Who Takes Care Of Your Pets While You Are Cruising

[joanagain]

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.

[joanagain]

after i had posted the options, i noticed that my option was not listed...i have an Out-House Sitter...i have a lady who takes care of my baby in her own home...(i always make sure that i bring her back something from the port stops.)

[teedee]

My dog, a Boston Terrier was abused before I got her and doesn't do well in kennels at all. She's fine with my brother or daughter so I leave her with one of them or I don't go!

 

Terri

[soon2bcruising]

I had a friend who would take my little dog to her house and her kids would come over to feed our horses, dogs, cats, birds, bunny, and various small caged creatures, but she recently moved away. I don't know that we will ever get to leave home again with all these animals. Will have to look for a new friend!

[SevenVII]

There is a thread exactly like this just 1 page down :(

[Beffy1167]

after i had posted the options, i noticed that my option was not listed...i have an Out-House Sitter...i have a lady who takes care of my baby in her own home...(i always make sure that i bring her back something from the port stops.)

OK...before I add anything else, I've gotta say that I got a HUGE chuckle out of your phrase "Out-House Sitter".....as one who camps on a fairly regular basis, an outhouse ain't gonna be my first choice of a place to sit my pet! EEeeeeeeew! :D But of course, that's soooo not what you meant!

 

And OUR option is not here either. We take our baby girl "Marble" to a kennel that is not owned/affiliated with our vet. It is, in fact, owned by a parishioner from my husband's church...and we always have to DRAG Marble back to the car after she visits "Aunt Patch's Doggy Hotel"! (Not the kennel's real name, but it's what we call it when we tell the dog she's going there.)

[joanagain]

YOU'RE RIGHT... that thread that you are referring to is the same thread that i saw ... and i gave a long winded post there...

 

next to cruising, my doggie is my favorite subject ...and i wanted to share that on the HAL board...not having posted a poll before, i mistakenly posted the same subject poll on CARNIVAL...sorry...

but we never can have too many pet posts...imho

can we?

[waterbound]

Would you believe my ex husband?? :0) Our last cruise in April, he came to our house and stayed with our kids and animals while me and my boyfriend went on a cruise!! Of course you actually have to get along for this to work.. We actually get along better now than when we were married... I did lock my bedroom door so noone was allowed in there while we were gone..

[Bunkie103]

Waterbound....you're so right about how some people get along better after their divorce. My uncle was a case in point. When he died last year his first wife and her entire family were at the funeral heartbroken because we lost him. These were two people not meant to live together, but still two wonderful people.

 

I pay a pet sitter to feed my cat. I have her come every day because he is old and enjoys her visits. She also takes in any packages and checks that everything is okay at our house. Well worth the $$ I pay her. When I took him to the vet to stay years ago he didn't eat! :(

[hstrybuf]

When at all possible, we leave our pets with our daughter. If not, we leave the dog with a friend who is also a vet and have other family members look in daily on the cat and bird.

[les1431]

During my previous cruises, I had a friend come check on the kitties every day. She has moved, so it's not as easy for her. So, I tried out a pet sitter for my last long weekend getaway. I thought I'd give it a trial run before I took off for a week trusting my little ones with a stranger. It worked out really well and the people are very nice. I was contacted with updates. I did quite a bit of research in picking the pet sitter which is the key! So, for my Jan. cruise I will be using the same service.

[HOSKI]

My option isn't listed; friends. The same couple has rented an apartment from us for 14 yrs and we exchange pet sitting service for each other.

[BottledRed]

I've got an interesting delimma for next year. Normally, either my mother or ex-step-father come over to check on the cats. The problem: they're all going to be in New Orleans with us for the destination wedding! Anyone from the Omaha, NE area who uses a pet sitter service? I can't see putting them in a kennel (3 cats)

[Travelitis]

We have self feeders and self waterers and make extra litter boxes. The 2 cats and ferret don't need babysitting. Sometimes we've had a neighbor's kids check on them a couple of times, but they let the ferret out too long, and he made messes on the floor they didn't pick up. Nope! He can live for a week in his 5 ft. tall cage.

[WendyCn]

For our vacations and this year for our cruise, we will use a pet sitting service, Animal Nannies. Their rates are reasonable and some of the sitters will even do overnights (if you'd like). I have a older pom, Toby, who has separation anxiety, so a kennel would not be an option for him. I agree that it is important to do some homework first and meet with the pet sitting service to see how your pets relate to them. Toby just loves his sitter and has bonded very well. I feel relieved and I can enjoy my vacation because I know he is in good hands. :) (They even get my mail, keep an eye on the house, and spend an hour for each visit. The money I spend is well worth the peace of mind.)

[judyf]

My girlfriend in nice weather and my stepson in bad weather. He has a four wheel drive to make it up our hill but lives a 45 minute drive away!

[cpayne]

We use our house keeper to pet sit for us. She has been with us for years and is a gem!! Her children do not have pets, but they would love to like all kids. She brings them with her to play with the dogs in the backyard and walk them. Both the kids and the dogs get a kick out of it!

[hill6]

My vet has a kennel that my Lady goes to when we go away. She loves it there. She drags us into the vets office. My birds go to a bird store to stay. My cats stay home and my step father who works near by comes in to look after them and to make sure the place is safe.

[CruiseFever]

Great poll. We try really hard to keep them at home with a family member stopping by a couple times a day to play with them and feed them. Otherwise we have a nice vet who has a double size run (we have two dogs) so they can stay together.

[dmdiver]

we have a neighbor come in 4x daily to let our jack russell & schnauzer out. they stay in our laundry room, as it is large & pretty much pet proof. she has dogs of her own, so she knows how important our babies are to us. she will come over and read a book on the patio so the dogs can play outside a while. she also brings in our mail and waters the potted plants. this year, instead of buying her a souvenir, we opted for a dining gift certificate. this way, she's not stuck with something she may not be interested in displaying. when she goes out of town, we are available to help out with her dogs.

 

we have boarded at my vet a couple of times in the past, but my dogs are both spazzes. the jack russell always barks non-stop & ends up with stress-related diarrhea. the schnauzer is very suspicious of new people and barks in that environment as well. i feel like i need to apologize to the kennel staff when they are up there.

 

anyway, i said all that to say this - you really need to take your pet's personality into consideration when planning their care. some seem to enjoy boarding, others don't. also, be sure to tour any boarding facility before you book. there is a huge difference between them. always book well in advance for holiday times. you don't need the stress of your favorite place being booked and having to scramble to find another one.

[pazooter]

We are so fortunate to live next door to Bruce's mom. We share a duplex, both sides. She takes care of Jacques (our Bouvier) whenever we go on vacation. He LOVES his "grandma" and she loves him. Usually when we come home he gives the cold shoulder for a day or two, and sticks really close to her. But eventually, with a doggie treat, a bath and brushing, he forgives and forgets.

 

Cathy

[Chorts]

My sister in law will pet/house sit while we are gone. We have one cat "Just Plain Bob", and since we have moved from the country, where he could roam on our acreage, to the city where he is now an inside cat, he really 'requires' the attention. He's become quite needy since he can't go outside. I think he would pine away if he didn't have company. He's gone from "don't touch me" to can't get him off my lap.

 

When we lived in the country, we were able to leave him alone with a ton of food and his bed in the garage and he would be fine. Don't think that would work now.

[sashapoo]

My oldest dog Sasha does NOT do well with new people so my neighbor comes in and takes care of all three of my Chows and my kitty. They love him for some reason....and it makes my life easier knowing he is looking out for them and he is a dear friend.

[morriscats]

Love this thread - I know some people who say "they are just animals" and all they need are the basics. But they are our "friends" and as such should be treated accordingly. My persian hates to see the suitcases come out - he knows something is up. Last time I kept them in the spare room so he would not see. I know he has seen the commercial for Fancy Feast - he would do well on an ocean voyage with his crystal bowl! My kids take care of his pampered self and the equally spoiled dog and they are so happy to see us, and us them, when we get home. Gotta love em.

[tispwisp]

We have a 14 year old neighbor come and take care of the cats twice a day while we travel. We live out in the country and she doesn't have a chance to make that much money and loves the cats. Her rates of $10 per day is very reasonable for 3 cats!!!! Of course, we always give her a little extra as a thank you!