WITH December holidays on the horizon, it’s time to start planning for your pet’s accommodation, where it will be staying,should you be planning a holiday. When you’re going somewhere your dog can’t follow, you have to decide whether to send them to a boarding facility, or entrust a pet sitter with one of the most important parts of your family’s function.
Pet Sitters
Your pets will most likely feel most comfortable in their home surroundings while you are away. There are a few options when it comes to pet-sitters, some make regular visit during the day to feed and let pets in and out of the house.
Others live-in for the period you are away. It can get quite lonely for your pets to be at home alone all day and night, with only a few single visits per day, especially if you only have one dog or cat. For this reason, a live-in sitter would be a better option. However, you will want to make sure that you find a reliable pet-sitter, and it’s often best to find someone who has been in the business for a while, with references.
There are also companies that offer these services, which includes playtime with your pet, and even garden and pool services. A good way to find the right pet-sitter is to ask around, have a look on Facebook or do a Google search. Keep in mind that pet-sitters get quite busy over the December period, so it’s best to book them early on. It’s also a good idea to invite them over and see how they interact with your pets.
Kennels
Should you feel uncomfortable with a stranger in your house a kennel is a good option. Once again, ask around, as people who have taken their pets to specific kennels. They are the best references. There are many kennels out there, but make sure that the kennel is decent, and check their references as well. You want to have peace of mind that your pets will be treated well, fed according to their regular schedule and given plenty of exercise and fresh water.
Usually kennels place similar kinds of dogs together, depending on how well socialised they are. Visit the kennel beforehand and have a walk around to see where your pet will be sleeping and how the staff treat the pets that are there. Also enquire if the kennel has a veterinarian on site, in case your pet should feel ill or get injured.
Kennels also bring peace of mind, because you know that your pet is in a secure environment.
Keep in mind, however, that kennels do not accepts pets unless their shots are up to date. So make sure your pets visit the vet regularly, not just for holidays in kennels, but in case of other emergencies as well, where you may need to get your pet into a kennel on short notice.
It’s a good idea to find out from local kennels what their requirements are for your pet to stay, well in advance. Kennel cough is unfortunately one of the problems, as much as kennels do their best to keep diseases at bay by only accepting pets with their vaccinations up to date. Diseases, like kennel cough, spread quickly.
Most kennels also have facilities to groom your pet, so that by the time you are ready to pick them up they are fresh and clean, and well groomed.
A stay at the kennel
Vinkel and Koljander have spent a couple of holidays in kennels, and I was lucky to find a fantastic kennel, where I had complete peace of mind. They even sent me daily messages with updates about how the two of them were getting on. Because they are well socialised, they had a wonderful time with the other dogs, running through splash pools and getting completely muddy. I know they had a wonderful time and it was great to fetch two well-groomed dogs. The kennel was recommended to me by a friend who regularly takes her dogs there as well. This specific kennel, and many others also have day-care facilities, where you can drop your pets off before work, have them socialise and play with other dogs all day. and pick them up again at the end of the day.
My best advice is to research your options thoroughly and figure out what will be best for your pet.
That’s it for this week, from me, Vinkel and Koljander.
Paw five! Woof!
