Where do our dogs go when we are on holiday?

Hello lovely people, I hope that you are all having a wonderful time in the sun in the UK or wherever you are in the world. As a side note in this heat please ensure that you are looking after your dogs appropriately, so please don’t walk them in the middle of the day when it is hottest, also please be careful when walking them on roads because the hot tarmac can burn their pads, make sure that water is always provided and that they have somewhere they can lie indoors that is cool so that they don’t overheat.

On with the blog, having started my 6 weeks of placement this week with 2 weeks at a kennels I got to thinking about when we go on holiday what are the options for caring for our dogs and which I think are the best?

I would say that the options you have are boarding kennels, house boarding, staying with family or house sitting. I’m going to outline what I thin are the positives and negatives of each one and which one I think I would send my dog to plus some tips on picking which is best for your dog.

Boarding Kennels; these are kennels that house a large number of dogs, from my experience they are very noisy and the time that the dogs are walked for is a lot less than I would think fair, but it’s understandable considering the number of dogs that these kennels have to look after. I would say that if your dog/dogs are very laid back and can be walked off lead then this could be a good option for you, I think the dogs most suited to this type of kennels would be ones that are easy to care for so a simple diet and very few extra needs. I believe that these type of kennels can be the cheaper ones from the other kennel forms. My advise would be if you are thinking of sending your dog here would be to go check it out beforehand and ask as many questions as you like to ensure you are comfortable with sending your dog there.

House Kennels; I didn’t really know what to call this one but what I class this as is someone who will look after up to say 6-7 dogs at a time, the dogs get longer walks and often stay at the persons house. We sent our dog to one of these for quite a few years and she seemed to enjoy it, the dogs get longer walks and often do get constant companionship from the person running the service. I know for our dog we had to take her for a test to make sure that she was compatible with the ladies dogs and it all seemed to work very well. Another type of this would be another kennel we sent our dog to which kept quiet a few dogs however instead of spending most of the time inside they get to spend a lot of time outside running free in a field which I think is great because they don’t have a decreased activity load then. I would say that these kennels are best suited for dogs who like company and a more homely vibe, especially if they get stressed easily. It would also be good if your dog had more complicated feeding issues or care issues. I would say that they can be more expensive just because the dogs are getting better treatment with more human contact time.

Family; I believe that this is always the best option, often the dog will already know their house and the people plus if the family member has a dog then your dog will have company, often this is free and all it cost is a nice present from wherever you are visiting. In this situation the family can fully cater to all of your dogs needs and their walking times which really benefits the dog because it doesn’t put them out of their routine. We always used to send my dog to my grannies when we could because she grew up there as a puppy and she knew the house so it didn’t stress her out when we left her there. A great alternative to this would be a close friend who you live near who would put up your dog.

House Sitting; Now in the past I have done my fair share of house sitting, I know personally I am quite relaxed about what I get paid, lowest ever was £16 a day for 2 dogs and 3 ponies and highest was £40 for 3 dogs, 2 horses, chickens and sheep. I think this is a great option if you have the money, it can be more expensive depending on who you get, but at the same time you can relax in the knowledge that your house is being checked multiple times everyday and the dogs are being fed and walked in a familiar place every day. One important thing with this is to really trust and know the person who you are giving your keys over to. I pride myself in being a very sensible person who is reliable and will do the job properly. That’s just my one tip for house sitting.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog post I think this topic is really something to consider because you don’t want your dog to associate you going away with negative or aggressive feelings. You want it to be a holiday for them as much as it is for you. Thank you for reading I hope you all have a wonderful week and just remember to smile because you never know it could make someone’s day. P.S. I PASSED MY FIST YEAR AT UNI !