• Welcome to the FREE TUGBBS forums! The absolute best place for owners to get help and advice about their timeshares for more than 32 years!

    Join Tens of Thousands of other owners just like you here to get any and all Timeshare questions answered 24 hours a day!
  • TUG started 32 years ago in October 1993 as a group of regular Timeshare owners just like you!

    Read about our 32nd anniversary: Happy 32nd Birthday TUG!
  • TUG has a YouTube Channel to produce weekly short informative videos on popular Timeshare topics!

    All subscribers auto-entered to win all free TUG membership giveaways!

    Visit TUG on Youtube!
  • TUG has now saved timeshare owners more than $24,000,000 dollars just by finding us in time to rescind a new Timeshare purchase! A truly incredible milestone!

    Read more here: TUG saves owners more than $24 Million dollars
  • Wish you could meet up with other TUG members? Well look no further as this annual event has been going on for years in Orlando! How to Attend the TUG January Get-Together!
  • Now through the end of the year you can join or renew your TUG membership at the lowest price ever offered! Learn More!
  • Sign up to get the TUG Newsletter for free!

    Tens of thousands of subscribing owners! A weekly recap of the best Timeshare resort reviews and the most popular topics discussed by owners!
  • Our official "end my sales presentation early" T-shirts are available again! Also come with the option for a free membership extension with purchase to offset the cost!

    All T-shirt options here!
  • A few of the most common links here on the forums for newbies and guests!

What to do with Pets when we travel

icydog

icydog

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
4,872
Reaction score
338
Location
Central NJ
Since timesharing poses so many opportunities to travel, we cannot turn any down of course, we always have to find someone to care for our pets while we are gone. What solutions have you come up with for your pets? I, for example, have had someone take my dog into their home for a fee while a neighbor keeps our cats for free. I have never put any of them in a kennel.

Our cat sitters now have three vacations planned with us so we really need to find someone asap.
 
Luckily we live close to two of our adult kids, so they get the dog when we travel.

We also have some neighbors who would take care of our Lab in case of an emergency, and maybe even for a short length of time. And we have taken care of their two Golden Retrievers when they have gone away for two weeks. The dogs stay in their own house, but we go over and let them out, feed them and play with them.

I have seen cars with 'pet sitters' on them and I might try them sometimes too.
 
We have found people like ourselves (no kids at home, but with dogs) and do reciprocal dog sitting. they go, we take their dog in. We go, they take our dog in. Usually there is a gift from the visited location in 'payment.'

While my dog loves kids, she can get over-excited around them, and I don't want that to happen if I'm not around. Other people would not be able to see it starting to happen and get it stopped. Not worth the risk.

As time goes by, we've added some people to our list, and removed others. One of the most important things is how well our dogs interact, and how they behave in the home. It's lucky that our dog gets along with cats, too.

There are numerous 'doggie resorts' around here and I would only kennel our dog in a place that had the 'hang out in the living room all day' scenario. For those, they usually insist on an assessment meeting before agreeing to board, and I'm very much in favor of that.
 
In the past I got young people that we knew to dog sit in our house for us. Usually people who love animals but live in apartments are happy to get the extra cash. Unfortunately, the last time I went on vacation I couldn't find anyone who wanted to do it. I had to use a professional dog sitter. They came 3 times a day for a couple days and then someone stayed overnight in the house, which we preferred. It cost a lot more than having a non-professional do it, but when they came back for the 2nd half of the payment, the dogs were thrilled to see them so I guess the dogs were treated well and bonded with the sitter.

Sue
 
I have a friend who never travels. She's afraid of flying and doesn't care to see any part of the world beyond the 60 mile radius from her home. Therefore, she's always available to take care of my dogs. We have a great arrangement. I just hope I never have to move more than 60 miles away from her.

One time when she got sick, I hired a local petsitter that I found through my vet. That worked out well but I'd only do it for short periods.

Kenneling is a last resort. I had a cat die when I left her in a kennel for 3 days. Never again.

Min
 
AzMin said:
I have a friend who never travels. She's afraid of flying and doesn't care to see any part of the world beyond the 60 mile radius from her home. Therefore, she's always available to take care of my dogs. We have a great arrangement. I just hope I never have to move more than 60 miles away from her.

One time when she got sick, I hired a local petsitter that I found through my vet. That worked out well but I'd only do it for short periods.

Kenneling is a last resort. I had a cat die when I left her in a kennel for 3 days. Never again.

Min
Click to expand...

That's a sad story alright. Sorry that happened to you. We used to know the lady who ran the kennel very well but I don't think I would do it with this new set of animals. Our last doggie, whose name was ICY was raised in a kennel since she was a show dog, and our kitty actually was the kennel lady's until she gave her to us. This dog is a Bichon, much smaller and is like a baby to us, and has never been away from a home environment, and the cats have always been here or with my friend Judy; so no more kennels for us either.
 
We found a college senior who loves to house-sit. She still lives at home so it gives her some cash and gets her out of her paents house for a bit here and there. A win-win situation.

Our doggie is in wonderful hands.
 
We have horses, dogs, and cats. I have done the kennel route (not a problem with the dog that actually liked the kennel), the people across the street (until he got married and moved away), my adult kids (they left too),and college students. Now I let my friend keep her horse here free in exchange for pet sitting on my many vacations. We have to make sure we don't go anywhere at the same time, unless I leave hubby home, not always a good idea.
 
One very important to think about....it's obvious that you would entrust the care of these animals to someone worthy. However, how good would these individuals be in an emergency? Would they know what to do? Where to go? How to handle a situation? Maybe not just a potential medical emergency...but what if the animals got into a disagreement? or was stung by a bee? or was choking? or got a stick or something else caught in its throat? or had diarrhea? or a fire? ad infinitum!

That's why responsible kennels are around, because they know how to respond in an emergency, and provide reasonable care.
 
We use a kennel. It adds another layer of expense which frankly is not welcome but we do it.

After owning dogs for almost 30 yrs now and approaching another milestone we probably will take a break.

We have used friends and family sometimes and once a professional dog sitter who when the snow storm hit couldn't or wouldn't fulfill the obligation.

I go to the kennel to pick up tomorrow.
 
Our son lives up the road about 1/2 mile. So the pooch's never have to leave home. With the doggy door they get to remain in their familiar enviorment. I believe that is much less stress on them.

He checks on them twice a day, feeds & waters them and they patiently wait for us to return home.

:whoopie:
 
We happen to have a friend with four dogs and a fenced-in yard. He often watches his brother's two dogs, too!!! All the dogs are medium-size, not too much bigger than our dog. When we go on vacation, if he is home, he takes our dog. Fortunately she gets along with the others.

He goes on vacation only once in a while, and then he takes his four dogs and his brother's two dogs and goes to a favorite motel by the beach where they LOVE dogs!

If he can't do it, we take the dog to a very nice kennel near here. She gets a little room of her own and there's a living room area, a play area, and even a swimming pool.
 
I beg one of my relatives, that my dog is comfortable with, to take her.

I worry about my dog, when I'm on vacation. Knowing that she is with relatives, and people that she knows, is a big comfort.....I'm very lucky, that one of them always takes her.
 
We take our pet parenting responsibilities very seriously!! :)

We have two cat children and we hate the idea of putting them in different surroundings while we are away, so any sort of boarding is out! Instead, we have someone come and live in our house while we are away. We go to people we know who have human children aged 16-25 and ask if their kids would like to live in a luxurious well-equipped apartment close to the heart of the city and get paid to boot! The human kids love the idea of being away from their parents/roommate for a while and getting paid, and the parents like the idea of the kids learning responsibility. Nobody gets rich on the $20 per night we pay, but it's an easy job and a win-win all around. Even after one week, the kid gets a nice slice of pocket money, and we get to put our minds at ease. We do carefully interview the kids to make sure that they are cat lovers, and we have a three-page "training document" that we walk the selected kid through. We must be doing okay, because after a couple of days, our girls (who are great judges of character) love to sleep and cuddle with the babysitter.

Bottom line: our cats are happier when they are at home in their own surroundings, and we are happier too!
 
CatLovers said:
We take our pet parenting responsibilities very seriously!! :)

We have two cat children and we hate the idea of putting them in different surroundings while we are away, so any sort of boarding is out! Instead, we have someone come and live in our house while we are away. We go to people we know who have human children aged 16-25 and ask if their kids would like to live in a luxurious well-equipped apartment close to the heart of the city and get paid to boot! The human kids love the idea of being away from their parents/roommate for a while and getting paid, and the parents like the idea of the kids learning responsibility. Nobody gets rich on the $20 per night we pay, but it's an easy job and a win-win all around. Even after one week, the kid gets a nice slice of pocket money, and we get to put our minds at ease. We do carefully interview the kids to make sure that they are cat lovers, and we have a three-page "training document" that we walk the selected kid through. We must be doing okay, because after a couple of days, our girls (who are great judges of character) love to sleep and cuddle with the babysitter.

Bottom line: our cats are happier when they are at home in their own surroundings, and we are happier too!
Click to expand...

I hear what you are saying and I agree. However when my husband and I had to travel on business to Calif I asked my friend's daughter, then 18 to babysit my daughter then 12. Mary was a college student at Rutgers so going back and forth was a cinch, this was when I live in East Brunswick, NJ about 5 miles from Rutgers. We left and we made evening phone calls to Mary and my daughter Toni. Each night we would hear about the way she was studying with Mary and we were thrilled. When we got home we were accosted by our neighbor who told us there were drunken brawls in my home each night, Mary had her friends sleeping over, and that she and my 12 year old daughter took my brand new car out of my locked garage and went joy riding all over the place. I further found out that Mary had taken my daughter to frat houses and allowed her to have her 12 year old friends hang around with the older kids at my home, drinking and carrying on. When I arrived home I found beer and/or soda stains on my newly painted walls and newly installed carpeting. I was fit to be tied and told my friend about this situation. My friend was mortified and told me not to pay Mary. I did pay her because I was afraid of how her mother would feel but looking back I shouldn't have given her a cent and should have made her clean my home and car.
And that's why I don't let teenagers stay in my home when I am not home.
 
We hire house/pet sitters. Pay them $15 per day and they stay in our home. Current one works for a local Doctors office. We live right on Lake Erie so it is a bit of a vacation for her too. Been doing it that way for the last twenty years. we leave her all the emergency #'s and have a credit account at the Vets if its needed and also give her a letter to take to the Vets if needed. We like it because the Dog can stay home and we have someone in the house too.
 
Have two cats, never kenneled either.

Once they actually lived in the house of a woman who ran a dog kennel. We went to check it out curious to see what the arrangement was like, found out she had no cat facilities but she offered to take them into her home . The two had the best time sitting on an old grandma's lap; the woman sat all day unlike us who were always on the go. When we came to pick them up after 3 weeks, they just looked at me like- yeah, you, I"m not getting off this lap...

When she built a cat kennel it was time to look elsewhere as I didn't want to kennel them. We had someone come in who did it as a business.
Now we have a friend and her daughter (my DD's friend) come . We pay them per day and they are happy with the arrangement, a little extra money never hurts and we are happy to have someone we know and trust come in. They don't have pets of their own (Dad with allergies) so they are happy to have ours to play with .
 
I live in a senior community now. I used to be able to hire local kids on a per diem basis but now I'm stuck without coverage.
 
We've been very fortunate. Our vet also has boarding facilities, and Suzie, our Golden, stays there. They love her and several of the girls who work there get really excited when she comes to board, so we know she is in good hands.

We also have a wonderful pet sitter, who loves our cat, Gigi. She comes over every day and spends about an hour with her, playing and brushing her, cleaning the box and replenishing her food and water. She also brings in the mail and writes a long note every single day telling us how Gigi was that day. She is also the one who alerted us to problems in our basement during the awful Mothers Day storms last May. $15 a day and worth every penny.
 
It costs me $55 a day for someone to stay here and $30 a day for someone to visit three times a day and not stay here.
 
My stepdad is a wonderful person who is a pet lover. He takes care of my sister's and our animals when we vacation. We have three cats (Rocky, my little gray tabby, is laying across my neck as I write this) and would not entrust our babies to anyone besides Lowell. I watch his cat while he is gone as well. He would like to make a business out of pet sitting but has no idea how to go about it. He lives about a mile from my house, so I am lucky! :)
 
My dog goes into a swank kennel nearby called WagsALot where they get so much TLC and play time it's like doggie summer camp. After Easter weekend she came home with a pretty pink bandana on, like a doggie version of an Easter bonnet. :rofl:

My cat is looked in on via my neighbor friend whose cat I also watch from time to time. We have keys to each others' houses. So that also works out well. Cats are pretty good at taking care of themselves as long as you provide them with several litter boxes for those longer weekends when you'll be away.
 
Unfortunately, my little gray tabby refuses to eat dry cat food and eats only Fancy Feast. He also requires company while he eats, so we have to stay with him while he eats his can in the morning and the second can in the evening. I bottle fed Rocky and his brother Desi, after rescuing them from the pound. Their mom was hit by a car and was a feral cat. Someone found these two little babies in their window well. :( I was supposed to take them back to the pound but got very attached. I am not allowed to foster kids nor cats anymore. I cannot let go!
 
rickandcindy23 said:
He also requires company while he eats, so we have to stay with him while he eats his can in the morning and the second can in the evening.
Click to expand...

This made me laugh - one of our cats also doesn't eat her canned food unless you stand or kneel by her and watch her eat. However I doubt that our catsitters who come in to feed her when we're away actually do that, so in our case it's probably just a matter of who's in control...:)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top