As we launch into another busy Summer season, we always get the opportunity to meet new friends. They can be dogs who have never boarded before or old pros who know their way around a doggie daycare like they own the place.
One of the most common dilemmas pet owners have is whether to board their dog at a vet, a place like mine, at a pet sitter’s house or have someone come in to their house. Very often people look to me to answer the question of “What is the best scenario for my pet?” for them.
There is no one size fits all answer. Each has it’s place and benefit for each individual dog.
Find out what's happening in Port Jeffersonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Obviously being in my line of work, I hear the horror stories. A pet sitter who never showed up. The one who bailed on a pet owner at the 11th hour. The one who is insanely expensive. The one who left the gate open. The one whose dog fought with the pet sitter’s dog. The one who got sick and the pet sitter dumped her at the vet. The one who toured the entire neighborhood after digging out from under the fence. It goes on and on.
Despite this information though, I am by no means opposed to pet sitting in your home or someone else’s. It just means those pet sitters weren’t the proper fit for the owner and their dog.
Find out what's happening in Port Jeffersonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Our canine customers do well with us for a variety of reasons:
Many can’t be left home alone. They get stressed and either destroy the house or go into depression. Think about it: your family is their pack. Their pack is now gone and they are left in their “den” alone. That’s stressful for a dog!
They can’t be in someone else’s home because it’s unfamiliar. They don’t understand why their people are gone and they are with different people. “Um, I was with one pack and now they’re gone and they’ve left me with you people.” Again, it’s stress inducing. This very often leads to the dog being hell bent on escaping.
Our customers tend to be high energy. They need to be exercised beyond an hour walk twice a day or a fetch in the backyard. If they aren’t they’ll pace, drool, stop eating and potentially get destructive.
Our customers do well here because they’re very sociable. They enjoy being with groups of dogs. Their best day is rolling around, pawing and chasing after their friends. Hounds Town is their own personal Disneyland. Or, as often happens, they enjoy watching the action. We have senior dogs here who watch the young whipper snappers like they’re a favorite TV show.
They love people. Having a rotating group of humans doting on them is Nirvana.
Our customers are fundamentally healthy. We rarely board dogs with health conditions that need daily monitoring. However, your vet can provide this. Is it an ideal situation to be in a crate all day? No. Of course not. Unfortunately though if your pooch has a potentially life threatening condition, being at a vet is probably for the best.
We watch everyone carefully. Our staff is trained to stop problems before they can start. We catch ear infections, UTI’s, who needs a nap, who needs more water, more food - you get the idea. It’s our full time job to eyeball your dog all day long and I’m not embarrassed to say we do it well.
The bottomline is always: only you know what is best for your dog. You know them, you live with them and you are the best one to judge what the proper environment is for them when you are away. Explore all of your options. Talk to as many providers as you can about their qualifications, their skills and their background so you make the best possible decision on behalf of your best friend. If you ever need our opinion on ANYthing, please don’t feel funny about asking. We know wonderful vets who board and fabulous pet sitters we would trust our own babies with. When you get right down to it, we all want the very best for your animals!
Stay cool!
Marianne
Canine Executive Officer
Hounds Town - Port Jeff
www.houndstownportjeff.com
