I feel your pain, I would be worried sick! We found a couple on craigslist that watches our dog. They charge us 30/day which I figure is cheaper than a good kennel. He sleeps in the house, with their two dogs. They have a huge back yard with an 8 ft fence so he comes home pooped. Unfortunately, he doesnt get enough exercise, yes my fault, so I am happy when he goes there! I cant activate the invisible fence in our yard, because Im afraid he will get poached or attacked by the wildlife in our area. You would think I live in the woods, or country. We have chipmunk, possum, raccoon, fox, groundhogs, and coyotes. The latest visitors were buzzards, and they about scared the crap out of me!
I have friends who have a dog door that exits into a locked outdoor dog run. Something like this: http://www.lowes.com/pd_476087-51029-830025_1z0weob__?productId=50062943&pl=1
The kennel is in the back yard, which is in turn fully fenced. Keeps the dogs safe from predators (human and otherwise) while still allowing outdoor access. The floor of the kennel is gravel with bark mulch. Easy to keep clean.
I board ours at a place that also has day care. They each had to spend a few hours in day care before being “accepted”. They have a live video feed showing the play room and it is quite entertaining to watch.
Zoosermom - I’d go ahead with the evaluation and I think you would better enjoy your day if you put them into day care. I also think it is a good idea to have a quick boarding option should something unexpected arise in the future.
We have a rescue doggie that we got at the end of August last year. She LOVES doggie day care and socializing with other dogs. We have an underground fence and she hangs out in the yard most of the day when it’s good weather. If if’s bad weather our neighbors come over and let her out mid day when we both work. Last weekend was the first time we were gone overnight since we got her and we had two different neighbors watch her and a 13 year old boy walk her. I was worried but really, she didn’t seem stressed at all when we got home. Our old dog did not do well with other dogs and it was harder to find care for him. With this dog, I know I could kennel her or even have her stay at a neighbors whose dog she likes. One of my son’s used to do house/dog sitting and he really liked it and took his responsibilities seriously. Actually, he’s in Brooklyn now…