have to put my dog in boarding kennels.....really worried

[jollymollie]

We bought a dog only a few weeks ago. We had a bit of a shaky start with him as he is 22 months and had severe seperation anxiety as he lived with another dog. He has now really settled with us and is happy and content and I can't imagine our life without him. We have to go away for the weekend in a couple of weeks and unfortunately can't take him with us. The weekend we are away is over firework night. I am so worried about leaving him. I have initially chosen a kennel that is in quite a remote area as they have said they don't hear the fireworks and they offer a free trial day where he can stay for a while. I'm so worried he will think he's been dumped. He's just settled with us and I really don't want him going back to square one. How do I know they'll look after him properly?? Can anyone offer any advice. This feels nearly as bad as leaving dd in nursery!

No advice - but mine are in kennels for the first time in a couple of weeks while we go away for the weekend and I'm dreading it in case they think I've abandoned them!

It's horrible isn't it? It's not as if you can tell the dog that you're coming back. I really don't think I'm going to enjoy my weekend as much due to worrying about him.

Jolly do you have anyone who could come & stay the w/e so at least he is in his own familiar home?

It might be worth paying someone just for the peace of mind, they could come over meet him before hand so he "knows" them. Later when he's more settled he could go to kennels if you're away.

I'm going through this too. I have to put mine in kennels twice in the next couple of months and am dreading it. Desperately trying to find a nice dogsitter with whom he can stay in a home setting for the few days we are away each time to avoid kennels.

There's no one that I know that would come and stay unfortunately. There is an advert in a local shop for a lady that offers home boarding. I don't know if this would be worse/better than kennels? Would it unsettle him more to be in yet another home environment?

For me the advantage of home boarding is the lots of individual attention and not being alone.

But they have to be reliable.

House & Dog sitters are probably the least disruptive option for your dog - but lots of them actually enjoy going to the kennels and are somewhat put out when you come back to drag them off home! It sounds like a good location for fireworks night and it's only a weekend. It will probably do him some good to realise he can be left and that you will come back for him. A bit like kids might not want to go to nursery but benefit from doing so

My dogs have been in different kennels this year. They loved it! I was a bit hummphed that they didnt bat an eyelid and went off together without a backwards glance.

Out of the 2, the second kennels were better. They have a grooming parlour and the dogs get washed if they are in for longer than a week, but they get groomed every day, walked and played with and loved loved loved. It isnt cheap but it also has an onsite vet who knows my dogs and dog breeder so that is an absolute godsend.

Try not to worry, they (dogs) are generally fine.

I use my babysitter who comes for a fixed fee and house/dog sits whilst we are away - are there any doggie hotel type places nearby alternativelty?

We put ours in just for a day at first, because we wanted him to know that he would be coming home again and we hadn't dumped him (he is a rescue). We spent all day worrying about him and we needn't have - he absolutely loved it. In fact when we collected him, they brought him out one door, and then he asked to go back in the other door again!!

We visited the kennel before we used it, and we got recommendations from friends too, so we knew that it was fine. We still worried about him, and it was for nothing!