I really, really, really want to adopt a dog, but…..
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Anonymous
| ….I also love to travel and I’m conflicted about leaving the dog in the care of others while away. What do most dog lovers do when traveling? Dog sitter? Pet hotel? Every time I left my previous dog to travel, something always happened (health issues, etc…). I would love to get some advice, or different perspectives on this issue. |
Anonymous
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We have someone stay at our home and watch the home and take care of the dog. We have three different people actually, who are all happy to do this. We pay, and have never had a problem.
When we first got our dog, our vet kind of fell in love with her (she does the head tilt thing - so cute!) and told us if we needed dog-sitting the vet would be happy to bring our dog to her home. We did that twice and everything was fine, but we feel our dog is just more comfortable in her home with our smells and all her toys and favorite spots, etc. |
Anonymous
| You were unlucky, then, because usually it's very easy to board your dog or drop it off at a pet-sitter's. I researched people on Rover and selected someone who seemed experienced, had good reviews and was affordable. |
Anonymous
Thanks PP, this is OP. How did you find someone you trust to watch your home and dog? Are they friends/family? Neighbors? |
Anonymous
| We hire in-home sitters from Rover. |
Anonymous
1. Our nanny 2. My best friend from middle school 3. My best friend from grad school and his widowed dad Sometimes one will do one week and hand off to another for the next week. We've never used Rover or anything that involves a stranger. |
Anonymous
| I've hired local in-home and in the sitter's home sitters from Rover. Always had a good experience with them and my dogs pull to go towards their homes when on walks. |
Anonymous
This really depends upon the particular dog. Dogs are very sensitive animals. Separation anxiety may be a factor. |
Anonymous
| I did not have a great experience with an sitter who didn't drop by as often as I paid for. I was a disaster. I've also had mixed experiences boarding. It's one of the hardest things to deal with and we travel less because of it. |
Anonymous
| NP. It's possible your dog will make friends at the dog park, etc and then you can get recs for dog sitters from the other owners. If your dogs get along extremely well, they might offer to keep your dog while you're away. I did this for a friend and it always worked out well, the dogs enjoyed the company. |
Anonymous
| Boarding or relatives. However, it really has been a limitation on our travel. When our senior dog passes, I want to travel for a few years before we consider another dog. |
Anonymous
| This is OP. Thanks everyone for your insights. This has been very helpful! |
Anonymous
| We are very lucky because we have a friend we trade dog sitting with. We have two dogs and she has one; thankfully, they get along very well. |
Anonymous
| We have used several people from Rover - all positive, some better than other, but now we found a great person on there who we fully trust and our dogs love too. We've also had friends and family petsit. As frequent travelers, this was a big hesitation for us too before getting a dog, but it has been fine (just another consideration/hassle when trip planning). |
Anonymous
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I have 2 dogs, and I travel frequently. They have been going to their vet since they were puppies, and they love it there. The vet also offers boarding services, so I let them stay there. I’m comforted because they absolutely love it there (I know, my weird dogs love the vet), and if something happens, they are where they can get help quickly.
I’ve been doing it for 8 years. |