As the owner of a beautiful Husky and a talkative cat, we often have to decide the best course of action in regard to their health, safety, and mental well-being. They both love us, have favorite spots at home, and have gotten used to their routines. All of this changes when we’re traveling, whether they come with us or not. So, here are our recommendations for what to do with your dog when you travel.
When we decide to head out, either for an overnight trip to the mountains or a two-week international trip; we have essentially five options for our dog. We’ll discuss the pros and cons of each in this post. At the end of this article, we’ll tell you what we choose to do with our own dog when we travel. Have a cat at home? See our related article about What To Do With Your Cat When You Travel.
The Options For Your Dog When You Travel
Hire a Babysitter to Come to our House
Online sites such as Rover.com and TrustedHousesitters.com allow you to hire a pet sitter to come to your house. You can schedule them to come and take them for walks, or to care for them during the day.
The biggest pro is that your pet gets to stay at home where they are most comfortable. The biggest con is having somebody check in on her several times every day can get expensive. It also leaves your dog home alone for significant periods of time, which can cause separation anxiety.
With TrustedHousesitters, the house sitter lives at your house during your absence. You pay one annual fee for unlimited sitters for the year. It could be a much cheaper option if you travel often.
Bring Your Pet To Stay With A Pet Sitter
Similar to having a pet sitter come to your house, you can also leave your pets at your sitter’s house. Although online sites such as Rover.com seem to have fewer options for boarding with a pet sitter, they still have options.
The pro is that this can be cheaper for a dog than regular check-ins during the day. The con is that you really need to trust the pet sitter to care for your pet. You may not know the environment that they keep compared to your own. They may also have different rules (like dogs are allowed on the couch and bed) that may conflict with your own training of your pet.
You also have to think about what happens if your pet causes problems at their house (like chewing on furniture or peeing on the carpet.) Most professional pet-sitting companies have some version of insurance coverage that help pay sitters in case of damage. Most also allow you to read reviews of sitters before selecting one.
Board Our Pets At A Boarding Kennel
Many companies exist (Dogtopia, PetPardise, HoundsTown, etc.) that do boarding, many for both cats and dogs, even birds. Boarding your pet at a boarding facility is generally the safest choice because they are often designed specifically for this purpose. For dogs who require care several times a day, this ensures that your dog is being looked after.
Great boarding facilities often have video cameras so you can check in on your pets during the day. Boarding at a facility should also allow for plenty of time for play and socialization with other dogs. They will also provide medication, special diets, and even provide dog-washing services. A good bath can be great after a few days of intense playing with new friends.
Before considering boarding, tour the place, meet the staff, ask lots of questions, and look at the safety and security measures. Also, take a look at online reviews and see what other people say about them. Many boarding facilities also have daycare for dogs and suggest having them do a few days of daycare first. You want your dog to feel comfortable that you’ll always pick them up before doing any overnights of boarding. Specifically, our current doggy daycare has a “3 Plays Before a Stay” policy that has worked well for our pup.
Leave Our Pets With Friends or Family
if you travel often, this could be a good option for your dog. This can be the cheapest option if you have a friend or family member willing to watch your pets while you’re away. Asking a friend to watch your dog can be challenging because they can take a lot of work.
Often people who already have dogs are the most likely to be willing to care for your pup while traveling. Especially if your dogs already have play-dates or walks together and get along well. The benefits are that you know your dog is with somebody that you know and trust. Plus you’ll likely get lots of pictures and communications.
The downside, similar to boarding with a pet sitter, is that their dog rules may differ from your own. This may cause some bad habits. You may still have to worry that your dog may cause some damage or misbehave in some way. Additionally, they won’t have the same insurance coverage offered by professional pet-sitting services.
Of course, people who have had dogs for a while have probably been through it all on their own at some point. They have ideally dog-proofed their home effectively.
Bring our Pets on Vacation with Us
The obvious benefit is that we can ensure that she is cared for the way we want. We can also ensure her safety and comfort during the trip. We also get to spend more time with her.
The cons are that it’s not always easy to find places that allow pets and traveling with pets has its own challenges. Additional expenses such as pet fees at hotels and airplane pet tickets can add up. It may also limit what you can do if you have to care for your dog throughout the day.
Any one of these options has some risks to our dog, and she has gotten hurt or eaten things that made her sick in the past. So, we make sure to have Pet Insurance for her to help manage any of these unexpected costs.
What Do We Do With Our Dog When We Travel?
Whenever possible, we take her with us on day or weekend trips and find housing that allows for a dog. She absolutely loves car rides and exploring new places, so she loves the trips. We have also done a combination of taking her on our trip and then using a local pet sitter or doggy daycare at our destination during the day.
The benefit of Rover is that you can find pet sitters anywhere in the country. But the downside is that doing interviews and meet-and-greets may be a lot more difficult. Some of the larger Doggy Daycare organizations were easily able to forward our local records to a temporary location. This allowed us to drop her off at one of the locations we were visiting without another temperament test.
If we are going to be gone longer or flying to our destination, we generally board her. We picked a doggie daycare that fit our family’s specific needs and requirements. We did tour multiple places before selecting one. Finally, we take her to daycare on occasions when we are home and not traveling to evaluate if our pup is still enjoying daycare.
Recently, we made friends with another couple who has a dog, who gets along amazingly with our dog. Since the dogs spend a lot of time together we each felt comfortable watching each other’s dog. So, in short, we’ve tried a little bit of all 5 options with our pup.
What To Do With Your Dog When You Travel
In summary, there are lots of options for ensuring that your dog is cared for while you are traveling. Ensure that whatever option you are choosing is one that you and your dog(s) are comfortable with. Unfortunately, things can go wrong while you are away. Largely, You want to make sure that your pet care is left up to somebody that you trust. While you’re on vacation, the last thing you want to worry about is the health, safety, and comfort of your beloved pet.
Will my dog be OK when I go on vacation?
As long as you have a good plan to ensure that they are somewhere safe, they should be fine. They’ll miss you of course, and will likely be very excited to see you when you return. If you are prone to missing your dog(s), look for a place that sends you regular photo or video updates.
How long can a dog be left alone?
Generally, a dog can be left alone for 6 – 7 hours without any problems. Even a little bit longer at nighttime. You might be able to get away with longer if they have easy access to the outside for bathroom purposes. But, even with access to the outside, dogs are very social animals and need love and attention. It’s generally recommended that dogs aren’t left alone for more than 12 hours.
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