Here’s a short video on places to leave your dog while you’re on vacation, but read the details in full below.
1. Spend Time With a Family Member or Friend
I just came back from vacation a couple of days ago. I decided to leave Simba with a family member if possible. Luckily, a family member was available to keep Simba for a couple of days. I had no worries at all leaving Simba there because he was with a family member that I can trust. He has been around this family member a lot and gets along with him great. I like the fact that he will also get to be around other dogs that he plays with on a regular basis and he was very familiar with his surroundings. He always has fun when we go there.
The hotel we were staying at was not pet-friendly. It would have been awesome if it was and we could take Simba on his first beach trip, but we just could not this time around. Although my family and I wished we could have taken Simba along, we knew he would be safe with family while we were away. Simba did great with the family member while we were away, but he sure was happy to see us return! We were happy to be back home with him as well of course. It’s not a good idea to leave your dog with someone who is scared of dogs or has no experience at all with them. You should try to leave your dog with someone who has their own dog(s) or at least has experience with dogs, loves dogs, and your dog knows them pretty well.
2. Board Your Dog
If your family member or friend is not available you can always board your dog somewhere. As always you should do your research and visit the place before taking your dog there and dropping him off with total strangers. You should definitely check out reviews and ask people who they recommend. Boarding kennels or Pet resorts are places where you can leave your dog overnight, for a couple of days, or even for a longer period of time at some places. Your vet may offer boarding services so make sure you check with your vet first since your dog is probably comfortable with the vet and his staff.
If your vet does not offer dog boarding you can board your dog at a place like PetSmart which offers a PetsHotel! According toPetSmart.com “your dog will be cared for around the clock in a safe, comfortable environment made just for them. From comfy sleeping accommodations to supervised play areas full of toys”. Sounds like the life to me! Read this PetMD article for more information on boarding your pet.
3. Hire a Dog Sitter
Don’t like the idea of boarding your dog? How about hiring a dog sitter? You can hire a sitter that will watch your dog in your home or watch your dog in their own home while you’re away. Also, you should definitely meet with the sitter and see how your dog interacts with them beforehand. Find a sitter through someone you know or through a reputable service. One service that might help you find a dog sitter is Rover.com. You get to create your dog a profile, view sitter profiles with photos, and even see reviews of the sitters. It looks like a great tool to find someone to dog sit your pooch.
*Check out our sponsored post about DogVacay which is now Rover! It’s a home dog boarding website and app where you can find the perfect dog sitter for your dog. Click here to read more about it.
Also, check out our post about What to Pack Your Dog When Going on Vacation if you decide to take your dog with you on some of your trips!
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Do you always take your dog with you on vacation? If not, where do you leave your dog when you’re away? What are your experiences? Any tips? Please share in the comments below! We’d love to hear from you.
Note: This post also appeared on 3milliondogs.com. I was compensated for the post.
Sherrell fick says
April 18, 2013 at 11:45 pmFind out from others where their dogs go . You might get one as good as mine. She only charges $40 for my 2 dogs and they get to go to the dog park 2.times a day. She even saved as a vet bill by taking Lacey’s baby porcupine Quills out herself. She is wonderful.and they come back to us exausted.
emma says
April 19, 2013 at 7:43 amIn Germany we almost always went with because we were allowed everywhere but here in the US sometimes we have to stay home which mom doesn’t like at all. We stay with family which is the best situation for us. If we could buy a ticket and ride on the plane with mom we would probably never be left behind. There are some great boarding places but for 2 of us it is pretty expensive so we haven’t done that and mom hates that kennel smell on dogs when they come back home.
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Caren Gittleman says
April 19, 2013 at 8:46 amI would avoid leaving my dog ANYWHERE other than home if at all possible. He and my cat are super attached and separating them would NOT be a good idea. I have a dear friend who I pay to come in and stay with them.
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Debbie says
April 19, 2013 at 8:55 amHi Kia; Another alternative to boarding at a kennel is home boarding. This is what I do. The dogs are part of the family and have the run of the house. It’s like a little “doggie commune” here. 🙂 We have a large backyard, plus they get walked several times a day. A preliminary visit is done with any potential new client, so they and there dogs can check out the environment and so I can gauge the dog’s personality. My criteria: spayed/neutered. fully housetrained and friendly with other dogs and people. They have a great time here! it’s a “Happy Hound” vacation for them.
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Kay Dabney says
November 9, 2016 at 11:16 amBarlow is mixed German Shepherd from the San Antonio Humane Society. Where are you? I hope you are close!
Genevieve says
April 19, 2013 at 10:31 amVacation wouldn’t be any fun without Cupcake. I’d rather stay close to home.
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Long Life Cats and Dogs says
April 19, 2013 at 5:13 pmI’m lucky as my parents are always happy to look after my brood when I’m away. I have no idea what I would do without them.
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Misaki says
April 20, 2013 at 4:57 pmNanny and Grampy look after me when mummy and daddy are away, but they’re usually only gone over night. We’re hoping to go somewhere altogether later in the year
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Laurie G says
April 21, 2013 at 6:36 amWe don’t usually go on vacation without them. I hate flying anyway, and they’re a good excuse not to go too far 🙂 But sometimes there’s a family emergency or we need to visit somebody who has allergies or whatever, and it’s unavoidable leaving them somewhere. I see our options being in this order:
1. take them with us
2. have someone they know come housesit and dogsit for us
3. leave them with someone they know, e.g. family
4. leave them with someone they don’t know for home boarding
5. kennels (only in emergency)
For the home boarding and kennels I’d go with recommendations from other dog owners. We always get recent recommendations too, even if we’ve used a place before. A place can change a lot in a couple of years.
Max's Mom says
April 21, 2013 at 10:18 pmIf Max isn’t with me then he’s home, at his Aunt and Uncles or his big sister’s although while in St. Louis I did have to board him overnight and thought I might die but I researched the best place for about 2 months and thoroughly checked it out beforehand then as ironic as it is, the vet was from a town about 20 minutes from me and even gave me the heads up on a better way back to Houston!
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Haley Collins says
April 6, 2014 at 3:48 pmMy dog cant go to a boarding because most need shots and I just recently got her and have had no time to and I have no family near the area and we cant take her with us… what do I do we are leaving in a week
Daisy says
January 8, 2015 at 2:41 pmDaisy is such a sensitive dog, we can’t leave her anywhere. She gets all out of sorts just traveling with us when we stay all together at someone else’s house! We may try leaving her with friends just for a day to see how she handles it, though.
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Aimee @ Irresistible Pets says
March 10, 2016 at 10:52 amSometimes we take Chuy on vacation. If we can’t, he stays with my parents. He loves it because he gets lots of extra treats! LOL
Jane says
March 10, 2016 at 1:55 pmGreat tips to help decide on accommodations for your dog(s)
We have taken our dogs on vacation with us when we have gone camping. We have also boarded (at our vets) and had a family member take care of them. All situations have been a great experience for our dogs!
Dash Kitten says
May 29, 2016 at 6:41 pmWe have a cat sitter. Well a house sittr whose only job is caring for the cat LOL! I think this is best as we have somene we can trust! If I wnted to board I would do a visit to the cattery first. We visited a couple and hated them – not because they were bad, but we didn’t feel their approach was right for our bunch.
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Sarcastic Dog says
May 29, 2016 at 7:08 pmI have never been able to travel with my three other than camping trips, but that was long before I had three dogs.
My first choice is always to have someone stay at the house with the dogs as I think it is much less stressful and disruptive for them. One of our trainers does boarding so if I am unable to get someone to stay at the house, the dogs will go to her house, which they love, but it’s not cheap.
I’m trying to picture the look on any of my friend’s faces if I asked them if all three of my nutters could invade their space at the same time 😉
Kenneling is just as expensive as having the dogs go to the trainer’s house but at least at her house they are supervised and never crated.
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brenda mariefl says
June 1, 2016 at 6:57 pmI always leave my little angel with friends. This way I know, she is safe and will be well taking care of. Plus, she will be giving lots of love.
Christine Caplan says
June 5, 2016 at 2:42 pmThis is so timely with so many summer vacations coming up — and I have found that our dogs are most comfortable with a dog sitter but if I had a friend close by that could manage the three I would opt for that as a first choice. Great tips — this is a good evergreen article!
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Dawn says
September 30, 2016 at 7:56 pmJust wanted to comment on what a neat little video that is – nice job!
Lucy Gibson says
March 26, 2018 at 6:44 pmMy husband and I are planning on going on a cruise to celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary. We’re a little worried about what to do with our pet dog since the cruise won’t allow pets. I like your point about looking into a dog boarding facility. I think taking a tour and visiting it beforehand is a great idea.
Burt Silver says
June 15, 2018 at 11:11 amI really like your suggestion of boarding your dog somewhere while you go on vacation. That is a great idea that my wife and I will have to take into consideration. We have a dog but have been wanting to go on a vacation this summer. Hopefully, we can find a good place to board him that’ll take care of him.
safaritravelplus says
February 3, 2019 at 1:10 pmIts when you have to travel is when you realize that finding a place to leave your dog can actually be quite tricky. Thanks for the information i really had no idea that there are actually dog sitting services.
Jane M says
February 13, 2019 at 11:38 amThe best place/person to leave your dog with is a close friend or other family, who loves pet. They will take care of them very well.
April Dawson says
February 15, 2019 at 2:30 amGreat article! It’s a great help for dog lovers like me who often travel. It breaks my heart whenever I need to leave my furbaby, Charlie Brown for business trips. Now, with this article, I will have more options rather than having one of my family members or friends look after him when I’m gone. particularly your suggestion of considering a dog boarding facility. No more worries for me. Thank you!
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Calvin Arnold says
February 18, 2019 at 1:41 amMe and my wife love our pet. Our pet name is Gracie. We always take her with us. Last week was our anniversary and we decided to plan a trip for some days. But this time we were not able to carry Gracie. My neighbour recommended me Dog boarding and daycare services provider club. Those were reliable and trustworthy for them. So we left Gracie there. We came back yesterday and were desperately waiting to see Gracie. The time when we see her, she was very happy. We both were happy that she is fine. Thanks to the Capitol canine club. You guys are the best.
George Showman says
April 2, 2019 at 8:30 amThanks, for sharing such a grateful post.
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