Would you board dog?

littlestjerry · January 2014

We're going to Disney in February and will be gone a full week. I'm struggling with what to do with our dog. The last vacation we went on, we paid my friend to stay at our house with him. But at that time she had a low-paying job and needed the money. Now, she has a new job that pays very well, so I'm pretty sure she wouldn't want to babysit him again (he's not very easy to deal with and barked at her husband, so she basically didn't see her H that week). I don't even want to ask her because I'm afraid she'll feel obligated and say yes even if she doesn't want to.

So, anyway, we've boarded him before, but that was like 5 years ago. He's kind of a crochety old man now. I'm afraid he would be kind of miserable there, though the place we're considering has good reviews. I've gotten some recommendations for house sitters on Facebook, but I'm kind of nervous having someone I don't know from Adam staying at our house. I keep going back and forth and can't decide what to do.

So, WWYD, board the dog because he's just a dog and he might not like it, but he'll survive or use a stranger recommended by a Facebook friend? Help!

klondikebar · January 2014

I would worry less while on vacation about a dog boarded at a place with good reviews than essentially a stranger in my home.

RondackHiker · January 2014

Do you know any local college kids that would stay with him for a week?

Otherwise I'd board him. I'd try to find a spot with spacious kennels that will let you bring his own dog bed and dog food. I wouldn't pay to have him play with other dogs unless he really likes that, and with an older dog, I'd ask that they not do all day play times or he will be very sore.

Nita2603 · January 2014

Board him. I am sure the kennel knows how to deal with elderly dogs and he may actually like it.

And really, I'd rather have my dog a bit grumpy at a kennel where they deal with this every day and get paid to do it, than having some college kid or house sitter I barely know in my house who may know shit about dogs - and not really care, either...

ShamyCooler · January 2014

I'd probably board him. There's no way I'd be able to relax having a stranger in my house while I was on vacation. That would just make me way too uneasy.

ExH & I used to board our dog at a really nice place when we would go out of town. It had webcams in the rooms so you could log in to check on your dog if you wanted, and they also had something called the "zen" room when if you paid a little extra they would take the dog into a relaxing room & give them special one on one attention....petting & pet massage rub down type things. Maybe you could find some place like that, and it would ease your mind while your doggie was there?

littlestjerry · January 2014

The recommendations we have are like "oh, my niece house sits, here's her number," or "we use this lady, try her." So, they're not strangers to my friends, but definitely strangers to me.

He's not super old, but he's getting on up there. He hates everything and is scared of everything, although he occasionally gets along with other dogs. Our old boarding place (different town) was set up like a house + kennel and this married couple owned it and lived there and would often let our dog sleep in their bed. He loved that guy. I wish we could find a place like that, but that was a rarity, obviously. I guess we'll board him...off to convince DH!

jorkz821 · January 2014

I'd board him. My dogs LOVE their kennel but they're youngish and love other dogs. I can see your concerns but I'd find it lower stress than having someone in my home.

persephonerose · January 2014

We board our dog often and she can sometimes get cranky around other dogs. We don't use a strictly boarding place however, we use a doggie day care that also keeps dogs over night. They have a large indoor place space with doors that open to the outside so the dogs can be in or out. They also have webcams so you can log in and check on your dog during the day in the place space.

Our place required a one day visit to make sure that she was able to tolerate the set up. They offered that day at a discounted rate. They also required information from our vet about her shot records so you might want to keep that in mind so you can allow enough time to meet any requirements.

Whenigrowup · January 2014

I would board. They're trained to handle special cases, and like PP said, you can ask for special care like a private room (I used to do this for my high anxiety dog), extra play time, or walks.

That being said, when we went OOT for the holidays, our kennel was totally full, and they recommended a woman who keeps dogs in her house. She runs a hospice for elderly and sick dogs, and used to work at the kennel before starting that. She kept my dog, with a few others, right in her home, and cared for him the way I would have had I been home. You could maybe get a recommendation from the kennel or a friend for something like that.

TiffanyBerry · January 2014

I would board my dog - but we have a place that's great with dogs of many temperments - they each have their own large (for a dog) room that doesn't have much visual access to the other dogs, they get to play in small groups of dogs that socialize well together (or a smaller amount of individualized time for those that don't), and the owners are great. Of course, it costs $50/day to board him ahd it's a 90-minute drive each way.

Despite being high on separation anxiety, he loves it there. So, I'd board, but only if I could find a place I was really happy with.

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