I told you that I would need more than one post for last weekend because so much happened. While we had several unplanned events, we also had something important on Saturday marked down on the calendar for a while. Thelma and Rocky’s mama went out of town to celebrate her cousin’s upcoming wedding so Chris and I played doggie-sitters.
If you are anything like us, going somewhere you won’t be able to take your furbabies can be somewhat difficult. Sure there are boarding facilities but they bring up a slew of issues. A good one will only permit your animal to stay for boarding after a trial night has gone successfully. Often times our pets may seem perfectly confident and happy, easy going animals at home or even in public with us, but leaving them in a strange new environment surrounded by unfamiliar people and other animals can cause stress and anxiety.
Maybe your pet makes it through a trial run just fine, but there could still be other points of concern. If your pet is on any type of medication will the facility administer it? If so, are you confident in leaving a stranger in charge of that? Are you sure your pet will take the medicine from someone she doesn’t know?
Then there are special issues. Let’s take miss Thelma for example. I’ve talked briefly about her fear of storms. Thelma was rescued late in life and her mama doesn’t know a whole lot about her history. It is likely the noise and/or vibrations caused by storms trigger bad memories for her and she gets incredibly stressed out and nervous and just wants to hide. Mother nature is unpredictable so are you willing to take the chance that it storms while you are away and the stress level increases tenfold in a new setting?
And then of course there is the cost. Most of us probably wouldn’t put a price on the care of our furry family members, but sometimes your bank account will tell you otherwise. Boarding at a top notch facility can be very costly, not to mention you already had to pay for the trial run. If you’ve got more than one furbaby and will be gone for even just a weekend, you could shelling out more than you are for your trip on boarding costs.
I’m not against boarding at all. We have boarded our own dogs. I am advocate of choosing the right situation for your pets.So if boarding isn’t the best option, who can you find to care for your furkids while you’re away? You want it to be a person or people you know very well and trust implicitly. Probably someone with pets of their own and experience caring for them on a daily basis. And definitely it should be someone the animals are familiar and comfortable with. Once you decide on person or people you think would be best and an agreement is made, you should be prepared with some information.
Make sure your pet sitter knows the usual routine including all the little details. Thelma and Rocky’s mom was sure to tell us exactly where the food was, whose bowl was whose and how they normally eat. Any medications should be labeled and left with instructions on when and how to give them. And for animals with special concerns like Thelma’s storm phobia, it’s important to know what to do if the situation were to occur.
Chris and I were happy to be care-takers for Thelma and Rocky while their mama was gone and wanted to make sure they were treated just like she would treat them. Even if a pet remains at home with a familiar person, it can still be stressful to have their family leave. We kept their routine the same and gave them some extra special treats to help them stay relaxed.
Miss Thelma is still learning that her crate is a safe place so she is free to roam the house and sometimes gets into stuff she shouldn’t. We stayed the night to make sure she had a peaceful night sleep. To our pleasant surprise she even slept all night in her crate with the door shut. Rocky Double Toes, my nickname for him since he has double dew claws, snuggled up to me and slept like, well, a rock.
So what did we do with our dogs? Well, we actually got an added surprise that Chris’s family would be out of town also and the 3 dogs that live there needed to be taken care of it. Making sure 7 dogs are cared for requires some scheduling.
Friday night Rocky and Thelma’s grandma had stayed with them so she was there to feed them Saturday morning. Chris and I got up and walked Ares and Chaos and then we split up. Ares came with me to hang with Thelma and Rocky for a little bit. Chaos went with Chris to check on Trinity, Tigger and Riley. Everyone took afternoon naps while Chris and I ran our own errands and then we split again to feed everybody dinner. Later in the evening Ares and Chaos were happy to go to sleep in their crates after an exciting day so Chris could join me. Trinity and Tigger are outside dogs and Riley is a little Yorkie who makes himself cozy wherever he likes for the night.
Thelma and Rocky were very good while mom was gone and we had a great time hanging out with them. Ares and Rocky are well matched playmates and Thelma was even joining in with the youngsters and showing off her wiggle butt. We were glad we could help out and keep Rocky and Thelma as stress free as possible and their mommy could enjoy her trip without worrying too much about her babies at home.
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