Cruise related, but not?

[DEWGirl]

Not long after booking my cruise, I got a puppy. My cruise is still a few months off and my puppy is now almost 6 months old, but I already feel guilty about leaving her with a friend or boarder for a week. Anyone else ever feel this way?

Edited September 28, 2014 by DEWGirl

[Lionesss]

OMG, YES!!!!

 

We have a house sitter come in for the dogs, it is my brother.

 

We stock the refrigerator, and it is a mini vacation for him as well as a relaxing vacation for us.

 

We also pay him for his time.

 

The cats go to grandmas.

 

 

Still able to cruise with peace of mind.

And there is always someone in our house when we are traveling for safety and security.

 

Sea Ya

[Arusha]

Pick a boarder that has playtime all day for the dogs. Your puppy will love being part of a pack, and needs to be socialized with other dogs anyway. The pup will have a great time!

 

I have a cat now. I've boarded him several times at the local Best Friends Pet Care facility. He gets pampered there, while I get pampered on my cruise!

[cb at sea]

Everyone who loves their pet feels "guilty"...but that's YOUR feeling..if you kennel your pup, it will be fine...it will give your the "sad eye" when you leave, then it will be totally FINE until you get back. They hold no grudge, he will be soooo happy to see you!

[beachbum53]

Since dogs have no concept of time, a week apart won't seem any more significant than ten minutes to him. As long as he's with someone you trust and you know he'll be well cared for, go enjoy your cruise and don't feel guilty. When you get back home, give him an extra hug and an extra treat if you like, but don't bore him with photos of your cruise. He won't be the least bit interested.:rolleyes::D

[OCruisers]

You are not alone.

Most feel a bit guilty about leaving their pets.

[mommy2libras]

I've boarded my dog a few times when we've been gone for 3 or 4 days. She absolutely loves it. She gets to play with other dogs and during the summer, they set up a kiddie pool for them to splash in. But since my cruise is a week, we're taking her to my sister's place. My sister's dog is about my dog's size and comes to visit us (for no real reason, we just bring him home for a week to play with our dog) so when she goes there, it's like seeing her cousin dog. I don't feel really guilty because I know she's having a lot of fun and well taken care of. There is an animal group on fb for my city and 'm always seeing people on there who are looking for a boarder or offer to keep someone's dog while they're out of town as well.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Our dear departed lab mix would get upset just if we left the house (he was a rescue and had separation anxiety). Whenever we were to go on a trip, Michael would be dropped off at my in-laws. One time we returned and the poor dog had a stomach ache and my FIL said that Michael managed to eat a bird (FIL had bird cages all over his back yard). But then my FIL also would feed the dog table scraps (which we never did) so maybe that was a white lie.

[jammen]

Not long after booking my cruise, I got a puppy. My cruise is still a few months off and my puppy is now almost 6 months old, but I already feel guilty about leaving her with a friend or boarder for a week. Anyone else ever feel this way?

 

A friend or family member, but make sure if they have pets their pets have no bad habits.

[Cruising Golfer]

We have family that comes and cares for our critters, it cost us air fair but it is well worth it for the peace of mind knowing that they are being loved by family that cares about them... Would never board them...:cool:

[TX_Atlantis_Cruiser]

Whenever I go on trips lasting more than three days, I hire a local pet sitter who comes to my house and feeds, waters, cleans the litter box and spends a little play time with my two cats. I have had several different sitters I have hired over the years and they have all been outstanding. Best part is that my cats stay in their familiar home environment and are not stressed by boarding or being relocated. I found all of my sitters by doing internet searches where you can find all kinds of important information on their services and past customer reviews. I have had friends who boarded dogs and several had bad experiences with the kennels. That kind of led me to check out this option for my cats. I have become friends with the sitters over the years and all of them have done double duty by checking on the house and reporting anything of concern either thru email or text. They have authorizations to take either of the cats to seek veterinarian care with vets I have specified. The latest one I use is very local and charges only $15 per day for the cats.

[BearCruiser8641]

I used to stress when leaving my puppy when we left for vacation. Now, I found a great place where they watch my puppy at their home through DogVacay.com. They are fully trained and insured. You can arrange a Meet and Greet before you book your dogs "vacation" as well. My "sitter" sends daily picture updates. It made our last vacation (we were gone for 11 days) so much better! My dog loves the vacations, and I don't have to worry.

[griffy116]

We found a wonderful woman that keeps a few small dogs at a time in her home. We've gone over and visited numerous times with our 2 furbabies. She's wonderful. She adores our two, even to the point of scolding us about our brand of dog food. She always give us advice which is always good. Last time they stayed she mentioned that they occasionally should have a little salmon in their food because it's healthy for them. I felt foolish but called to ask, "you do mean the canned salmon, right?" and was told, "oh heavens no. I bought the salmon fresh. The canned is terrible." Our babies even sleep with her in her bed. It's the only place we've ever left them that they have to think for a few seconds before deciding to come home with us. When I get out of the car with them, their tails start wagging to get to her. THAT'S a good sign to me. I would suggest that you take your puppy for a meet and greet and let them have a couple of play days prior to the cruise to get them acquainted with the person you are leaving them with if it's not going to be someone they already know that will be pet sitting them from your home.

[SewMuch]

Whatever you decide to do, decide fast. The best kennels and sitters book up far in advance. And make sure she has whatever shots they require. Friends also might not be available on short notice.