[Opus]

HELP! I have never left Winston overnight with anyone. In a couple of weeks I have 7 days off and my husband and one daughter will already be away. My other kids and I want to go camping while they are gone.

Here's my dilemma.
I could take him with us, but we want to go to the mountains which limits where we can hike, or camp etc. Winston has also never slept in a tent or gone camping. It's something I want to do with him, but I'd be more comfortable when my hubby is along, as he can handle him better when he gets his dander up so to speak.
There may be times we'd have to leave him in the truck, which for 5 minutes is one thing but an hour I know I'd worry.

I have never used a kennel, and the only one I can find around here is through an ad and thier website. While they look good and reasonably priced, I'm nervous. How will Winston manage etc. Will he resent me?

OR I could try enlist a friend to dogsit. I have one friend who has seroiusly offered but I feel she is kind of flighty and don't feel comfortable leaving him with her. I have another whom I think would be good, and she has said she would, but she has a new puppy, so I don't know how that would go for her. Some of the same concerns I have with a kennel, come up when I think of a dog sitter.

As I am so terrified of losing my dog because someone wasn't carefull and he got away, you can see how all three options bother me.

Anyone have any suggestions, or words of wisdom?

 

[ecemom]

I wish I had some words of wisdom for you...but we have never had to leave a pet other than our cats, and of course we just had a friend come in to feed them and scoop the litter. With our previous dog, Indy, he came everywhere with us. Even camping an a two man tent! Let me tell you, it wasn't very fun during a thunderstorm! But, he, and we, survived! And of course now we've only had Rocky 2 months, and we have a trailer in a park, so he comes with us.

So, all that to say I can't offer any help, but I can tell you that I would go with my heart in making the decision. If it doesn't feel right, don't do it.

Good luck!

 

[Murphys Dad]

I understand your concerns. Happily, we have a very responsible person who comes to feed, play with, and otherwise care for our furkids when we're away. She's extremely reliable and conscientious, and I know her very well so I'm comfortable leaving them.

I must add as a caveat that we have a setup that makes it possible for the dogs to be outside, so they aren't confined in the house while we're gone. Also, since we have 4 dogs and a cat, they're all company for each other which I'm sure makes our being away less stressful for them.

So, I haven't been of any help whatsoever to you.

 

[bubbles]

We have never boarded Snoopy. In 4+ years she has always gone with us everywhere. But I had the same concerns with our prior dog (Cocker Spaniel). He was a flight risk so it was always scary leaving him. We couldn't take him with us because he did not ride well in a car. We opted to use a kennel. We toured the kennel first to check for cleanliness, security, etc. And the particular kennel we used (actually a recreational camp) was right on the owners property. It got to the point when we would take him there he wouldn't even look back at us. He would enter and off he went. He really got to enjoy going. So if there is the possiblity of choosing that option, I would arrange a tour and that should give you an indication as to whether or not you want to use their services.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Our previous dogs, a Saint Bernard and a black lab were too large to take with us on overnight trips. We were fortunate to have a good kennel a few miles away where we boarded them. They were able to stay in a single large kennel together and the staff (a family) took great care of them.

If it were me I'd take a good quality kennel over someone who might forget (or just skip) a feeding.

That being said, with Murphy we'll always be taking him with us. If he can't go, then I don't want to go

 

[KatieGRRL]

We've had very good luck with a local kennel. Both of us have been reassured by leaving her at a place that specifically exists to take care of pets instead of a friend who may or may not be as conscientious.

 

[angelaH]

It is always difficult leaving a dog. Our first beagle was looked after by a private dog carer, but did escape from her and found her way back home. In those days we were away on business a lot so couldnt take her.
Our second beagle occasionally stayed in kennels, when we went to the UK, before they dropped quarantine. However Spotty didnt do very well in kennels and they later refused to take her.

Both of our first beagles went on holiday with us, all over Europe, eastern Turkey and Africa. Our present two have never been left and we either rent an apartment or camp.Snoopy and Susi seem to love camping.

If you find a really good kennels, with high security, then even though Winston wont be with you he will at least be safe. Maybe try him there for a couple days, so he knows you will pick him up again.

 

[AJollyBengali]

I did a couple web searches when I was looking for a boarding kennel for Oreo. There should be good info on the web about local kennels for your goggy.

I visited the place before even taking him there. I got a tour of their facilities, asked about their play/rest schedule, feeding schedules, security, training, etc. Seeing the place in person and talking to the folks who worked there helped reassure me that they would do a good job.

Any place worth its salt will be more than happy to answer ALL your questions. There were also a number of favorable reviews online. The place I board Oreo is on a large, private farm with high fences; the dogs gets lots of time to run around and there's always someone to watch them. The folks who run it live on-site. He's actually there right now as I had to board him this weekend because of a wedding.

You could also ask your vet if he/she knows of a good place.

Good luck with finding a place.

 

[theregalbeagle]

We left R at a kennel for about 5 days earlier this year. There was a place near us, attached to a pet hospital that I checked out. I did not like it one bit! The kennel facility still felt like a hospital and they had many small charges that added up.

My hairdresser recommended another place, so I called and talked to the other and she seemed wonderful. I visited and the facility is on her property. They had separate rooms for big and small dogs. They each got walked every day, had time in a run and she also had a small area grassy where he could go off leash for some sniffing.

At first, I felt guilty leaving him, but I kepet reminding myself that he was having his own kind of fun without us.He did fine...when we picked him up, he was super excited to see us! We got him home, he took a walk, and passed out cold for the night!

 

[AJollyBengali]

TheRegalBeagle makes a good point about add-in prices.

If memory serves me correctly, PetSmart, for instance, has a base price but you have to buy packages to include playtime and other activities.

The place I take Oreo is all-inclusive of playtime/one-on-one time, etc.

 

[Sephly]

yeah i agree with the above, i'd go with a kennel, that is bonded, insured etc. etc.