Dog lovers dilemma

[Inbetweenie993]

Hi - if you are a dog lover, read on.....I have a 3 year old little dog, first dog, love her to bits. My life is such that she has never spent a night without me, and to be honest has rarely been left for more than a few hours.

My life has changed such that I can afford holidays now. First for 10 years, I took her with me - uk based.

I would like to go abroad, without her... thinking that if I got a second dog for company, I could put them in kennels eventually.

Is this a stupid idea????

I love her so much!

YABU - Stupid idea, there are other ways to overcome this. Ideas please!

YANBU - Great idea, could work for everyone... go for it.

Would massively appreciate help and advice. Thankyou

I wouldn’t necessarily get a second dog. Rather than kennels, I think you’d be better looking for a pet sitter, who would have her in their home.

I have two dogs I adore. I'd never use kennels and choose to holiday in the UK with them. I know there are alternatives where someone will have the dogs in their home or yours. Would that work?
My cousin takes her dog to Europe regularly alone in her camper There are plenty of options.

Get someone to stay at yours, or find a home boarder where they stay in a house, rather than kennels.

Hi. Don't send them to kennels, look for a dog boarder who has them in their home (usually with their own dogs) or have someone stay in your home.
I've taken our dog on all sorts of holidays at home and abroad (he'd been to 11 countries by the time he was 3) but now he loves going to his boarder and being in a pack (im currently in Asia as I type). It's like his own holiday. Costly, yes, but he's happy.

Find a small kennels, and go on your holiday. Mine adore their ‘holidays’, they run in without looking back! The people who run it are lovely, and greet them like family.
Not all boarding kennels are dog gulags.

We have always had dogs. We have never used a kennel - no dog of mine is ever going near one. We’ve always used home boarding where the dog goes to the boarders home and is cared for there. We’ve had a few over the years, all great and the dogs have loved going there. We always did gradual introductions and trial stays before leaving for longer periods. One of our dogs didn’t like other dogs so we used a boarder who only had one dog at a time. Worth every penny.

Firstly can you afford a second dog with insurance, food, vets bills etc ? I agree with others to find a good pet sitter to either stay at yours or your dog go to a dog boarder. Perhaps just give it a trial run for a couple of nights get your dog used to them and see how it goes. Hope all goes well OP

Don’t get a second dog for company. They may not like each other.

We used to drive with Ddog when we went to Spain. I wouldn’t recommend that, it’s a long way, but France is very dog friendly.

On the kennels option, DSis uses a place that has day and overnight options. She took him for a few daytime sessions before an overnight and he actually loves it.

Definitely not kennels, a pet sitter or family member would be better

We use a dog boarder so our dog lives in the family home of who looks after her. Her 2 weeks there is pretty much the same as when she's with us, including sleeping upstairs in their bedroom. She absolutely lives going there & is always spoilt rotten.

I wouldn't use kennels, find somewhere local to you that does home boarding instead.

Would you consider a dog sitter who boards dogs in their own home. I’ve been doing dog sitting for a few years and absolutely love my job and all of my little dogs who come to stay. I only mind dogs from one family at a time but you’ll find some who will do more depending on what suits you and your dog.
if you look on a site called Rover you can find a dog minder in your area and see their reviews and prices.

Don't get a second dog for this reason. It wouldn't really be fair on the new dog to be viewed as instrumental to the welfare of the existing dog. And it may well generate more problems than it solves.

Although home boarding is better, I wouldn't dismiss kennels out of hand. Just make sure you only use an excellent kennels.

The difficulty is getting a dog used to it, particularly if they are only introduced to kennels when they are already several years old. I guess I would be looking for a kennels that helped you with this task, by offering, say, an hour's stay, followed by a day-long stay, followed by an overnight stay.

It depends on the dog, but generally, I prefer to use sitters in my home. Less disruption for the dog and they keep their own routine. Two of mine do go to kennels. It’s a farm and they spend all day chasing quad bikes and running around like lunatics, which is what they love. When we drop them off, they leap out of the car and leg it, without looking back 🤣🤣🤣 The others would hate that environment though, so they stay at home, with a sitter.
That said, it is absolutely NOT easy to find a decent sitter. Most have dogs that they see to daily, so it can work out that your dog is left quite a lot during the day? You need to agree times left etc. I would also recommend having cameras externally so you can see what’s going on.

Your DDog might not get on with another dog. Start using a dog walker once a week so they build a relationship and make sure it is one that will look after DDog if you go away. I have done that for years. It might seem expensive but is cheaper than kennels or getting a second dog.
Alternatively why not try trusted housesitters. I know plenty of people who use them and are very happy.

That's an insane idea!

If you can afford the expense of a second dog, you'd be better off putting your dog with a lovely, small home border.

Our little old dog goes to a very gentle couple in their 50s, who only have a maximum of 4 dogs at a time (their own 2, plus 2 guests), in their own home.

She's always so well cared for. It's £35 for a week night and £45 for weekends (not far off what I still think of as hotel prices!) but so worth it.

I wouldn’t get a second dog, they would take a lot of time to settle in and train etc. Look at getting a dog sitter who stays in your home whilst you’re away. There are some AMAZING ones out there (like the one we have!). Your dog will feel happier staying in their own home. Our dog hates being away from us but is happy as larry with our dog sitter as he gets to stay in his own home and go out on his usual walks etc

Home boarders are also an option, people who take care of dogs in their own home whilst the owners are away. Again, there are some lovely ones out there. But ensure to check that they have a licence!

I would avoid kennels at all costs. I’m sure some are lovely but for a dog that’s never been away from you it would be horrendous

Don't get a second dog. Things may not go as planned and you double your problem, at least. Mine have never gone in kennels as the ones locally aren't good. I just don't go abroad. But if you have good kennels or other places perhaps try dog there for the day, one night, weekend and see how it goes.

Echo everyone saying look for home boarders or a good sitter.

I had 2 dogs for 16 years (they were litter mates, so not recommended anymore) and they were great pals. The first 10 years of their life, I was basically alone and it helped that they were a pair. But that wasn’t the intention.

I have one dog now and DSis and I act as each other’s dog sitter. Do you know anyone in a similar situation you can get matey with? This solution works well for us, the dogs adore each other and we both know they’re in good hands while we’re away. On the odd occasion we’re away together, the dogs either come with or they’re boarded together with a local home boarder we know well.

Wow! Thanks so much for all the thoughtful advice! Not keen on someone living in my house, but had no idea "home boarders' even existed. I think I should try that, and agree with those who advised that its the wrong reason to get a second dog.

Really appreciate all answers. 💝

My dog stays with her trainer when we go on holidays. It’s such a win as he takes her to her regular classes and also all the others he runs while we are away. We have a pet sitter for our other animals.