<p>Sorry this might be long and somewhat confusing-
My oldest is back in school after an extended break. She has a dog. We have had few times when all of our children are together in the last few years. This winter break I would like for all of us to be together. All 3 kids have the same 3 weeks off.
The problem is D is in school in the midwest. We are in Ca. This will also be the first winter in the midwest. I am trying to come up with some options. D suggested we fly to Florida and she could drive to meet us with the dog. H doesn’t like or want to go to Florida. The distance to drive from the midwest to Ca is not doable considering she might encounter bad weather, the time it would take and adding to that she would have to turn around and drive back a short time later.
Other options- fly the dog with her home to Ca. It is a big dog so would not be a carry on dog. Has anyone done this? H thinks I am nuts.
Board the dog- D is not in favor of this. She has never boarded him and he is a rescue dog and she feels he will feel abandoned once again. The two of them live alone and they are very attached. We have never boarded our dogs so I am not sure how bad it is.
H suggested we might just go visit her in the midwest for a week. Not sure if he is nuts to suggest going to Indiana in Dec/Jan. None of us have been to Chicago. Would it be somewhere that any sane person would go to visit that time of the year?</p>
<p>You don’t want to fly a dog in cargo on an airplane unless you absolutely have to. It’s hard on the dog, much harder than boarding him. Your D should learn to take her dog to boarding, as it’s a necessary part of being a dog owner. (Or leaving the dog with a friend or relative.) As long as the dog is treated kindly and is safe, he will adjust. They don’t have the same sort of long-term abandonment issues that people might have. If she chooses borading, she needs to research all the kennels in her area to find the best one, and get reservations asap because holiday periods book up far in advance. </p>
<p>Indiana and Chicago in Dec.-Jan. is not a good option–snow, ice, etc. How about somewhere not so far south, like Nag’s Head or Hilton Head and your D could drive with the dog to meet you there? You would probably have to stay in a hotel as most rental houses do not allow pets.</p>
<p>She should look into different boarding options. Some places are excellent. Some have cameras, so you can see your dog when you are away. They may require an “interview” with your dog, so you have to be able to have it arranged well before the trip to be sure that your dog is accepted (no SAT scores required though…)
It is not cheap, but I think it is less stressful for the dog than flying (and less expensive probably).</p>
<p>Most airlines will not fly animals in the cargo hold during the winter months where it gets below freezing. It’s dangerous for the animals.</p>
<p>You could all visit the midwest during the winter (might be fun!) or have your daughter find someone to take the dog for the winter break. Pay the sitter well, and she shouldn’t have too much trouble finding someone to take him in for three weeks.</p>
<p>I am currently dogless because my poodle, to whom I was totally devoted, died last year. I think your D needs to lighten up. But as a lifelong dog lover, I think it’s ridiculous to have the whole family’s holiday plans revolve around the dog.</p>
<p>Our dog was also a rescue dog, and he had some related fears, but we never traveled with him and never boarded him. We weren’t opposed to boarding, but the kennels were all far from our house and we found better options. Has she checked on the possibilities?
–Is there a service that provides “in-home boarding”? The dog stays at a pet sitter’s house (usually you can opt for a house with another dog, or not).
–Does she have a friend or colleague who would be interested in house sitting with her dog, either in her home or theirs?
We used both these options. Our dog adored the person who came to house-sit (a young woman who worked for a friend of mine and liked the in-town paid vacation away from her small apartment). He also liked visiting the pet sitters because they doted on him. He would have freaked out if we had checked him in as baggage on Continental Airlines (the only carrier, to my knowledge, that has good pet transport services). He was much happier in his own or the sitter’s home.</p>
<p>Mainly, she needs to understand and work on her dog’s separation anxiety and her response to it. It might never go away entirely, but there are ways she could be helping him (and I don’t mean taking him with her everywhere). Our dog hated it when we packed our suitcases. He was happy when we returned. But while we were gone, he was fine.</p>
<p>I will suggest she look at some different boarding options. She is new to the area so has no friend to leave him with in Indiana. When she was living in Florida she had a couple of good friends who she would leave him with. The problem is new since she is in a new location.</p>
<p>I agree that options for boarding or pet-sitting are something that all dog owners should have in place. Have her check with her vet. They will often have good recommendations for good local kennels as well as individuals who offer pet-sitting services. As someone who has always had dogs, I would never recommend transporting a dog by air. It comes close to being inhumane, in my opinion. Boarding an animal in a reputable kennel is rarely a problem and is much kinder to the dog. In our experience, for the services we want at a reputable kennel, you can count on spending in the range of $35-50/day for one dog. Holiday periods are sometimes more expensive and are often completely booked a couple of months in advance.</p>
<p>A roadtrip with a dog (as recommended by someone) needs to be planned carefully if the owner is doing it alone. Distances per day need to be calculated, dog-friendly hotels have to be found and booked, insuring they are in areas where it’s safe for the dog to be walked late at night. </p>
<p>I’ll be contrary and say that Chicago at Christmas time would be fun. It’s a fantastic city with tons of interesting things to do, truly something for each and every family member’s interests. It’s not a vacation that would be a good one for having a dog along, though.</p>
<p>We’ve flown with our dogs during the winter with no problems. Granted there will be times when they won’t take pets because of cold, so it’s best to check with the airline on their limits/restrictions. Frankly, I think flying a pet on a hot summer day is a lot worse than a cold day. Check online for airline ratings as some are better than others for flying pets.</p>
<p>We’ve also boarded out pets. There used to be a lack of good boarders in our area, but now we’ve found some options. I’d have her check several places out and ask for references.</p>
<p>One other option is to meet somewhere in the middle. Maybe a vacation in Texas or Colorado?</p>
<p>We have always used an in home sitter and here anyway it is cheaper than boarding. could she check with the local vet or feed or pet store to get some sitter references?</p>
<p>I’m going to piggyback a bit on this topic, if that’s OK…</p>
<p>What’s the going rate to have someone housesit/petsit? Specifically - one dog and have someone stay at your home (vs. someone who just stops by a couple of times a day). No other duties except bringing in the mail, newspaper, that kind of thing.
Thanks!
And, to OP - as a dog owner, my first choice would be to have someone who would petsit either in her home or theirs. If that wasn’t feasible, I’d have to say a good boarding kennel would be my second choice.</p>
<p>I’d ask the vet about who to board with. I’m sure the dog will be fine. I’d even call the local rescue people and tell them she has a rescue dog and is looking for the best option of where to board the dog. They will have good recommendations, as well.</p>
<p>We’ve got dogs and we board them. They love to go there and play. Then, obviously, they love to come home.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t put a big dog in a hold on a plane, personally.</p>
<p>YMMV</p>
<p>Good luck getting everyone together for the holidays.</p>
<p>(OH, and some of us insane people live in Chicago and I wouldn’t come here in December/January unless you were used to it. again, YMMV)</p>
<p>I have a highly neurotic rescue dog. We have boarded her several times. I am very picky about kennels, and there are only three in our area that I would use. Until recently, there were only two, but we’ve found a small kennel whose operator she LOVES. And this dog is afraid of everyone but us, including a dog-loving friend who pet-sat her in our home several years ago!</p>
<p>Your D needs to be able to leave her dog at a kennel in case of emergency. She should start looking for one now, not be afraid to ask questions–For example, How often are the dogs taken out of their runs? Do they have playtime? When is the last time they are looked in on for the night? Can I bring her own food and toys, and her bed?–and plan to make reservations early.</p>
<p>If she could get a good pet sitter, that would also be an alternative. Usually they advertise regularly in local papers.</p>
<p>We have some incredible local boarding facilities. Many have the option of dropping the dog off for a day as a test run. Many allow dogs who get along well with others to spend a good part of the day romping together. Others have enough staff to take each dog out for a romp every day. The kennels are roomy, heated and air conditioned. I agree that having a good boarding situation on hand is always a good idea. Popular places book early but if you develop a good relationship with the kennel, you might be able to even rely on them in emergencies.</p>
<p>As an aside, Kennel owners around here tend to have “favorite” types of dogs. When we had a black lab we boarded him at a different place than we board our golden retrievers…but, then, we’re very picky.</p>
<p>ebeeee- we also have someone stay at our house with our dogs when we go away. In all our years of having dogs we have never boarded. If we are just going away for a weekend we will sometimes just have a friend come by twice a day to feed them. Our dogs are outside dogs with 2+ acres to run.
my2sunz- the college student who took care of our dogs this summer charged $25 a day. We have two big dogs. She just needed to feed them, throw the ball and bring in the mail and paper. She did sleep at our house.
D is going to think about boarding. She worked a short time at a pet store that did boarding. She was not impressed with the care the dogs received. Which is one reason she didn’t last long at that job.</p>
<p>I would agree about kennels having their favorite. I was researching kennels for my daughter’s dog before he moved from my home to hers in another state. I am very anal and figured I had the experience and knowledge of kennels and wanted to give my daughter a list of several to check out in person; yes, I was helicoptering!!</p>
<p>All of the kennels have daycare for the dogs during the day so they are not cooped up in a single run all day; because of the contact with other dogs, all the kennels required an evaluation day. My daughter was thinking about leaving her dog for a weekend before she had a chance to check out the kennels and did not have the time to get him in for an evaluation. One kennel when asking for the breed, which is a goldendoodle, said, “Oh, I have never met a mean goldendoodle, they are all so loving.” This kennel would have allow the dog to come without the required evaluation. I had mixed feelings about this as I would like to believe they really do check each dog out before allowing them with other, but as the grandparent of said dog, I was glad to know the kennel liked his breed!!</p>
<p>You daughter needs to go ahead and start looking into kennels as she might need to leave him without advance notice sometime in the future. She could start with a day of daycare or one or two nights of boarding, just to see how the dog does and if she likes the kennel.</p>
<p>We leave our dog with a woman at her home; she has never been to a kennel, but goes to daycare once a week to play with the other dogs; the socialization is so good for her.</p>
<p>My DD worked as a pet sitter, it was a licensed and insured full on business and she was paid $46/night; I think they paid more the the service but that was her pay and included a walk and feedings.</p>
<p>We have only had our dogs cared for by in home sitters, often my college DDs, ever since we tried a boarding place and our neurotic dog lost weight ch that his hipbones were protruding and was so sad afterward. He pitifully whined the entire drive home. That is his personality not all or even most dogs.</p>
<p>I just talked with her. It is as much her as the dog. She has a hard time thinking about leaving him with anyone but someone she knows. Regardless of what we do this winter break she should research and find a pet sitter or kennel to leave him at in case of an emergency. She also is trying to find an internship for next summer and she will probably need to fly somewhere for an interview.
It does sound silly to fly the rest of the family somewhere that she and the dog can drive to versus putting the dog in a kennel and flying just her home. Even with that option she would probably not want to leave him long. Certainly not for 3 weeks.
I have only lived in mild climated areas. I can’t imagine her wanting to spend 3 weeks of no school in the dead of winter in Indiana.</p>
<p>When someone does not know people in a community, I always suggest (regardless of their faith) that they look for people through the local ministers, priests and rabbis of that town. Clergy are the community-based leaders who will know of responsible single adults who might be very interested in pet-sitting, either in their homes or her apartment. </p>
<p>We’ve always had success by letting someone stay in our place and caring for the dog. Sometimes it’s a college student who’s coming to visit home (Indiana) for the winter break but can’t stay over with the parents (or would like a bit of relief by having his own apartment for those weeks). It might be a young adult in town who’s living with parents due to this difficult economy, who might like some breathing room for a few weeks. There are many reasons why someone might enjoy caring for the pet in your D’s apartment. To find a responsible person, however, teach her to ask at the local houses of worship. Understand that those places are not just for worship but serve as community centers for all kinds of families in her Indiana town.</p>
<p>Similarly the ASPCA chapter might have a list of pet-loving foster families.</p>
<p>I agree that the dog could be/should be boarded. </p>
<p>And the time to look for a boarding kennel is NOW for the holidays. She could start by asking her vet for recommendations. My dogs’ breeder is of the opinion that boarding is just fine … they may not be happy and thrilled to be there, but they will be SAFE. As opposed to in-home boarding that may or may not have good fencing and reliable door watchers.</p>
<p>If your daughter would like to PM me with her location, I will ask my network of pet stores, kennels, groomers, and trainers if they have any specific recommendations. It may turn out that I know someone in her area. (I belong to two national associations of pet industry professionals.)</p>
<p>EDITED TO ADD: If she decides to fly the dog, again start early. The best airlines for this are Delta and Continental. She’ll need the right plastic, airline approved crate, which will not be inexpensive, depending on the size of this large dog of course. The dog will need to be comfortable in the crate, and will probably need a vet visit for health clearance for travel, possibly in both directions. Given that we are talking the upper midwest, i.e. Chicago, it’s really possible that pet travel would be embargoed at some point in this time period. Check, and recheck, current regulations. She should look for the pet transport services also, rather than pets as cargo. I still endorse the boarding option.</p>