What's the best kind of dog care for a dog that's going to miss me terribly?

[LyndaNotLinda]

My puppy is 8 months old and we're going away for a week next month. I've left him overnight before at a dog homecare place which he didn't mind too much but she's not got room for him.

I went to look at a kennel today and hated it. We just looked through the window at all the dogs in their cages which set them all off barking and my poor lovely boy was completely freaked out. The bloke who runs it has a small field and he walks the dogs on the lead round it twice a day, otherwise they're shut in these quite small cages all day long. The man also moved very slowly (he was quite elderly and very overweight) and I just think my pingy enthusiastic happy dog would be utterly miserable there.

I work from home and he's the sort of dog who stares at the window if I leave the house even to put the bins out. He's very clingy devoted to me.

So - what do I do? Are all kennels like that or is that just quite a bad one? There are quite a few more places I can go and look at as we live quite rurally. Or would I be better off getting someone to come in and feed him and take him for walks twice a day (ie he stays at home)? I think he'd be really lonely though and pine - well either that or he'd wreck the place (or both)

Please advise, experienced dog owners :)

[Floralnomad]

Find a pet sitter who comes and lives in your house for the week or do what we do and don't all go on holiday at the same time unless it's somewhere you can take the dog . The worst scenario is leaving him home alone with a couple of visits a day . Not all kennels are the same so you could always view a few more .

[IDoAllMyOwnStunts]

Do you know anyone that would come and live at yours and you pay them? We've done that with a young lad that we know and trust (well he's actually late 20s but young to me ). He loves it as he's living with parents at mo so it's a break for him. I stock up on pizza for him, plus the dog gets to stop in his own home. Win win. Have to know that person well though to do this.

[marmaladegranny]

Did you get him from a breeder? If so would they have him back for a visit?

[LyndaNotLinda]

Thanks all

I had a look at pet sitters and they seem to charge about £70 a day which is a bit outside my budget. I could see if a friend wants to come and stay and look after all the animals but we're going midweek because the flights are cheaper so I'm not sure they're going to want to take the time off work. Also when I've used dog walkers, he refuses to leave the house with them! So not sure he'd be impressed by an imposter in the house :o

Floral - there's only me and DS (9) so there's no choice about all going away at the same time! We are taking him with us this week when we go away but all my doggy friends in London have a place where their dogs love to go and get really excited about when they go away and that's what I'm hoping to find locally. I want to go on holiday and know that he's happy and well cared for.

Anyway, I'm feeling a bit more positive as I've found another kennel which has much bigger areas for the dogs, plus an outside area. And dogs are let off the lead and taken on long walks to the woods. He'll like that. The people that run it are dog agility trainers and say on their website that they'll get any nervous dogs to come and sit in the office with them a couple of times of day so they get used to it. You can turn up any time to view the facilities which makes me a bit more comfortable too.

Someone has also recommended another homestay place to me but it's miles away and they charge £40/night so that would be a last resort.

I could ring the breeder but I think it would be a bit of an imposition. Plus she lives absolutely miles away so would be an enormous hassle for me and the dog.

[negrilbaby]

Where in the country are you?

[UnGoogleable]

Have you heard of BorrowMyDoggy? It's a network which connects people with pet sitters.

I've no idea if it's any good, but might be worth a look?

[choxanwine]

You might consider home from home dog boarding, i.e. where your dog is looked after in a home/family environment. You could try someone like Wagging Tails who have branches all over the country:

www.waggingtailsuk.co.uk/local-dog-boarding

They match dogs and (licensed) carers as closely as possible and carers look after dogs in their own homes. You also have a 'sniffing out meeting' beforehand to check if everything is suitable for you and your dog before you go ahead with the booking.

[LyndaNotLinda]

Thanks - I've looked into some of those sites but there's not one where I am. I've used Pawshake in London but there's no-one where I live (we're in Kent) but there's a similar thing called Barking Mad which isn't too far away. Very expensive though - £30 for an hour long first meeting to get to know your dog. That's more expensive than my vet!

I think BorrowMyDoggy is for occasional loans of dogs, not boarding.

Anyway, I'm going to look at this better kennel place on Wednesday and if I don't like it, I guess I'll just have to bite the bullet and push the boat out.

So much for my cheap getaway :o

[Floralnomad]

Ive never used them myself but have friends who have used Canada Farm at South Darenth and they're very happy with the care there .