what to do with a dog

[trevlad]

on the back of annes thread on takingdogs to florida, i struck me what does everyone else do with their pets?

we have a 5 year old german shepherd and she doesnt get on at all in the kennels. we have tried a couple and she always comes out traumatised, moody and covered in 'oooo[msnscared]. since the second time we either have karens mum come and stay or drive her from durham down to my parents in essex. its a bit of a clart on but she is one of the family, and probably needs the most attention. i remeber when she was younger ,the first time we went away she sulked for weeks and wouldnt play. we later found out that she had been left in her cage 24/7. not nice. i know everyone says it but she barks but wont bite . we have builders in at the moment and she is great with them. doesnt like the postman though, must be his cap!!

when we get our villa finished we planned to take out both parents. ?? i think we are going to have to baby sit a friends dog in the near future so they can reciprocate

trev

[athurstance]

There are 'pet sitting' services available which might be of interest. Never used them but www.petpals.com cover quite a few areas or you might find someone locally who offers 'dog walking and sitting' services.

[fiona]

There are lots of people who have set up round us offering sitting and walking services, or they take a few dogs into their own home. I have 2 old english sheepdogs and we have been lucky enough to find a wonderful kennels near us, where they go in happy! But it is a small one and I have to book up summer hols or christmas almost a year in advance. There is homesitters, www.homesitters.co.uk - you could try them as they will stay in your house.

[phaedra]

Trev, there's a couple of people we know in the Durham area who do "dog minding" while people who are on holiday, Pet Nanny and Paws. Miriam knows both Caroline & Kath (the 2 ladies who run the services) as they both have horses on her yard.

I'll get Miriam to get the phone numbers for you.

[Ruth]

It is always a good idea to ask your vet if they can recommend anyone. They usually have lots of local information

[KevinT]

Trev,
We have a "beardie cross" and are very lucky as some friends of ours in Redcar look after her when we're in FL. They are a retired couple and love having a dog without the full time responsibility. They take her for walks on the beach every day and even buy her a small ice cream of her own. She settles very quickly and seems to love her own "holidays" and goes crazy when anyone mentions the word beach now. I don't know what we'd do without our friends.
There is a local company called "Barking Mad" who look after dogs for holiday periods. Not sure if they have a website , but worth a check. Can also be contacted thru' Abbey Vets in Durham. If I find a number will DM you

Kev.

[Genie]

We have used the National Pet sitters they have to register at your local police station when they arrive, and they are insured. At least your home is also looked after while you are away. If you use a local petminder check that they are registered with the national Pet minders Association as we had a bad experience with ones that were not !! ( turned out they had full time jobs as well !!!! )

[chris c]

We've got two Yorkie/Cairns. They are 9 now and have never been in kennels.

The first time we went away, some friends offered to look after them.

Now our children are all grown up and no longer come on holiday with us, they look after them when we go over to the villa.

[Chloe]

We have a lovely labrador, who I am afraid has to go in kennels, (he's going next Friday for 3 weeks). I find it very sad, and difficult to leave him, but unfortunately we have no alternative. To me, it is the one downside to going away. Chloe

[benfilo]

we've got a 5 year old border collie. We're lucky to have found an ideal kennels,they only take a maximum of 8 dogs at a time. it's run as a sidline or hobby rather than a business, they limit the ammount of clients because of this. The minute we get there our dog is off without a backward glance,she love it (quite upsetting really}
I'm sure there must be loads of places which are run like this, and the dogs get to know and feel comfortable with. Perhaps if you found one you could put the dog in it for a couple of days every few weeks so she gets to know the place.
benfilo