Farewell, Fido: What to do with the dog during your vacation

The talk in our house lately has been what to do with the dog when we fly away for spring vacation. If you know Seth and I at all, you know that our English Setter, Winston, is a big  hairy part of our little family. We’ll be gone for several days and we can’t just throw him a bone and leave the pooch to fend for himself! 

"Getting left behind is for the dogs!"

If you have a dog (or other pets), this little dilemma will come up for you occasionally, too. Each situation is different and what has worked for you in the past may not work well in the future. As I began to explore our options for Winston, here are the top five possibilities I’ve identified. I hope these will help you, too:

1) HIRE A DOGSITTER: Having a trusted friend stay at the house to look after Winston is probably the best option. The dog’s daily routine and setting doesn’t change much–same bed, same bowl, same field across the street for doing his business. For minimal disruption to our puppy pal’s plush life, this is numero uno. However, finding someone who you trust explicitly and who is actually available for this kind of commitment is tough. After exploring several options, we were not able to seal the deal.

• Dogsitter Pros: Your dog hardly notices things have changed; your house is not sitting vacant.
• Dogsitter Cons: Some people may not be crazy about having someone stay in their house while they’re gone.
• Dogsitter Tips: Invite the sitter over before you leave so you can show them where everything is, etc; also be sure to compensate them fairly in addition to the free pad; put everything in writing to avoid confusion (see list at bottom).

2) SEND FIDO TO FAMILY: Let your siblings, parents, or best friends who live near by take Fido on his own vacationfor the week. Most likely, the dog is already familiar with their home anyway, and they may have kids or dogs that would be thrilled by a new play mate. Since our usual family-sitters were going to be with us for part of our trip, this option wasn’t available this time around.

• Friends/Family Host Pros: People you trust and who already know how to handle your dog.
• Friends/Family Host Cons: Their house may not be set up for pets like yours; it is a fair bit of work and a big favor to ask.
• Friends/Family Host Tips: While a close family member or friend may refuse to be paid, thank them for their help in other ways–like bringing back a nice souvenir or taking them out for a meal afterwards; Again, make sure everything is in writing to avoid confusion!

3) DOGGIE RESORT: AKA, “the kennel.” Sometimes bringing in the professionals is the simplest route. Despite the jail / pound stereotypes, there are some wonderful dog boarding facilities out there. “Central Bark” here in Sisters is a terrific place where the dogs have a field day at the indoor/outdoor play center for hours on end, and then sleep in individual kennels at night.

• Kennel Pros: It’s a controled environment run by professionals, so there aren’t many variables to worry about; your dog may have the company of other dogs, as well as scheduled exercise times; places like Central Bark have an attached grooming center, so you can schedule a bath and trim for your dog the day you return to pick him up!
• Kennel Cons: This can be expensive, as $20/day or more adds up quickly for a two-week vacation; some kennels are not pleasant places for dogs to spend a lot of time.
• Kennel Tips: Be sure to tour the facilities yourself first and ask a lot of questions–do the dogs their seem content and happy, are they exercised, are the facilities clean and are the people capable and caring? If you’re taking a long trip (a month or more), ask about a long-term discount. Also, consider arranging for a friend to drop by once or twice a week to take Fido on a walk and give him some one-on-one time.

"I can think of several things to chew while you're gone."

4) NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH: Another solid option–especially for shorter trips, if you have a fenced yard where your dog can relieve and excercise himself, and if you have multiple dogs–is to have a kindly neighbor drop by once or twice a day to feed the dog and check on him. They may even take him for walks or bring him to their house to hang out for a while. And perhaps you exchange the favor for your neighbors when they’re gone, making this a lovely, neighborly circle of interdependence.

• Neighborhood Watch Pros: This is the lowest level commitment for your friends/neighbors/family, as they don’t have to keep Fido with them 24/7, just stop by daily; your dog(s) still get to stay in the environment they’re used to. 
• Neighborhood Watch Cons: This is also the lowest level of supervision, so if you have an extremely people-oriented or accident-prone dog, he could get himself into trouble or go beserk!
• Neighborhood Watch Tips: Be sure to put everything  in writing and establish a fair way to remunerate your neighbor for their help–whether that’s financial, a nice gift or meal together, or continuing the favor when they’re in need.

5) ALL OF THE ABOVE: For this trip, we ended up with a customized arrangement using each of the above elements. Our friend Jeff–who has two English Setters himself–is going to look out for Winston by coming by the house twice a day to feed and walk him, take him over to his place for a few “Setter Sleepovers”. Our neighbor friends Tracy and Cathy will help fill in as needed, dropping by to give Winston some extra love and excercise now and then. And, just in case that’s not enough, we’ve encouraged Jeff to drop Winston off at “Central Bark” a time or two so he can get a full day’s playing in with his kennel club pals, especially on a day that’s busy for Jeff.

Whatever option or combination you choose for your next vacation, I hope that it gives you peace of mind and your pet a fun, safe time!

DOGGIE OWNER’S MANUAL Herer’s a quick list of things to include in your letter to the people watching your pet:

• Detailed feeding, watering, excercise & “bathroom” instructions.
• Daily schedule suggestion.
• Your schedule and contact number; your vet’s name, location and number; and local emergency contacts.
• “Vocabulary List”–the commands you use with your pet, since these can vary house to house.
• List of ideas for excercise (good walking routes, favorite games, etc)
• Do’s and Don’ts–any behavioral or health/allergy issues that are unique to your dog, which may not be common sense.
• Lots of thank-you’s!

Any other tips to add to our dog pile?