Pet Parents leaving the "kids" behind

[dontpanik]

There are so many of us out there. What do you do with the "kids" when you cruise? We live close by to the port, and we just have a friend stay in the house while we're gone since we have so many pets it just works out easier. How about y'all?

[Spikesgirl]

We found that there is a lotless stress on the pets and us if we leave them at home with a reputable pet sitter. She also makes sure the place has a lived in look. The guys adore her and we know they are in safe hands. Plus she always does a little bit extra - like once she got a disposable camera and took shots while we were gone, so we would know what the 'kids' were up to!

 

Charlie

[viva01]

Our boys, Cheech & Chong (my Avatar) go to the "puppy resort" near home and stay with "Uncle" Jason while we vacation. Its a great farm with clean, indoor/outdoor kennels, heated floors, soft spa music and they get daily one on one (in our case two on one) playtime.:) They have a HUGE fenced in play area so they are not leashed up when they play.

 

We also get a digital report card with photos on their daily activities when we return. :D Its a relief to know they are being well cared for when mom and dad are not around!!

 

Happy Sailing :)

[GORDONCHICK]

My big guy is just kenneled at the vet. They love to bring him out front some because he's an unusual breed and he loves the extra attention.

[janabelle61]

My kids go to "kitty summer camp" when 'mommy' is traveling :) :) They stay with a wonderful woman (Judith) who probably gives them more attention than I can because she's home all day with them. I get a report card and pictures on my return to see what a good time they had :o

[cutrat]

This happend to us on our cruise September 23. Be very careful and do your research before you leave you "kids" in the care of a Kennel:(

 

 

 

We had planned a family vacation and all of our family would be with us so we needed to have our two dogs kenneled while we were gone for a week. We took the dogs in Friday night the 22nd and headed out the next day. I get a call Saturday saying Coki (the new Golden) had been in a little fight with another dog and needed medical attention. So I get the wife to relax and not to worry about the incident.

 

Fast forward to Sunday night when we get home I get the following emails

 

 

Dear Curtis and Tonya-

Coki (Coki is our new Golden Ret that we got a few weeks ago to help the kids with the passing of the Rotty)is doing just fine, and she is having a great time playing with the

other dogs!

As you know, all of the small dogs have their own play yard where they

play with other dogs of similar size. This morning a very bizarre

incident occurred with Rolo(Rolo is the Pekinese). A large dog (that has never boarded with

us and has no known aggression to other dogs) knocked down the kennel

manager and pushed its way through the gate into the small dog play yard

and attacked Rolo. The kennel manager was able to get up and stop the

fight, and called me right away. Rolo is very stable and we are keeping

him in the hospital for observation and precautionary treatment. The

chest and abdominal x-rays appear normal, and we will get final

conformation from the radiologist tomorrow. He is bruised along his

back, and he has received several doses of both pain medication and

anti-inflammatory medication to make him very comfortable. The blood

chemistry panels were all normal, and we are treating a small scratch in

his eye with antibiotic drops. Rolo is truly a wonderful dog, and he has

been receiving lots of TLC from all of the staff members.

The owners of the offending dog have been contacted, and the dog will

not be allowed to board here in the future. We are very sorry for this

incident- nothing like this has ever happened here before. We pride

ourselves on our safety protocols and attention to detail.

Unfortunately, the offending dog was very large and very determined!

Please feel free to contact me at any time - you may ask the staff to

interrupt me during business hours at any time. You may also reach me at

my cell phone number (970)635-#$%% to speak with me personally. Of

course you will not be responsible for any of the financial costs

associated with Rolo's hospital care. I will send you daily e-mail updates.

 

Then the next day I get this:

 

Good Morning!

Just wanted to let you know that Rolo is feeling better today, and gave

me several wags of his tail this morning! The radiologist reported that

his x-rays are normal. He is still a bit stiff this morning, and is

receving anti-inflammatory medication. We will keep him in the hospital

today to continue monitoring his progress. Talk with you soon.

Dr. Conklin

And then I get this

 

Please contact me immediately at (303)978-%^& during business hours. It

is urgent.

Dr. Conklin

 

 

 

So I call and email them when I get home and they call back a short time later saying "We did everything we could do but sorry but your dog was killed by another dog here at the kennel".........I am speechless

 

 

 

So I took two dogs to the kennel and brought home one that had been attacked......

[dontpanik]

cutrat- I am so, so sorry for your loss. I can't even imagine what you went through. Thank you as well for sharing your experience, it is most every pet parent's nightmare scenario but one that can and does happen.

[Spikesgirl]

Cutrat - I am so sorry to hear that this happened to you. My brother took his daughter's cat to their vet to be boarded and she escaped and ran away never to be found. martha, seven at the time, was devastated. This is why we chose a pet sitter.

 

Earthworm Jim - I am very sound of mind, if not bodyI know my pets are not my children, give me a break. Maybe you just need to chill out and leave us pet lovers alone.

 

Charlie

[Jeanie821]

Cutrat - I am so sorry to hear of this! Really, I just feel horrible for you. (((cutrat)))

 

Earthworm Jim - many people who think of their pets as children don't have human children. Their pets become their children, and they're just as sane as anyone else.

 

And now, back on topic... I checked "other". I live downstairs from my dad and his fiancee, in a one-family house with a finished basement apartment. When I'm away overnight or longer, MeToo (a fourteen-year-old cream-colored Persian) goes upstairs to visit with his Pop-Pop and Nana Cathy, whom he adores. They shower him with attention and table scraps, and absolutely spoil him. They even have two other cats for him to play with!

[viva01]

Anyone who calls their pets "kids" or think of themselves as a pet's "mommy", in all seriousness, needs psychiatric help.

 

Actually....the two 'boys' keep me pretty sain. It was raising my two teens that almost put me in a rubber room! :eek:

[henepup]

We have a family member stay with our boys. Sometimes its an extended family member, but its family.

Cutrat, I'm so sorry to hear about your dog. I don't know if I would ever be able to travel again. A co-worker of mine had a similar experience with a pet resort. When all of the dog food recall was going on, she kenneled her dog for 4 days, guess what they were feeding him. She was home less than 3 hours when he went down. Well 6 months later and a big vet bill he is okay. The pet resort took no responiblity. To those that kennel, please make sure that you check them out.

Earthworm Jim, I guess its offical, I'm a nut!! They will always be my children!

[Kurbanfan]

We have a house sitter who is also a vet tech. we have 3 "kids" a large golden and 2 cats. The golden is diabetic and needs insulin daily so this really helps us out. Plus the benefit of not leaving our house empty too.

[critterfriend]

We have a friend come house sit and pet sit for us. We have way too many pets to pay for boarding besides the chinchillas and birds would not do well in a situation like that. We also make sure to have extremely detailed instructions for each pet, plenty of food, toys, etc. as well as the phone number for our vet.

[Kurbanfan]

We have a family member stay with our boys. Sometimes its an extended family member, but its family.

Cutrat, I'm so sorry to hear about your dog. I don't know if I would ever be able to travel again. A co-worker of mine had a similar experience with a pet resort. When all of the dog food recall was going on, she kenneled her dog for 4 days, guess what they were feeding him. She was home less than 3 hours when he went down. Well 6 months later and a big vet bill he is okay. The pet resort took no responiblity. To those that kennel, please make sure that you check them out.

Earthworm Jim, I guess its offical, I'm a nut!! They will always be my children!

 

That tainted pet food was out way before the recall. I myself had a can sitting in the pantry. So I would not put the blame on the kennel. I was just one of the lucky ones.

[Katzeye]

When we go away, usually my two dogs are kenneled. The kennel is run by my veterinary clinic and having the vet on-hand is pretty important for my peace of mind for extended trips, as they are both approaching 10 years of age.

 

The hermit crabs, however, stay at home in their tank! A family member is looking after them for me.

 

My mom gets upset when I even refer to the dogs as "the puppies" ("they aren't PUPPIES, they're DOGS!!") so I definitely try to refrain from calling them "kids" around her.

 

However, if you have any knowledge of dog psychology, you will know that domesticated dogs are in fact psychologically and socially very similar to puppies. They act around their humans as puppies would their mothers.

 

So our "family" sends a "Grrrrrr" to Earthworm Jim.

 

And a big sloppy kiss to all the other animals here. May you be safe and happy while your humans are away!

[Sundagger]

Cutrat - that was an awful situation. I know how close I am to my pets and can empathize with your experience.

 

Long ago, I took a cat of mine to a vet hospital with a good reputation to board him during a vacation. The cat contracted pneumonitis, so I ended up paying for the boarding and the treatment. That happened TWICE - I no longer board my cat(s).

 

For almost 20 years, I've been having a petsitter come to my house to take care of my pets (1 cat now). It is a family who has had a pet sitting service for a long time. They make sure the cat is fed and the litter box cleaned, take in the paper and mail, play with the cat for awhile, make sure the doors and windows are secure, keep in touch with the security service for my area, etc. They come twice a day at my request - usually 4 times a year for a week at a time. Their rates have increased quite a bit, but the safety and security are worth it to me.

[celtic_beauty]

Well since we have 40 rabbits, 6 potbelly pigs, 2 dogs, 3 cats & 6 chickens its just easier to leave hubby home to take care of them :D Okay I have only done that for a few vacations, we have a family friend come take care of them if its a whole family vacation ( I take smaller vacations through the year with just the kids because of hubbys work schedule so sometimes its just easier to leave him at home) :o

 

( Our dogs wont eat if one of us isnt around, we found that out the hard way going on a cruise Jan. They barely ate the whole 2 weeks we were gone :( )

[romy]

Since Earthworm Jim's post was obviously, thankfully pulled, I hope HE CRAWLED BACK IN HIS HOLE!:mad:

 

Okay, enough of THAT nonsense. Our BABY Baxter (they little guy in my avatar) goes to dog-camp and loves it. This will be his 2nd vacation there and they use the same vet as we do which is right next door to the kennel-oops camp!

 

We will drop him off Wednesday evening and I'll cry, but I know he'll have a ball!

 

As far as the poll, if allowed I would have chosen 2, because our 21 year old Schnoocums the Cat stays home with daily visits from friends/neighbors that love her. She'll be happy Baxter is away:D and has the whole house to herself.

 

I'm glad we're all in the same boat (pun intended;) )feeling as we do about our "kids". May they all be very happy and healthy while we're away. I have to admit, this makes disembarking (oops, unintended pun:rolleyes: ) a little easier knowing we'll soon see our pets!

 

Happy Tails & Sails!!!!

 

Romy:)

[cv322]

Until 2 years ago we always boarded George & Missy at our vet, who specializes in cats. George is a 10 yr old Maine Coon & Missy is a tabby we adopted 4 yrs ago...the vet thought she was about 2 when we found her. We love our vet and she loves our cats, but poor George was always traumatized by the whole thing. He would see the cat carrier come out, and go like "X" so that putting him in it was a real adventure, and then he'd cry all the way to the vet's. Then 2 years ago a pet sitter put her business card in everyone's windshield wiper at the train station & we called her, interviewed her, checked out her references & voila! we've been lucky to have her come to our home twice daily while we're traveling ....to feed our little ones & she'll stay and play with them & give us the report card when we return.

 

Although we love our vet we're so grateful to have found Robin our pet sitter. It cuts down on the number of times George has to get into the cat carrier!

 

Chris

[EggDropErin]

Ours go to Grandma and Grandpa's house. They LOVE it there. It's like their own doggie vacation. I don't, however, enjoy it when they come home after being spoiled for a week! LOL

[Amlee]

To EarthWorm (with worm being a very fitting name): There is a saying, don't worry about the pet, worry about the pet owner!

 

My parents keep my pup when I travel and I keep their pup. I say pup but they are almost 8 years old. If we travel together, we have someone come to my parents house to keep them.

 

I will admit that my pup is very spoiled. Due mostly to my parents. They call him their Grandog. His pictures are on the wall with the other grandkids.

[cubicle prisoner]

Definitely use a pet sitter!!!

[klct39lg]

Cutrat: I am so sorry for your loss.

 

We have someone stay in our home with our pets (3 cats & 2 dogs).

 

Last year we left our dogs at a kennel; never again. It was hard to leave them there, even with 2 prior daily stays. They were put in a private run, and did not mix with the other dogs. We worried about them while we were gone. They were okay when we got home, but they were smelly, had lost weight and one of them had a urinary tract infection.

 

A neighbor took care of my cats, and another friend and my dad were her back-ups, just in case.

 

Sometimes my dad comes down and stays with them. Next cruise, my MIL will fly up from FL and stay at our house them.

 

I am the neighborhood pet sitter and I am always glad to help. I know how hard it is to go away and leave the pets behind. Right now, I am cat sitting for my neighbor's 2 old kitties. They get pilled, 2 kinds of wet cat food, 2 kinds of dry cat food, 3 glasses filled with filtered water and litter box scooped out, all done twice per day. Also, the owner wants me to email him 2 times per day (once after each visit). It sounds tedious, but I know it is a relief to the owner.

:)

[romy]

Cutrat: I am so sorry for your loss.

 

We have someone stay in our home with our pets (3 cats & 2 dogs).

 

Last year we left our dogs at a kennel; never again. It was hard to leave them there, even with 2 prior daily stays. They were put in a private run, and did not mix with the other dogs. We worried about them while we were gone. They were okay when we got home, but they were smelly, had lost weight and one of them had a urinary tract infection.

 

A neighbor took care of my cats, and another friend and my dad were her back-ups, just in case.

 

Sometimes my dad comes down and stays with them. Next cruise, my MIL will fly up from FL and stay at our house them.

 

I am the neighborhood pet sitter and I am always glad to help. I know how hard it is to go away and leave the pets behind. Right now, I am cat sitting for my neighbor's 2 old kitties. They get pilled, 2 kinds of wet cat food, 2 kinds of dry cat food, 3 glasses filled with filtered water and litter box scooped out, all done twice per day. Also, the owner wants me to email him 2 times per day (once after each visit). It sounds tedious, but I know it is a relief to the owner.

:)

 

Hi Klct, won't you be my neighbor!!!!!:D You're obviously a Godsend, not to mention a saint. Good for you and the pets you care for.

 

Happy Sails!

Romy:)

[Trainer]

I have three dogs - two shelties and a Kerry Blue Terrier. One sheltie - the littlest one --goes to my friend who also has two shelties. The big sheltie and the Kerry go to a kennel. Here's why -- my 12 year old Kerry has to have pills twice a day and has stomach issues so a 2 times a day pet sitter isn't enough. Plus he and the other big dog do not easily allow 'strangers' in the house. I have on one occasion had a friend stay here while she was having a new house built. But generally I have not been able to find a person who will stay in the house. I wish I could as it would be the best possible situtation. I do not have family nearby and most of my friends have several dogs of their own. I use a kennel where dogs have indoor/outdoor runs, they are walked on the leash in an enclosed area twice a day. And, most importantly, are NEVER released in an area with dogs other than each other. The entire kennel is double fenced and locked at night and when kennel is closed. They are not a doggie "spa" or "camp" but they take excellent care of my dogs and I've never had one come home sick...which is more than I can say for other places I've used.

Yes, I do not like to leave them. But I trust where they are and leave with confidence.

Sue Ann, Ocala, FL