Boarding/Dog sitting without my dog dying

It's that time of year again! Vacation time for us means finding a sitter for our dog. At least this time I'm not waiting until the last minute.

It'll be for approximately two weeks (less than) at the end of August.

Now, last time I went through this it was for 1 week. I called a bunch of boarding places and someone at one place in particular who shall remain nameless (cough cough) told me that if I have never boarded my dog, I can't "just do that" because she might have a heart attack and die. Ok, she didn't use those EXACT words, but that was the gist of it.

So...
A) Is there some kernel of truth to that?

B) If I've never boarded my dog and I'm going to need to, how do I start? Because I had no occasion to board her as a puppy now I never can?

C) Anybody looking to make a little extra cash by dog sitting 90lbs of mush?

TIA!

Re: Boarding/Dog sitting without my dog dying

id take him if i lived with fh already
my mother is deathly afriad of all dogs but Rocky

how about te petsmart in huntington
its like a hotel
they get their indiviadual beds and tvs and they get play time
so its not true kennel boarding

Re: Boarding/Dog sitting without my dog dying

i also suggest boarding her 1 or 2xs before the trip to get her used to it

honestly, rocky doesnt eat or play unless my dad is home so i would believe he would die being boarded for 2 weeks But Rocky is "single white female syndrome" with my dad so thats an extreme case

Message edited 7/3/2007 3:20:15 PM.

Re: Boarding/Dog sitting without my dog dying

Petsmart sounds great Jess - thanks! I'll look into it.

Re: Boarding/Dog sitting without my dog dying

Re: Boarding/Dog sitting without my dog dying

i was just thinking abt this same Q

Re: Boarding/Dog sitting without my dog dying

pet smart hotel is great....my only gripe with them is you need a certain shot every 6 months instead of a year, which inst all bad but for our next trip, we have to get the shot, then wait a week or two, then bring him

Re: Boarding/Dog sitting without my dog dying

thanks BB

Re: Boarding/Dog sitting without my dog dying

I'm not into boarding - I've heard too many horror stories of dogs getting sick or hurt.
We usually have someone stay at our house when we go away. It's easier and way less stressful for the dog.
Where do you live? There is a woman in Huntington who brings the dogs into her house for around $35 day.

Re: Boarding/Dog sitting without my dog dying

My vet, at Dix Hills Animal Hospital, has 2 employees who dog sit in the home. They have options like coming in just for dog walking or staying overnight or a combo of both. We used them for our wedding night and it was great. Our trainer also does boarding in his home but he says that he only takes dogs that are crated on a regular basis at home. Otherwise, they cry and keep him and his dogs up all night. My ILs dog seems to get sick whenever they board him.

Re: Boarding/Dog sitting without my dog dying

I board my dogs all the time and have never had a problem. They always come back to me healthy and happy. I have used several different places depending on how long we go away. Longer then four days we use the Willow Pet Motel in Deer Park. They are great with the dogs.

Re: Boarding/Dog sitting without my dog dying

Check out craigslist.org. There are a lot of ads for people that will watch your dog for a decent price without having to board him/her. Good luck.

Re: Boarding/Dog sitting without my dog dying

COZY NOSES

We've boarded Cooper there a few times and we were so pleased! We were really worried because he's so high maintenance but we would bring him back there in a heartbeat. We plan on taking him there for a long stay when we go on our honeymoon. You need to act quick though because during the summer season they book up FAST!!

Good luck!

Re: Boarding/Dog sitting without my dog dying

I always use Willow Kennel inDeerPark, and never had any problems. My family and friends have always used them and not one complaint.

Re: Boarding/Dog sitting without my dog dying

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone!

Re: Boarding/Dog sitting without my dog dying

my boss was looking for a boarding place, and I told him I heard petsmart ha da nice one. he said it was really nice...the way he described it- id like to stay there!

Re: Boarding/Dog sitting without my dog dying

Could you have someone housesit? When we go away, my brother stays at our house with the furkids. We stock the fridge and give him some cash so it works out for everyone. He told us that this time he particularly enjoyed playing with DH's Xbox