Dog Community

Where to put the dogs when I go on my work trip

Posted : 4/3/2008 6:09:58 PM

I have a few choices....just kind of thinking out loud. I'm going out of town for about 3 days for work soon and need to decide what to do with the dogs.

Choice #1: All dogs stay home and I hire the dog walking service to come let them out 3x per day for 30 mins each time. Down side is that Lily and Neiko will be crated at all other times. That seems like way too long to keep them crated imo. It'll also cost $17 x 3 times per day x 3 days. So $151.

Choice #2: Send the aussies and/or Dakota to a friends house for free (we have agreed to exchange dog favors like this). Neiko and Lily love this person and she usually has 4+ other dogs at her house. She has a huge back yard with under ground tunnels, agility equipment and so on. I don't know if I trust Dakota there though. She is an escape artist and I have a feeling that she'd find a way out of that yard. Plus Neiko gets nervous when I'm not around. I could pay for Dakota to go to her normal kennel which I trust and she likes. It's just expensive at $33/day.

Choice #3: Send all dogs to "the treat man" who boards and walks dogs for a living. Neiko, Lily and Dakota all love him and he's cheap $12/day. I just haven't seen his set up yet to know if they'd do well there. I know that they'd get enough exercise though.

Choice #4: Ask a friend to come stay at my house for the duration which would be free but it would probably be an inconvenience for her.

My biggest issue is Dakota. If Neiko and Lily are together they will be fine. Dakota can escape from anyone though. That's the problem. I don't know whether to keep her with Neiko and Lily (which she would probably like because that's her pack) or to put her in a place that I know she can't escape.

Anonymous

Posted : 4/3/2008 6:45:27 PM

I would do number 2 for the aussies and number 3 for Dakota if you think she would do good there.

JMB_trio

Posted : 4/3/2008 6:54:10 PM

If I were in your position, I would send the Aussies to option 2 the friend with the great backyard, and send Dakota to the regular kennel. yeah, it's an expensive option, but you are also paying for peace of mind. That's how i would justify it! Smile

Then when you have more time, you can check out the setup that 'treat man" has so you can determine if it will be a viable option for the future.

My bro has a husky a.k.a.escape artist that I dogsit for him so I understand the concerns!

Good luck in your decision!

sl2crmeg

Posted : 4/3/2008 7:00:20 PM

I'd send the aussies to your friends, and Dakota to the kennel she likes. Maybe if you paid her for gas, she could go spring Dakota for a day and let her romp with her little sibs, and then take her back to the kennel at night.

kpwlee

Posted : 4/3/2008 7:11:02 PM

I'd go for number 2 - when I had to board Bugsy I spent a crazy amount of energy deciding what to do and then realized that first and foremost is safety. For him that meant a kennel. I was leaving him for 8-9 days and I was going to the UK so I was so concerned about what to do. I knew other options might have been more fun but they didn't set easy with me. With him it is that in someone else's house he would still be stressed and he investigates everything - if you don't live with that there is too much crap he could have gotten in to. Thus you may see why I lean towards number 2 Stick out tongue

calliecritturs

Posted : 4/3/2008 7:26:32 PM

Hmmm, I'm going to tell you to do #4, but COMPENSATE the friend somehow. Either insist on paying her or treat her to something really awesome (like tickets to a concert or a weekend getaway or something) -- the dogs will likely do better "at home" and if this friend truly has a brain it will go easier. I've done all of the above -- you know your area is secure and that may be important??

Liesje

Posted : 4/3/2008 10:17:03 PM

I would do #3, or #4 except possible board just Dakota and pay/compensate the friend somehow.

willowchow

Posted : 4/3/2008 11:01:20 PM

Does your dog walker do overnights? I used to before I was married and I would include the morning visit in with the overnight fee. You might be surprised if she does because I know my fees were actually cheaper if I stayed over because I didn't have to worry about gas and time.