going away... board pup or hire pet-sitter?

I always board my dog at a good kennel because I have found at least four dogs running loose and lost who were left with sitters. My dog will stop eating for the first day or two or three, too. But she's okay after that and she's a medium sized dog so it doesn't affect her that much. The guy who owns the kennel just loves her, and really watches her. She gets to be indoors and outdoors, always fenced, and she can see other dogs but he doesn't put them together because he's extremely careful about interactions.

My dog is a runner, so I only feel safe with her at the boarding kennel.

Jean. . .what??? OMG, running loose, I'd die if any dog left in my care was loose and/or lost, I can't imagine it.

Anyway, hi, I'm a pet sitter.  I have taken animals to stay in my home you could probably find someone who does that.  Or, do you have a groomer??  Willow's groomer also does sitting and training.  Or you could ask your vet for a referral. 

Jean, Moonie Pie is a runner, too. She's escaped from the yard (gate open) once chasing a bird/bunny/squirrel/whatever and she gets away so very quickly--she was gone for 2.5 hours and I was devastated. That is definitely a big concern with a pet-sitter. That said, a friend of a friend's dog got loose while boarded at a kennel--and that dog was never found. So I imagine it could happen anywhere.

I guess the reality is that I like being around this dog so much I just don't want to leave her anywhere for the weekend. Silly me.[]

I like dog sitters because I think the saints are more comfortable at home. As long as the dog sitter is VERY responsible, my vote is for the sitter as opposed to an kennel.

One thing about most kennels is they require the dog to at least be current on all vaccines and also have the borditella vac. (kennel Cough Vacc.) The Bordittella must be given at least 48 hr. before you take you do in for bording, some will let you get away with 24hr. If you do bord make shure you call at least a week in advance and find out what they require so your dog can stay there.

I personlay prefer pet sitters, I especily like the ones who come to your house and do what they need to there. I've only used a pet sitter once and was very pleased. I had know her before because I've been over to her house to help her care for some animals. She did a wonderful job then so I fully trusted her with my dog.

Kennels are good also, there are several kind. Some have outdoor runs. Other do not have outdoor runs but have employees who walk the dogs several times a day. Ask as many questions as you can, like how often do the dogs get to go outside, how big are the kennels, how often are they cleaned. Anything that's important to you.

Both are good options.   I liked boarding because I really trust the people who run the one we go to and think they have a great place for dogs, plus I wanted to expose my puppy to different environments.   I know boarding helped her a lot with her confidence around other dogs because I saw the difference in her approach and play styles immediately when I got home.   But she did have trouble adjusting her bathroom schedule and had very runny stools for a day.   If I had an older dog or one who  wouldn't benefit from the extra socialization and I could afford it, I would hire a petsitter.

Do you have friends that could stay at your house for a few days?  That would be the best option in my opinion.  If not, I'd see if you can find a boarding place near you that doesn't leave the dogs kenneled all day so they play etc.  One that is a doggie daycare during the day and a sleepy place at night would be good.
 
You could post for ideas on your local Craig's list too.  You may find someone like Willow suggested on there or recommendations for good boarding places.

I guess the reality is that I like being around this dog so much I just don't want to leave her anywhere for the weekend. Silly me.[]

 
There you have it!   Ditch the friend and stay home with your pup!  That's what I would do!  hahahaha.   
 
All kidding aside, though, we have a similar situation, but with older dogs.    In their prior home, they were kenneled frequently.   With us, not so often.    We switched kennels to one that had solid walls between the runs because I liked the idea of no contact with strange dogs.    The first time, we had both dogs in the same run, for a weekend.    But the next time, we opted for separate runs opposite each other.    When I picked them up, I was greeted by the owner saying the one dog did nothing but pace inside-outside-inside-outside.    Poor guy!    He needed the stability of his sister by his side in unfamiliar territory.   I felt horrible about it and really don't know what to do if we decide to go away again.
 
Here are some home options you could try.    Some people "trade off" watching each other's dogs when they go on vacation.    I stay with yours, and you stay with mine.    Yes, you must be absolutely sure that your dog gets to know these people first.    AND they must know that she takes every opportunity to "explore" on her own if not closely monitored.    But this might be the best solution to start off with.    Even better if the people can bring their own dog over and your dog gets play time with theirs.   
 
I personally could never have a pet sitter come in no matter HOW many times a day, if the sitter could not sleep overnight with my dogs.    They have never been alone all night in the house and I'm not sure how they would handle it.     If you personally know someone who uses an overnight sitter, your comfort level with reliability would increase.   Nothing like word of mouth.    I would want an owner-sitter, not a big company that hires people.   I've heard too many horror stories of animals "forgotten" about for a day!     The owner of a small pet sitting company would risk everything by pulling a stunt like that, whereas a "mere hired hand" just moves on to the next job after being fired.
 
I also would not trust a local teen neighbor to do the job.    I used to have a gal up the street who came in a couple times during the day when I first had my current two dogs come to live with us.    They had come from a home with a lot of activity, versus our home with two working people, so I wanted them to get exercised during our absence.   It worked out beautifully UNTIL the teen got a job, was running late for work, didn't get to stop at our house.....
and now she has a boyfriend, so I'm not inclined to have her sit my dogs overnight, if you know what I mean.    []
 
There is one option that we have available in our area, and perhaps you do, too.     A doggy daycare just opened with HOME environment for overnight stays.   A human being sleeps in a home on the site, with the dogs sleeping in beds there.     24/7 monitoring.   The daycare accepts blood titers, too, which is something I'm particularly pleased about, since I do not have my dogs vaccinated if not necessary.     Bordatella is still a requirement.
 
There are lots of choices, and it just depends on your comfort level, your dog's personality and comfort level, and the size of your budget!     
 
One question:    Have your friends with the cottage actually MET your dog?     Do they forbid dogs inside on general principles?    If your dog is not destructive, barky, or chewy, and if she is housetrained to let you know when she needs to go out, perhaps you COULD bring her along, on the pretense of having her stay outdoors.    Then when they see what a treasure she is, they might say "Bring her in!!!"  [][]
 
Lot of luck.    Since your pup is young, I hope you find a good solution because you have many years of vacations in store, and this will always be a concern for you.    

I have done several things before, and I've found advantages and disadvantages to each approach.  It also depends on the dog -- both how well he tolerates boarding, and whether he has any issues that might make it difficult for someone else to watch him. 
 
If your dog tolerates it OK, boarding can be a good option.  When I board I find that I don't worry as much about him.  It might not be the ideal environment, but I know he is safe and secure.  The kennel I use is attached to a vet's office, so if he gets sick or has a problem there will be someone to recognize the issue and take care of it.  The downside is less stimulation and exercise for the dog -- I pay for extra exercise and care, but I'm sure it's still not enough.  I worry about this for long periods more than for a weekend-type visit. 
 
I have often had him stay with a friend, who also has a dog that he spends time with frequently.  We trade dog sitting when we can.  It's good because I know he is having fun and getting enough exercise and stimulation.  But when someone else is watching your dog in a home setting (especially someone else's home), you may not agree with everything they are doing in terms of discipline or manners, how closely they watch him, etc.  My dog sometimes has picked up bad habits from the other dog, and once they had a fight.  I know the dog is having fun, but it does make me worry a bit. 
 
Once I had a housesitter come and stay with him at my house.  That was great in a lot of ways, since he could be where he felt most comfortable, sleep in his bed, etc.  But it means you have someone you probably don't know too well staying in your house and watching your dog.  You don't know exactly what they are doing, and there is lots of stuff that could go wrong.  My dog ended up really loving the dogsitter, and she loved him too and spent a lot of time cuddling and playing with him, so that part was great.  But she said at first he seemed freaked out being at home without me.  Also, he seemed more protective of the house when I was away -- when I got back I learned that while I was away, he growled at some people who came to the door.  They were people he already knows and I've never seen him behave that way around them.  It  made me really nervous to have something like that happen when I wasn't there to manage the situation. 

I'm about to leave Dweezil in a kennel for about 5 days -- I'm very nervous about it!  Still, I found it was the best option because I would rather not have someone only come to let her out three times a day (she is still a puppy) after she's used to getting out 4 or 5 times.  Plus, this option causes me to worry about my house in addition to the dog ... 
 
I think that the kennel is also good because the doggie can learn at a young age that being away from home isn't necessarily a bad thing ... you don't want a total homebody that cannot be left somewhere else at any cost.
 
Just my thoughtssss...

ORIGINAL: acesmom

One question:    Have your friends with the cottage actually MET your dog?     Do they forbid dogs inside on general principles?    If your dog is not destructive, barky, or chewy, and if she is housetrained to let you know when she needs to go out, perhaps you COULD bring her along, on the pretense of having her stay outdoors.    Then when they see what a treasure she is, they might say "Bring her in!!!"

Thank you EVERYONE for such good suggestions. I realize there are many choices, and I just have to find the one that I can live with.

To answer your question acesmom, yep, the friends know my girl well. They used to have a dog as well, but lost him just a month after I put my old girl down last summer. But they are not so much "dog people." I'm the kind of person you'll find on the floor with the dogs at a party (gee, anyone relate?!), and they just are not. They have made it clear that my pooch is welcome but cannot be in the house because the house actually belongs to his parents who sometimes come with their male pooch who will mark upon smelling another dog. Regardless, they are close friends and I would never impose my weirdness about leaving the pup for a couple of days on anyone else. You've made such wonderful points in your post, and I thank you for them![]

I think we've decided on the place that boarded our old dog. It is nice... outside and inside runs, 3-4 walks a day, waterfalls, music, someone there 24 hours. She will just have to deal with not sleeping in a bed with people for two nights, and I will just have to deal with not sleeping with her for two nights! And like another poster mentioned, we will have other vacations to deal with, and I think I feel safer with her in what seems like a more controlled environment. I will reserve judgement for when I pick her up, though. Like I mentioned in the first post, our old baby did really poorly there and was a complete mess when I picked her up. But she was a different dog.

There is a doggy daycare-type place that sounds pretty neat, but it not at all near my neighborhood. I'll try this for the two days and figure something else out for the weekend in August that we may not be able to take her. Actually... we are going to a wedding out of town in August. How are hotels these days with dogs? And could I trust a year and 4 month pup (though she is quite good) alone in a hotel room anyway?

Sorry, lengthy post. I type almost faster than I talk.

[linkhttp://www.dogfriendly.com]www.dogfriendly.com[/link] lists some hotels by location that allow dogs.   I think some require that you not leave the dog unattended at the hotel at all, and others require they be crated when you are out.  Another idea is find a dog friendly hotel but see if the people who live around there know someone who could watch the pup during the wedding when you can't be there.  If it is only a few hours, maybe you could find someone they know to do it.