Pet sitting vs. boarding
Maddie
The face on the left is the only face I love to see on my oldest dog, Maddie. This is Maddie's post-walk face, her in-the-backyard-with-the-kids face. It's her I-have-a-happy-life face. This is not the face I saw the last time I left her at a boarding facility.
When we dropped her off for our week-long family vacation several years ago, I was worried about her but I dismissed my concern and guilt with the thought that she was in good hands and would eventually get used to the place. When we got home, the boarding facility informed us that Maddie had been unable to eat, had spent her days pacing back and forth in her kennel, and had damaged her nose on the chain link kennel fence in her constant attempts to peer down the kennel walkway, presumably to see if we had come back to get her. Today, seven years later, her nose has a flattened snout, and is ridged and inflamed from the experience, and she can't go near anyplace that remotely looks like a boarding facility without going into a panic. Do you know how embarrassing it is to have your panicked dog knocking over pet brochures in the waiting area of the vet's office, or being asked not to come back for a nail trim to the groomers? Unfortunately, I do. (Our vet comes to our house now).
There are wonderful boarding facilities out there, with caring owners and employees who would absolutely go the extra mile for our pets. I have worked in one of these places. But the loyalty our pets feel towards us that is so endearing when we're at home is also the very same trait that makes them so unhappy when we leave. Even the most independent, stoic feline can feel extremely frightened and stressed when they are faced with such a situation.
Our pets are different than we are. While our exotic locations wish-list might require 24 hour flights and painful immunizations, our pet's wish-list would probably include a walk around their neighborhood and an extended visit to their area of the pantry. Their love for their family and a familiar environment makes pet sitting in their home a much more comforting choice for them. At least that way, our pets can pretend that we've haven't really gone on vacation; we've merely just stepped out to the store to buy them some fantastic new treats!
When we dropped her off for our week-long family vacation several years ago, I was worried about her but I dismissed my concern and guilt with the thought that she was in good hands and would eventually get used to the place. When we got home, the boarding facility informed us that Maddie had been unable to eat, had spent her days pacing back and forth in her kennel, and had damaged her nose on the chain link kennel fence in her constant attempts to peer down the kennel walkway, presumably to see if we had come back to get her. Today, seven years later, her nose has a flattened snout, and is ridged and inflamed from the experience, and she can't go near anyplace that remotely looks like a boarding facility without going into a panic. Do you know how embarrassing it is to have your panicked dog knocking over pet brochures in the waiting area of the vet's office, or being asked not to come back for a nail trim to the groomers? Unfortunately, I do. (Our vet comes to our house now).
There are wonderful boarding facilities out there, with caring owners and employees who would absolutely go the extra mile for our pets. I have worked in one of these places. But the loyalty our pets feel towards us that is so endearing when we're at home is also the very same trait that makes them so unhappy when we leave. Even the most independent, stoic feline can feel extremely frightened and stressed when they are faced with such a situation.
Our pets are different than we are. While our exotic locations wish-list might require 24 hour flights and painful immunizations, our pet's wish-list would probably include a walk around their neighborhood and an extended visit to their area of the pantry. Their love for their family and a familiar environment makes pet sitting in their home a much more comforting choice for them. At least that way, our pets can pretend that we've haven't really gone on vacation; we've merely just stepped out to the store to buy them some fantastic new treats!