or slightly higher than a kennel.
- Sort by # of animals the sitter will have at one time, other pets in the home, children in the home, yard type, experience sitting pets, etc. Using a service to find an at home boarding service will mean the sitter has insurance and optional access to a 24 hour telephone veterinary service. May sitters will get extra certifications such as animal CPR. Most sitters will administer oral medications and follow your feeding schedule.
- If you have multiple pets, you can usually find a sitter who will take them all.
Roma at the dog sitter.
- Set up an appointment ahead of time to meet the sitter, take your animal and let them acclimate to the environment and make sure it is a good fit ahead of time.
- The sitter should be willing to send you regular photos of your pet.
In Home Pet Boarding (and house sitting)
- Believe it or not, this is not always a more expensive option. Use the same services as listed in the previous section to find a sitter who will come to your home and stay there with you pet. This option is particularly beneficial for older animals or those who don’t do well with other pets or in new environments. We’ve had to use this option for our 14 year old dog and I’m not quite sure she even noticed we were gone. She was comfortable in her own environment and it was the least disruptive option for her.
- Definitely meet the sitter ahead of time and you may want to ask for references beyond website reviews. You’re letting this person into your home so you need to make sure you feel comfortable with them.
- Be very clear upfront on what you expect them to do. Can they eat your food or use your exercise equipment? Can they have guests over to your home? How much time do you expect them to spend at your house with your pet during the day? These are all things to make sure to talk about before agreeing to hire someone.
- Usually an in-home sitter will be comfortable giving medications and providing extra care for your pet. If they aren’t from your neighborhood, let them know the best walking routes, location of your local vet office, etc.
- The sitter should be willing to send you regular photos of your pet.
Vet Clinic Pet Boarding
- Some vet clinics will board animals, but many reserve this for animals needing medical care while boarding. Their primary function is not to entertain and engage your pet, but to keep them healthy and safe. If your animal needs more intensive care, consider boarding with your vet’s office.
However you do it, prepare ahead of time, leave your pet with some personal items that will remind them of you, and enjoy your vacation so you can come home refreshed and ready to spend some quality time with your favorite furry friend.
My dog is taking pills every day but we can’t take him on vacation with us. It would be nice to find a boarding place that can give him his medication. Kind of like how you said that a vet clinic reserves its boarding for that exact reason.
Hey Chris! I’ve really found a big variety across the board for what kennels will do (maybe because of liability?) but on the sites that match you with private pet sitters, they usually list whether they will administer medications. It seems like most will, especially when it’s just an oral medication vs a shot. I hope you find a great fit for you and your dog!
Thank you for pointing out that I’ll need to have my dog immunized before boarding her. My husband and I are planning for our trip to Hawaii next year and we’re thinking of the various options for our dog. Our families all stay a distance from our place and the nearest one is a state away. I think that our best option now will be a pet boarding service near our house.
Thanks for your message Alicia! I hope you have a wonderful trip to Hawaii next year and I’m sure your pup will be in good hands. Best wishes for your travels.
It’s smart to ask exactly what your animal will get to do each day so you can be sure they’re stimulated enough. I’m going on vacation for 2 entire weeks so I need a place that my dog will be really comfortable. The more distracted she is, the happier she’ll be.
It’s always so fun to come home to a happy dog that you know has had interaction and stimulation while you’ve been gone.
I’m glad you mentioned that it is important to tour a facility first before you leave your pet in their care. My wife and I want to take an extended vacation in a couple of months, and we were thinking of leaving our cat in a boarding service. These tips you shared will help us find the best place to take our cat to.
Thank you for the tip to ensure all the fences and things are in good repair. My dog is great, but I need to go on a cruise for a few weeks. I’ll have to look into pet boarding because I don’t live near any family.
It’s good to know that pet immunizations are required at reputable kennels. My family is going on vacation and looking for options to keep our dog taken care of while we are gone. It’s comforting that there are pet boarding facilities that care so much about our pets. I will be sure to research the best ones in my area and make sure they meet the quality kennel criteria.
I like that you said that in-home dog boarding is good for older pets and dogs who are not good in new environments. I have a sister that’s thinking about leaving his dog with a sitter for her vacation gateway. I’m going to let her know that she can choose from taking to a boarding facility or stay home sitter.
I am going to go on a business trip for a week. I like how you mention kennel’s offer your pets the chance to interact with each other. Thank you for the information. I’ll search for a veterinary service that provides boarding so my dog can be taken care of during my trip.
I like your idea to tour the boarding kennel before we decide to use it. My family will be going on vacation next month, and I still need to figure out the care for my cats. Thanks for helping me feel prepared to choose a good boarding service to use!
It’s a smart idea to ask what your animal will get to do each day so you can tell if they’ll get enough playtime. My dog is very playful and she gets upset if she’s unstimulated for too long. When I bring her to a kennel, I’ll choose one that has a lot of play time.
That’s such an important point. You know your dog and the things that can trigger them to act out or become upset. Its all about giving them the best chance at a good experience while you’re away.
Leaving your pet with some items that remind them of you is a great idea. I’ve been planning on going on a vacation and I can’t take my dog with me. I have been considering pet boarding and I would love to leave her with some items that remind her of me to help her be comfortable.
I think it helps them feel less stressed out, and it also helps us to feel a little less guilty leaving them behind!
I liked that you said that one thing to consider when you are planning to leave your dog at a boarding facility is meeting the sitters beforehand. I would imagine that this would help you to get a good idea of how the sitter treats the animals while their owners are gone. I would be sure to visit the boarding facility before leaving my dog there so that I could feel confident in knowing that my pet would be treated well while I was on vacation.
It really helped me when you said that your pet will do much better while you are gone if they are occupied and stimulated with play and interaction. Personally, I believe that having a pet is not a game but instead is a responsibility and it is understandable that as they grow up you might change from work and you would spend less time with your dog. I’m grateful for your advice about boarding special dogs can be better done in a vet clinic where they will focus on their health and safety.
As our dog aged we definitely explored many options to make sure she was in the least stressful situation for her, even bringing someone into our home when her mobility started to decline. Like you said, having a pet is a responsibility. They give so much to us, and all we can do is try to do the right things for them in return. Thanks for your comment!
I liked that you explained that you should tour the kennel first, before allowing a boarding facility to take care of your pet while you’re gone. I would imagine that letting someone else take care of your pet would be stressful, especially if it is your first time. I would be sure to tour the boarding home before hiring them to watch my pet so that I would know that I feel comfortable with leaving my pet with them.
It is such a difficulty thing because your pet can’t report back to you if they like the place or don’t feel comfortable. It’s all in the hands of the owner to try to make sure it’s a good fit. Thanks for your comment!
I like your suggestion I touring the kennel first to see if your pet will comfortable with the structures and materials being used for the care. We will be going on a 2-week vacation to France, and we need a pet boarding for our dog. I will follow your tips to physically inspect the place first.
Enjoy your trip to France! It’s always so hard to leave our animals behind, but knowing the kennel is transparent and allows you to visit the first will help with peace of mind. Have fun.
I like your suggestion to tour the kennel first and look for things like cleanliness and good lighting. My husband and I will be going on a vacation next month and want to figure out the boarding situation for our two cats. I’m glad I read your article because I think the tips you shared will be helpful in finding the right boarding facility for them!
I sure hope it was helpful!!