Who Takes Care Of Your Pets While You Are Cruising

[joanagain]

gosh, guess i sent this poll into outer space..will try again...

I saw a similar thread on carnival and thought to take a poll...perhaps some of us could benefit from the experience others have had with their options.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We don't have any pets.

We both worked all our lives and didn't feel that it was fair for an animal to be home alone all day long - up to 12 hours on some days.

After we retired we began to travel more. Thought about getting a dog but who would take care of him? We haven't and didn't think it would be fair for the dog tobe in a kennel for up to a month at a time.

[Orcrone]

DW's son lives locally and his work is closer to our house than where he lives. So he just stays at our house when we vacation.

[lipoppop]

The neighbor takes care of the birds that our oldest son left at home when he moved out many years ago. Parrots do indeed live a long time.

The dog goes to our youngest son unless he is away and then she goes to our daughter. Dusty our dog enjoys that very much as they both have dogs to keep her company.

What gets hectic is when our youngest son and daughter both go away at the same time so we watch their dogs and we have three dogs in the house- a bull mastif, a shepard mix and a Shih Tsu who get along very well.

So far the three dog residences have not been vacant at the same time but we will have to plan for that when we all go away together for the DW's 70th.

:cool:

[michmike]

we have a pet sitter who comes in every other day to check on the 2 cats, feed and water them and play with them as well as keep the litter box clean. No more expensive ($15 a visit) than the kennel for 2 of them and they are far happier at home. We get back and we get the "so.... you're back eh? " look and then they are then more interested in climbing in and out of the suitcases than giving any indication they may have missed us.

Agree about dogs though. Last one passed shortly after our son left home and despite DW's occasional moments of weakness re puppies I've stood firm. Our life style just isn't a good fit with a dog as both of us are still working full time and like to travel quite a bit when we do get time off.

[akeka]

Michmike, we do the same thing for our two cats. Only it's $12 a visit here in Kansas.

Our older cat does not like change and would not do well at someone else's home or a kennel. We can then relax on our trip knowing they're well taken care of and not really missing us.

P.S. What is it about suitcases and cats?

[Fran0521]

One of our granddaughter's takes care of our cat. Although she is too young to drive, our daughter brings her to the house, at the sametime we have the house looked after make sure things are ok.

[mhshapiro]

:) Our cat rests in luxury at Mrs. Petlove's Pet Bed and Breakfast.

[Lisa63]

A friend of ours stays at our place to watch our 15-year-old cat. We live closer to her office than she does, and she can't have a cat of our own, so she looks forward to it. And I think our cat enjoys it too, although she (the furbaby) gives us the cold shoulder treatment for the first hour or so after our return. :)

[joanagain]

we had some house pets while the children were growing up...we could not afford to cruise and raise the kids too...now that the kids have their own kids, i have my 8 pound cockerpoo, brenda...(she came before i discovered cruising)...now i have two expensive luxuries that i do not want to live without...while i am away,i have an outhouse doggie sitter.

[cactuslady]

None of the above.

Dee-Dee (short for either Derringer or Dillinger, we've heard both), our retired racing greyhound (racing name Speed Trap) always visits her old digs at the Greyhound Adoption League. They have a former racing kennel outside of town, which includes a fenced practice track where the dogs can run. It's all greyhounds, so no inter-breed agression problems, and specialized handling. Dee-Dee used to live there for a while, knows the all-volunteer staff, and has friends among the other canine regulars. She need twice-a-day eye medication and gets great care. Last time she went, Dee-Dee was so happy to see Mary and other girls that she couldn't stop wagging and smiling.

Although I had no business getting a dog while I was both working and single, Dee-Dee was adopted on the theory that people start looking like their pets. So far, it hasn't worked. I can't even come close to her slim figure and pefectly concave stomach. :rolleyes:

[CINCY40]

We have five cats. Two elderly Siamese who live in the house and three who live in the basement at night.(And when we are gone, they stay in the basement) Plus a stray that we feed outdoors. All of them came to us, we did not go out looking for any. I think that in a prior life, I must have been a cook in an orphanage as I cannot stand to see anything go hungry.

We are very lucky to have found a young husband and wife who both love cats (and adopted one of the strays that showed up at our house) They come daily to feed, water and play with the cats. It means a lot to us that they really like cats and as they have three of their own, they are excellent care givers. They leave daily messages on our email so when we are in port or using ship's facilities, we know how things are going. We pay pretty well, $25 a visit and usually I bring them a bottle of champagne from the cruise.

Nancy

[imsulin]

cactuslady - just want to say BRAVO to you for adopting a greyhound! You are very special, and Deedee is one lucky dog!

[digby]

Another poll without all the usual options listed! I board my dogs in a kennel which I image a lot of others do.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

If our son did not live close it would be really hard for us to get away. Although we did pay one of his friends to watch all the animals one year when we took son to Hawaii for Christmas. We truly have a house full of pets. We have 2 Toy poodles Rudie and Ruffles, then our cat Joey, 3 birds, Pumpkin our Umbrella Cockatoo, Mini our Lessor Cockatoo, and Baby our Green Cheek Conure, then we also have a 55 gal aquarium of fresh water fish. The dogs have their own bedroom with food, beds, toys and a dog door to the shaded private dog run. They do not have a run of the house while we are gone. The cat on the other hand does have a run of the house and the birds are down in our bedroom.

Thanks goodness our son lives only a 1/2 mile away and works nights so he comes over every afternoon to play with them and feed the farm:D

[Tatka]

We usually bring our 2 cats to my parents house when we are away...

Interesting thing is ..I heard so much how cats get attached to their house and supposed to have huge problem adjusting to another home...I don't think my duo has any troupble in this regard.

My mom on the other hand does eveything to spoil them..Buys cat's candies, all kind of toys etc. ;)

Krazy Kruizers, even though you are away sometimes or have to work hours...animals have much better life at home than in shelters cages or being killed (not every shelter is a non-kill).

[x lindsay x]

I second the kennel option. For our upcoming trip in October our cats will be staying in a cats only kennel, they get a little too frazzled being around barking dogs for extended periods of time. We still have to figure out what to do with our dear old parakeet for the week.

[RuthC]

My next door neighbor is loves all animals and is very good to them. She comes in twice a day to fix food/water, clean the litter box, brush and pet the cat. Darned cat does better while I'm away than when I'm home! I pay my neighbor, but it's less than a sitter.
Since I take long cruises, and since I got Cocoa from a shelter I don't want to take her out of her home while I'm gone. She's comfortable there, and she knows I'll be home eventually.

[joanagain]

DIGBY,
you are right...the obvious was not listed as an option...
would you settle for "Out-House Neighbor"?

[imsulin]

Since blood is thicker than water, I only trust the care of Good Kitty and Bad Kitty to my brother, who stays here while I'm gone. Besides, blood is free, and water costs money (in the case of my kitty-care).

[Bill S]

We have 2 female Shelties, Holly and Bella, who enjoy a good-size house to romp and sleep in, a shaded patio and a pet door to give them access to the back yard and patio whenever they like. Our sons live up in Reno, and we are reluctant to impose on friends to look after 2 dogs for a week or more, so we use a couple who visit every day for a fee. We have two large water "feeders" and a dry food feeder as well. :)

[RevNeal]

My darling Basset, Dorcas ....

http://www.revneal.org/animals/dorcas1.jpg http://www.revneal.org/animals/dorcas2.jpghttp://www.revneal.org/animals/dorcas3.jpg

...goes to stay with her grandparents. She loves my Dad, and my Mom loves to scratch her ears. If they're not going to be in town while I'm gone, or if they're going with me, then she goes to stay at "Man's Best Friend."

My amazing Pussy Cat, Jeremiah ...

http://www.revneal.org/animals/jeremiah1d.jpg

... stays at home and my Secretary stops by every day to check on him and, very often, will stay quite a while, watch TV, and play with my kitty.

[ekerr19]

We usually board our dog and two cats with our Vet. Last time, it was really expensive and they did not like it at all. On our next cruise, we are going to try a service - have them come in to the home twice a day and feed and play with the pets - and see how that goes. :)

Nice pics, revneal!!! :)

[the2ofus]

Our two kitties (one adopted from the local shelter and one a stray) both live in our garage. When we travel DH's brother comes across the street to feed them every other day. They have a cat door so can go in and out to continue their mouse patrols while we are gone.

I worry about them some, because when at home we shut them in each night but while we are gone they are more free to roam. However, we live in the country and they are pretty savvy by this time (ages five and two and a half) so I just pray they will continue to be sensible. Dear BIL does have our vet's name and phone number if needed. Both cats usually show up within a few minutes after we arrive home from a trip, so I think they miss us.

[Liat]

That is the name of our service; run by my brother's ex-wife. One of her ladies comes in once a day and plays with our two cats. She also waters the plants AND picks up the mail.
Dogs probably do okay in kennels since they are social animals, but cats need the freedom to roam around thier familiar surroundings. Incidentally, one of our cats is named Liat - my cruisecritic nickname.
She is a Tonkinese cat, and Liat was the
Tonkinese sweetheart of Ensign Joe Cable in James Michener's "Tales of the South Pacific".

[bookworm0911]

Liat - my cruisecritic nickname.
She is a Tonkinese cat, and Liat was the
Tonkinese sweetheart of Ensign Joe Cable in James Michener's "Tales of the South Pacific".LOL. The minute I saw your username I was wondering if that was where it was from. Very clever. :D

[Ziggy7]

Our daughter takes care of our 2 red ear slider turtles, skooter and skeeter. They live in a 20 gal fish tank in our livingroom, they are quite spoiled, hubby hand feeds them too!

[cruisinjudy]

Mistyhttp://homepage.mac.com/jcastle1/.cv/jcastle1/Sites/.Pictures/misty.jpg-thumb_171_123.jpgand Patcheshttp://homepage.mac.com/jcastle1/.cv/jcastle1/Sites/.Pictures/patches.jpg-thumb_133_91.jpg do not like going to kennels or the vet, so we have a senior, usually a couple, come in and stay. We pay $55 a day plus food for the sitters. Our pets cost us a fortune!

[bobpatj]

We have no pets, but a friend waters my houseplants and checks on our house, while we're away.

[sologrip]

Cash, the Verandah Dog goes with me.
Ollie the cat goes to the vet
Penny and Carrie dogs are tended to by two neighbors who trade off, depending on how long I'll be gone.

[Santa Fe Jim]

I have, at various times, various numbers of cats -- usually only 1 or 2, though. I must spoil them -- there is a pet-sitting service near me that I've used for almost 20 years. I have them come twice a day -- I think the rate now is $12.50/visit. They play with the cats, water the plants, take in the mail and papers, open & close the drapes when appropriate. I've occasionally had health problems with some of the cats, so I want someone who I trust to take them to the vet if necessary.

SFJ

[Appgrad]

Luckily, my parents live close by and they take care of our babies.

[tankerjo2]

Our aging dog (nearly 15 years old) now stays with her Vet because of medical problems when we travel which has really limited our travel over the past few years. We will be leaving her in December for 10 days and this time it will be very difficult. Never thought we could have ever become as attached as we are to that scruffy little pound puppy. After having her by our sides 24/7 for so many years it's hard to leave her behind.

[lka1012]

I use one of three options.

For short periods, my old roomie comes over and often brings his dog (my dogs "cousin")

For longer periods (such as a cruise) I either use my vet or a sitting service. As the number of my dogs has increased, this gets expensive.

I have a friend who has a rescue group. As a fund raiser, she comes over two times a day, plays with my crew, brings in mail, etc. This is a little cheaper than the vet and also plays for medical care for homeless puppies.

I recently lost one of my to cancer, but still have three dogs -- all rescues.

For those looking for pet care, contact some of your local rescue groups, they may do this a fund raiser also.

[HeatherInFlorida]

When we decided to "adopt" Molly (i.e. spend a fortune for her;) ), it was with the understanding that my best friend would watch over her and love her when we're away. Heaven help us if she ever moves away because I somehow doubt we could ever leave her behind with anyone else.

Our kitty, Sammie, manages quite nicely with my friend coming in every day to watch over her. The hardest part of vacationing for us is leaving our "hearts" behind:( .

[jazzsea]

Our neighbor across the street has a little pet service. She takes care of cats when owners travel. We have only one cat now, 17 year old Murphy. He gets lonesome when we are gone but seems to know after all of these years that we will come back.

Before we moved out here five years ago, we had a lady who came in and stayed over night. She also took care of our salt water aquarium. Sadly, we lost our whole fish tank during the power outage from hurricane Frances.

After the storm we evacuated to Orlando and took our Murphy with us. Two weeks later he went with us to Naples, Florida when we evacuated from Jeanne.

[RaffinOrganGrinders]

Our baby, Novalee Nation, travels with us in our RV and is very intelligent and loving. She really loves her mouse and even sleeps with it on occasion. Best solution is for our Daughter to watch her while we cruise. ;)

George

[Allis154]

My best friend stays at our house while we are away and looks after our five cats and 1 dog. We leave gifts around the house for her while she is there, normally with cards from each 'pet'.

A real thankyou comes in two years time when she and I are off to a girls-only vacation!

[Judyb]

I used to take my dog to the kennel whenever we went away, however each time we came back we had to visit the vet. After three trips the vet suggested that we get an in house sitter. This has been the best option for us so far. The dog is in it's own environment, not stressed by other dogs and strange people and not cooped up in a crate for hours on end.

Judy

[JohnQ]

Like many others, we relied on our two sons/wives or their friends to stay at house or come in and feed our 18 yr old dog.(the boys left there when they moved out) This used to work great, since someone who lived at home would rather stay at the house. As they all get older and have their own homes, dogs, animals, wives, big screen tv's an state of the are stereos, they aren't so eager to stay at house anymore. We hired our first in house sitter for our two week trip to Alaska and it worked out fine. He didn't like and probably didn't get up two or three times per nite to let the dog out and had to dedal with the consequences. We would do again. $15 per day, plus junk food, pizza and cokes. Our dog doesn't like kennels, vet or cages. Still has a cough from 6 mos ago at vets!

[SHayesShip]

You do not have kennels as an option. Our dog goes to a ranch that is in the countryside with indoor kennels that lead to an outside fenced play area. She gets to go to the doggie spa and get nicely trimmed and bathed. This is her vacation when we go on vacation. She loves the people there.

Steve Hayes

[bepsf]

My Ex takes care of himself these days...

;)

[ColoradoJuli]

Our girls (cats) go with us when we go to our cabin in the mountains. They are excellent little travelers. When we go on our cruises we have a neighbor come over and check on them once a day. We do a trade with the neighbors when they go on vacation so neither one of us pays the other. One of our girls does scare the neighbor because she goes into hiding while we are gone. Sue Ann always worries that something has happen to Dealey. We try to tell her to not worry about Dealey, but it never works. Diamond, on the other hand, is always looking for attention. So she greets Sue Ann each time she comes over. The girls don't seem to be too upset when we come home. They are too happy to see us to be mad at us. My girls actually leave the suitcases alone. It is when I pull them out and start packing that Diamond will curl up in the suitcase as if to say, "I am going with you aren't I?"

[ron46936]

Our cat seems to do quite well on her own for up to 2 weeks. She does get so lonesome that she is affectionate for 10-15 minutes when we get home. Then she ignores us as usual.

[bkreader]

For many years we have limited our vacations because of our 2 Bichons (Glowy & Jasmine). We only went places we could take them with us because we couldn't bear to leave them in a strange place, and didn't have anyone nearby we trusted to stay in our house.

This year is different. Our son is now a freshman in college and has a long Christmas break, so he has willingly agreed to stay home with the "babies" while the DH and I go sailing off to Nassau in January. One of the great perks of having the kid grow up!:) :D

He is a pretty responsible kid so I THINK we'll still have a house when we return....

[kent4489]

My elderly friend and her "gentleman friend" move into our house to spoil our Kit while we are away. We would never dream of putting her in a kennel as she is an only child and doesn't like other children. I pay my friend $30 a day and leave the pantry and bar well stocked. I also bring her a gift from our trip. About 2 years ago, DH and I both decided we didn't like leaving Kit, so we bought a vacation home in FL...now she's a frequent flyer and easily adjusts going between homes. She's happy as long as she's with her Mom and Dad. We still occasionally take other vacations and my friend still babysits, but for the most part, Kit now goes with us to FL.

[beckers]

We take our Brodie a brittany spaniel to Canine Country Club kennel. It is hard to leave him and I try to think of it as his vacation while we are on vacation. They take him outside 6 times a day. They have a fenced in area for him to run in. His inside cage also has a run. He ignores us for a couple days when we come home.

[Golfgrl1911]

Angus the Old English Sheepdog has his own personal sitter who he refers to as his "girlfriend". She is known by us as Meg and is a lifesaver! Meg is always happy to come and live with Angus while we travel. She has told us many times that if she could find a human man as affectionate and cuddly as Angus that she'd be in 7th heaven!

[hogwildcruzers]

We had the same dilemma with our two "children", a 2-year-old lab mix, Lady Bug, and our 3 month old "white" lab, Baby Boy Aspen. After much research and asking everyone we knew, we happened upon "Sirius Spa" doggie daycare and boarding. We of course, as any good parents would, made a surprise visit to the premises. We were pleasantly surprised as how unique the place was, having two rooms, one for big dogs, and one for small dogs. There were no "cages", only cubbies, open spaces, and actual children's junior beds, one of which was occupied by a huge blood-hound name Otis! We weren't sure how this would work, thinking maybe there would be a huge dog fight or something, but the "guests" are carefully screened, and are all neutered or spayed, and are from good homes. Our dogs seemed to have increased their socialization skills, and seemed happy when we picked them up. We will use Sirius Spa again for sure!!!! :p

[MonandDave]

We have a nine year old Staffie Bull Terrier,he has never been sent away when we go away. Our son usually comes, and dog and house sits for us.
This year I went to Portugal to dog sit for friends who were touring Usa for a month,but SO had to stay at home with Dyson (SBT) as our son had moved to Cyprus for the summer. SO had lots of rain,I had lots of sun, but we both had a dog to pet.

[Katemate]

This so interesting to read of the different methods of taking care of pets while away.

We have a very snooty slightly spoiled Min. Poodle. We live in a condo setting and he is the only dog around ----you can imagine --SPOILED.

A couple in the next building come over and get him after we leave and take him to stay with them till we get back. First time after we got back and DH took him for his usual walk around he took off into their bldg. and sat by the elevator wanting to go back up to their place. Think he was trying to tell us something.hehe We have never tried him in a kennel and he is such a social type dog that I am afraid he might fret if caged up.

Thanks for sharing.