How did it go? Did he hate it? Does he like it? Would you do it again? And what do you look for in a good kennel?

If not, what do you do with your dog while you're on vacation? Or do you not take vacations that don't include the dog?

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2000

Answers

We've sent the dog to the kennel without major problems. We don't think he sleeps much there because he always sleeps for hours and hours after he gets home.

We've used a service to come in 3 times a day to let the dog out. It's $30 a day so a bit more expensive then the kennel.

We have a friend that will come and stay at the house sometimes. That's the best way to go on vacation without the dog.

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2000

We've always left our animals at home and had people come feed them once a day. Of course, our dogs are used to being outside, so there's not the issue of letting them in and out. And the cat is used to being inside, so, ditto.

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2000

I am so glad to see that I am not the only one who sniffles in the car after leaving the dogs!

Before I moved, I would only leave the dogs with a friend, someone who knew their history, and their quirks, and who would absolutely let them sleep on the bed. Now, after trying to find a good kennel, I will only leave them with their vet.

I didn't think I was being to picky about finding a kennel...I just want a place where the dogs get some love and attention every day, someone talks to them a bit, and where the staff understand what fear biting is. I couldn't find it. It seemed to me that kennels would be owned by people that love animals, and it wouldn't be too difficult to find one, but it proved impossible.

Now, they stay at the vet, if they absolutely cannot come with me. At least at the vet, I know they are safe, and that they will have treats, and the staff are really, really good with Maggie, who is "bitey" and will not muzzle her, or yell at her for it. It is more expensive to vet board, but worth it!

They don't like it much, but they are always extrememly well behaved for the first few days back home.

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2000

We've kenneled our three dogs at two locations. At first, we used our vet, because she was really a sweetheart and I liked the idea that if they had any health emergencies they would already be in the right place. When we went to Spain for two weeks, I knew we couldn't use the vet because the kennels are pretty small. So we found a good kennel at another vet that let all three dogs stay together. Each kennel space had an inside area with air conditioning (this is July in Houston) and a doggie door to an outside play area. It really helps that they get to go together. Now, however, we use a pet sitter at our house. She's a steal at $15 a day. She comes by twice a day and takes care of the dogs, cats and fish. We always joke that our dogs are probably sorry to see us come home because the pet sitter always sits in the back yard with them for a while on each visit feeding them dog cookies. And they always get fat while we're out of town, so I can't imagine how much she must be feeding them for them to visibly gain that much weight in two or three days. But we don't mind, if a little extra food helps them deal, so be it. The weight always drops right back off. The pet sitter is really a good arrangement if you can find one you like. Ours is a veterinary technician, and my sister, who's also a vet tech, does pet sitting too. So you might check your local vet clinics to see if anyone on staff also pet sits. Good luck!

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2000

Waaaay back more than 20 years ago, Sagi used to come back from the kennel with the tip of her tail bleeding. My parents didn't stress about it and explained that there was probably a door that closed too quickly and she got her tail caught in it.

More recently, but still a long time ago, we boarded Shadow at a place with a yard--when did the AKC say no grass? It's sensible, if not sentimental. She hated being boarded. I remember her standing on her hind legs with her front paws on my mother's shoulders, howling. This she did all on her own, and as an obese Labrador, that was quite a feat.

Getting an 11-year-old to come in and take care of your pets is the best solution for them, probably. Finding the 11-year-old is difficult. Or a college student to house- and pet-sit.

We board our bird rather than dig up a sitter because at least at the vet's he can interact with other birds. Unlike a dog, a bird boards in his own familiar cage; unlike at home he's in it all the time. I like the immediate-if-necessary medical care too, and the fact that they weigh him to make sure he's not depriving himself.

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2000

The AKC guidelines for kennels are here. The kennel we chose fit all of those guidelines, and honestly, I don't think it was a bad place. There is a vet clinic associated with it, and emergency care is available 24 hours a day. The people seemed to like dogs and take puppy behavior in stride. Doc liked them, too.

We'd love to have a pet sitter, but probably not until he's older. Right now I'm afraid he'd take the opportunity to behave like a beast.

We're thinking of taking him back to that kennel for an overnight stay, just to see if he stresses less the second time. It won't hurt him, and it will let us know if we can count on that kennel for any future vacations.

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2000

I have a very sensitive dog and, of course, i hate leaving her in a kennel. I won't go on exceedingly long trips without having a FAMILY member stay with her night and day (only family because they know her routine. it's too worrisome for me to leave her with someone that i have to teach the routine to, and who might screw it all up). I won't leave her at home alone with someone to come and let her out and feed her because i don't think it's fair for her to be home alone all day. dogs need mental stimulation, and even if she's at a kennel, at least she's getting that from other dogs.

i searched until i found a kennel i felt comfortable with. our kennel is way out in the country, and has green sprawling exercise areas. the kennels are concrete (you can bring a washable bed) and the area where they go to the bathroom is concrete on the other side of a door. i write specific instructions on how i'd like her to be treated, and i call once while i'm gone to check up on her.

i've never had a problem except once when i picked her up and found that one of her toys was ripped. my dog is completely NON agressive and she is 8 yrs old, and never in her 8 years has she ever ripped a toy. i know her every behavior, so i knew something was strange. i don't know who ripped her toy, but i never brought her back there again.

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2000

We travel all the time, and we've never regretted switching from kennels to pet sitters. For as low as $18/day someone will come to your house twice a day, feed and pet and play with your animal, and take in the mail as well. Our three pets are infinitely happier with this arrangement, and it's not very much more than a kennel costs.

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2000

We've never kenneled Bailey, but when we went to Las Vegas for a week we left our back door open and had our brothers come over once a day each to check on him. Well, he wouldn't let my brother in without trying to rip his arm off, so only one brother would come in. He did fine... but as soon as we got home, he peed on the couch. So I was thinking that maybe that's just a nervous release of energy. We didn't yell at him or punish him for peeing inside, and he has never done it since.

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2000

well i don't have a dog, but i did "kennel" my cat once or twice. the first time was with a friend, and during the day she had free reign of a finished basement (since the upstairs had 3 not so friendly cats) as well as children coming down to pet her and snuggle her a few times a day. at night she slept in a large two level cage thingy with a litter box on the bottom and a bed on the top. that was a good experience.

the second time was for about three days at a "cat hotel". when i got there to drop her off, it was fine. relatively clean, lots of cats wandering around, lots of toys, friendly cat lady working there.

when i went to pick her up, i was greeted by the stench of cat pee and a young lady with cigarette burns up and down both arms who didn't actually seem to like the cats all that much. nico (my kitty) also starting ... well *wailing* desperately when she heard my voice.

needless to say, i'm a tad apprehensive about doing *that* again. since it looked fine when i came to check it out, and had been recommended, i assumed all was okay - and it turned out i was very wrong. so now i think i'll stick with friends coming in every other day to scoop and snuggle.

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2000

Luckily my parents mind Sue for me whenever I have to travel. Even though I'm leaving her with family - where there's two other dogs and human company all day I hate leaving her. I don't know if I could handle the stress of putting her in kennnels. See parents are good for something if you raise them correctly!

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2000

When we had our dogs, we could never stand the thought of leaving them in the kennel. I always hated leaving the dog we grew up with there, and she hated it too.

So when we had to take an emergency trip, we started calling friends for advice. We got lucky and talked to someone who had bought a purebred, and he told us that on his recommendation, the breeder he'd purchased his dog from would take mutts like ours for short stays at his 30 acre, fully fenced-in farm. For $10 a day the dogs could run around chasing geese and cows with 20 labs. They slept (at our discretion) in a dog pile in the heated outdoor kennel or in a crate in the house. When we came to get them, they didn't want to leave. After we dragged them away whining, they slept for five days straight.

We moved later, but I've learned that by talking to other dog owners at the park and checking the bulletin board at the vet, you can call around and eventually find a similar situation. In Oakland we ended up leaving them once with a woman who lived adjacent to a big regional park, who took them hiking there there every day for a couple of hours. It takes a LOT of legwork ahead of time to go to these places, though, because these folks only operate by word of mouth and they always prescreen your dog to make sure he's well- behaved and won't beat up other dogs.

However, it was always cheaper than a kennel and the dogs never once stayed someplace that didn't have grass, a big playground, and lots of happy dogs to play with. If this is what you want, my advice is to start with someone who bought a purebred puppy from a responsible breeder, if you know one, and ask if the breeder boards. If you don't know someone like that, it's the long road of asking all the local dogwalkers, dog daycare centers, breed rescues and vets. It took two weeks of steady calling when I sought someone out that way, but it was worth it.

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2000

My dog Buddy -- a 90-pound Boxer -- was a whacky pup...he loved going to the vet. And since we kenneled him with our vet, he'd be all happy when he got there, but would always be quite, quite happy to see us when we picked him up!

I don't know how much he would eat while he was there; he'd always come home skinnier than when we dropped him off. Sometimes he'd have diarrhea; one time he came home with "kennel cough" -- it's like a virus passed from dog to dog that makes them cough *horribly.* :<

Kenneling sucks but sometimes it's necessary...

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2000

Our Fluffy came home once with kennel cough too, so we never liked having to put her in kennels. We didn't really have much choice though, cos the one time we left her with a friend of ours the dog got stolen and he had a massive task trying to find her and steal her back before we returned home from where we'd been

http://www.geocities.com/jgwr

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2000

When Steve and I decided to go home to California for Christmas, I had to decide what to do with Oliver. I mentioned to my friend and to Steve's mom that I was looking into kennels. They both offered to keep Oliver. I was very happy because I didn't want to leave him in the kennel. He is still a puppy and very attached to us. So I left him with my girlfriend. We left on Wednesday. On Friday we get a phone call from his mom, it's snowing in North Carolina, and oh, by the way, Oliver is in a kennel. No one called to ask me, no one called to see if it was OK. No one asked which kennel we would like to use. My friend said that some things had come up and they weren't going to be home or places that they could take Oliver. She felt bad about leaving him home all that time and called Steve's mom to see if she could help out. Steve's mom said she was really busy, and that Oliver would have to be kenneled.

I was so fucking pissed. I was mad because no one bothered to ask my permission or advice. But I was super pissed because every fucking time my mother in law goes out of town, we have taken care of her dogs. And her dogs are all freaking old as dirt, so it is constant cleaning of shit and pee.

On top of my irritation with all involved parties, Oliver came home with a urinary tract infection. I don't think they bothered to let him out enough.

Needless to say, I will not be taking care of my in-law's dogs again. If the kennel is good enough for my precious boy, it sure is good enough for their dogs.

Do I still sound angry? Sorry. I really love my dog.

-- Anonymous, January 18, 2000

We had our kids or a housesitter for Sailor's first 5 years when we had to leave him, but then they all went off to college or life or something. When we went to Pittsburgh in November '98, therefore, we kenneled him. We took him to our vet the evening before we left. The next morning, we were just about ready to go out the door, and there was Sailor on the porch! He'd leaped their 6-foot fence with ease and crossed Watt at rush hour and was thrilled to be home, and weren't we glad to see him??

The people then only let him out on a leash. But then when we did this for the wedding, he escaped from his indoor cage... and they have asked us not to board him there again. Tomorrow we're trying their sister vet, with the covered runs.

It's only overnight, and we'd normally just leave him out with food and water, but lately he's been escaping from our backyard again.

-- Anonymous, January 18, 2000

I'm a little late with this info, but here it is anyway.

I kennel all three of my dogs and I have since I've gotten them. Mack really hated it the first couple of times and he would try to get away from the kennel people to get back to me. And I'd cry like a loon.

But when we got Brandy and they started staying together it was fine. Brandy loves the kennel. She smells the other dogs and she doesn't want to have a thing to do with me. Mack goes along with her and they're happy. They're always happy to see me when we come back.

Ginger goes to the kennel without incident because she doesn't know any better. She does sometimes have accidents when she comes home, but she's just a pup and it's to be expected. She'll learn in time.

I'm also very careful about what kennel I will leave them at. I get reccomendations from my vet and from someone else I know who treats their pet like a family member. The place I use most has indoor/outdoor kennels with runs. The three of them can stay together and I pay extra for them to have outdoor playtime in a fenced in grass playground.

They come home happy and I assume they like it. I can send blankets and toys with them and the people are friendly and nice.

I also use a petsitter for Mack and Brandy sometimes. If I'm just going to be gone one or two nights the petsitter is better for them. It's no cheaper but it is more convenient on the weekend. The kennel dosen't have pickup on Sunday so I have to have them stay at the kennel till Monday, which is unneccssary.

Ginger isn't ready for the petsitter. She needs to go out more times than twice a day. Mack and Brandy are better with the petsitter if it's only going to be one or two nights, but longer than that they get too lonely with only twice a day visits. They get more attention at the kennel. And Brandy hates the car, so I only do it to her if it's going to be a longer stay.

My suggestion about the dirarehha is to ask what food they feed Doc. Dogs need to stay on their regular diet and if they don't have the food you feed him, then bring it to them for him. I've done that. Another kennell I used to use at my old house let the dogs out twice a day for an hour each time and they played with them a lot -- it was worth having to bring my own food for them.

I think Doc will get used to it, but I also think it's easier on my dogs because they stay together. They've become used to it and they know I'm coming back for them. I'd try it a few more times before you give up on it, and when he gets older the petsitter is a great idea. Either that, or just get another dog !

And even when I know they're ok at the kennel I miss them like crazy. I'm always telling Dave how I miss them and wish they were with me. I take their pictures along with me and Dave and I tell stories about them so that we get through it. I'm not sure if they're happier to see me or I'm happier to see them when we get back from someplace.

Colleen

-- Anonymous, January 18, 2000

I'm just rereading this thread, and I have a question for you ... what kind of toy do you leave with your dog while he's at the kennel? Most kennels allow one toy, and I never know what to leave. He doesn't like nylabones. He's mostly past his chewing phase, but he likes those corn starch Booda Velvet things -- maybe one of them would be okay? He mostly likes stuffed animals, but I'd be afraid he'd get bored and eat it, and possibly choke. He likes his big bouncy balls, but those wouldn't be any fun in a crate.

Any suggestions?

-- Anonymous, May 17, 2000

Oops. Snicker. Doc doesn't HAVE big bouncy balls anymore; we took care of that. I mean his big rubber ball with the handle, and the other big squooshy one that squeaks.

I'm just making this worse, aren't I?

-- Anonymous, May 17, 2000

I have to know what a "Booda Velvet" thing is. I'm always looking for new things to entertain Dolly with. Maybe I'm out of the doggie toy loop, but I've never heard of this.

words diminish

-- Anonymous, May 17, 2000

They are these weird, bright colored cornstarch bones and "flips" that are sold in pet stores. I've read that some vets like them becaues dogs don't swallow them whole or eat them in big chunks (even power chewers like Doc), and some vets don't like them because they can upset a dog's stomach. Doc's never had a problem, so we give him those instead of bones and rawhides and the like.

I just canceled our reservation to kennel him at the vet because I found out that he would be kept in a cage except for two quick outings on Saturday and one on Sunday. And there's no one on duty on Sunday at all, or after 5 on Saturday. (Somone just comes in on Sunday to let the dogs out for a while.) Not acceptable. The other kennel has a sizeable run for each dog; it's not enormous, but he can see other dogs and walk around a bit. He liked it the last time, I think.

-- Anonymous, May 19, 2000

When we got our puppy in November, he was so sweet and quiet. We went to work the next day and left him in his large, giant dog crate. When we got home we found a huge mess. After bathing him everyday for a week, we decided to stop this little mess from happening again. We "puppyproofed" the bathroom (which is impossible by the way) and closed the door. This was followed by crying and scratching. Eventually he got too big for this and we started leaving him in our bedroom. He ripped up our mattress, tore out the stuffing, ate books, destroyed shoes (my favorite $80 Steve Madden black clunky shoes) and ate game pieces to our Star Wars Trivia game (poor Princess Leia).

It was time for action. My mother in law, seeing how Ken and I loved our dog but were at our wits end, suggested Doggie Daycare. Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want. I don't care. Our dog is a joy now that he has something to do all day.

I called some Kennels and found one near us that provided this service. We drop him off in the morning and pick him up after work everyday. Since he is around other dogs he is being socialized. It was easier to crate train him and housebreak him too. He loves it there. We brought a blanket for him and a toy (actually a rawhide chew bone and a rubber walrus he loves) and went off for a stressful day that nearly drove me insane. I worried all day.

When I got there in the afternoon the lady said he sat on top of his little house thing that was in his run and barked at the other dogs all day. She said he had to "greet" all the other dogs when they went out to pee and play and she said he was like the social director of the kennel. They love him there. He loves it there. And it costs us $10 a day to do this. Not bad.

Plus, if we need to leave him say overnight, or for our honeymoon next year, we know he will be in good hands.

-- Anonymous, May 24, 2000

Okay I promised no more forum interaction, but this seems harmless enough.

Launderdog over on Alta Arden near fulton is offering "Dog Day Camp." I think it's preponderous, but Dan wants to call and check into it for Bailey this summer. 483-SWIM. Hmm, I guess I'll remind him to call right now-- see how much money people are willing to spend on dog entertainment.

-- Anonymous, May 24, 2000

I have to kennel my dog today as we're going away for the weekend and I'm postponing it as long as possible. (The plane leaves at 8 so if I drop her off at 3 I'll be golden - that gives us six more hours together). The kennel is OK and they walk Lucy every day (for an extra $10 bucks a day but hell - it's my dog, take every penny I've got if it makes her happy). She doesn't mind going at all but it's emotional hell for me. The fact that she usually gets carsick doesn't make it any easier!

-- Anonymous, May 24, 2000

I normally make a point to take my dog with me on vacation. Yeah, I know I am a big ole freak...but I just don't know how comfortable I would be leaving her at her vet (and she has a great vet) or with friends, cause if something happened to her....anywho needless to say she go with me if I go.

-- Anonymous, May 24, 2000

I've left George - my cat - at the kennel once - and not even over night. Usually I bribe a friend to come over and feed him on extended vacations, but if I'm just gone a day, I simply leave him extra food & water. He's usually happier that way.

You know, there are services that you can hire that will come walk your dog a couple of times/day, etc. Usually college students needing extra money, families, etc. I've heard lots of good stories about that.

George always cowers when we get into the car - he knows he's going to the vet. I usually wanna cry the minute I leave him and race back to the place to pick him up. God help me when I have kids! That and I *miss* him like mad while we're separated.

-- Anonymous, May 25, 2000

Before I answer, some history on my furry children...

I have 2 dogs: Comanche and Bob.

Comanche was a stray that I found bleeding and crying on the side of a rural road in Oklahoma during a Texas to Kansas bicycle tour. A rider with an aerobar bungeed the pitiful little thing to her bike until we got back to camp. I don't know what possessed me to volunteer to take the mangy pup back to Arkansas with me, but I cut my ride short and did just that. I had never had a dog of my own as an adult, and had no idea what to expect. I was a single chick, living in a tiny apartment, and he became my absolute best friend. I took him to kindergarten to learn basic obedience. He went to doggy daycare while I was at work so that he wouldn't be bored during the day. We went for walks 3 or 4 times a day. He slept on my bed. He was (and still is) mellow, attentive, polite, sweet and just very well behaved. I worship this dog.

Shortly after I met my beau and we moved in together, my father passed away. His yellow labrador had just had a litter of 8 black lab pups. Mike (my man) had always wanted a dog to name Bob, and I selected one of the litter to bring home with us. The fact that the pup was female did nothing to alter Mike's determination that this dog would be named "Bob". We quickly became aware that Comanche's little sister had a completely different temperament than did her big brother. She has persistently resisted our efforts to housebreak her, obedience train her, break her of chewing and digging and generally tearing up everything in her path. She's like a freakin' goat, having eaten the pull cord and the leaf collector bag on the lawnmower, the wires leading from the air conditioning unit to the house, the lattice-work fence in our back yard, my boyfriend's eyeglasses, his leather briefcase, numerous couch cushions, articles of clothing, furniture legs and a host of other items. It's not as though she's neglected, either. She has a constant playmate in Comanche. She's welcome both inside and outside. She's got TONS of toys and lots of attention from Mike and I.

So....kennelling...

Comanche has NEVER been kenneled. My mother considers him her "granddog" and insists that he stay with her whenever I leave town. (This is a BIG deal, as my mom is not one to invite any creature -- human or otherwise -- into her home if there is even a CHANCE that destruction or mere disorder will result from the visit.)

Bob, is another story. Initially, I had no reservations about kennelling Bob. Truth be told, I was actually relieved when I knew she would be in someone else's house for awhile NOT tearing up her/our stuff at home. At first we took her to a kennel WAY out of town, with a great reputation for playtimes and lots of human-dog, dog-dog interaction, but it became such a chore to take her out there because she was constantly shrieking during the entire 30-45 minute drive, that we eventually chose to kennel her at our vet's office, 5 minutes away from the house.

Then, I started feeling guilty about the favoritism I was showing toward Comanche -- I mean, Bob can't help it that she's a psycho! So, the last couple of times we've had a dog-sitter come stay in our house while we're away. She feeds them, gives them their medicine, plays with them, and just generally hangs out with them. Even though I know Manche misses his visits to grandma's house, I feel a lot better about this setup. It's really not much more expensive than the kennel, and we don't have to worry as much about our dogs being traumatized as a result of cramped, impersonal kennel quarters. Plus, the two sitters we use both LOVE animals, and have great recommendations.

Dog sitting is MY choice for MY kids...

-- Anonymous, May 25, 2000

I've got three dogs, all of which I kennel when we go out of town. When we had just two dogs I'd use a petsitter for short trips, and they liked that. But when we got the puppy we started using the kennel exclusively because it's just easier to do the same with all three -- she's not yet old enough to leave in the house with only two trips outside a day.

I hate having to leave them at the kennel, but it's a nice place -- clean, etc -- and they love the dogs. Brandy and Ginger don't mind a bit and Mack only minds a little. They stay together in the run (Mack and Brandy in one, Ginger on her own) and they seem to take it much better that way. During the day we pay extra for them to be taken out to play as a group.

If I had a friend that would come and stay at the house while I was away I'd do that instead, but that's not possible right now. I'm already dreading the fact that they have to go to the kennel for over 2 weeks in September while I go on my honeymoon.

-- Anonymous, May 25, 2000

Doc could probably get by with two trips outside a day (three would be better), but he's still too wild to be left alone in the house for that amount of time. Eight or nine hours is his limit before he starts tearing stuff up and chasing the cats. If we work all day and then go out to eat (after walking him, of course), we have to leave a decoy out because we KNOW he will get into something. Newspapers make the best decoys.

Someone at Jeremy's office offered to take him the next time we go away for the weekend. I'm not sure he was serious, but we've taken his dog before, so hopefully he was. Doc and the other dog get along so I think it would be okay.

Doc definitely does not act like he's traumatized when he gets back from the kennel. He's very happy to see us, but "traumatized" is not the first word that comes to mind when your dog is pirouetting around the waiting room and knocking you over with his tail. He also settles right in to the back seat of the car with whatever toy we've brought him, and when he gets home he runs around kissing all the cats. (Boy, do they love that.) So no, definitely not traumatized.

-- Anonymous, May 25, 2000

When I was in high school, my family went on a month-long trip to Europe. There was no choice but to kennel our dog-we didn't know anyone who could house-sit for us. When we got her back she leaped into the car and actually started howling. My parents never kenneled her again because she was so traumatized by the whole experience.

-- Anonymous, May 25, 2000

We kenneled our 2 dogs a few times near our home when we vacationed. I was never too impressed with any of the kennels but did find one vet clinic who at least seemed to LIKE the dogs. However, on our last trip to Las Vegas to visit relatives, we decided to take the dogs with us and kennel them there. After doing some research we found that not only were the fees much more reasonable, the conditions were much much better. It was our best choice yet. Clean kennels where the dogs could go in and out through a doggie door which was left unlocked during the day, dogs beds at night and a huge play yard. For only $2 extra per day they would give your dog an extra 20 minute romp in addition to the two 15 minute standard exercise times. The best part was that these people loved the dogs. The play yard had all kinds of toys and agility equipment. We decided that we will always explore kennels near our vacation destination. The dogs travel well in the car and we can always visit them if we want.

-- Anonymous, May 14, 2001