When you are gone and can't take the dog

Mish Mish · 09-23-2008, 11:04 AM

I've had Charlie almost 4 weeks and things are going great. Here's my question--if we go out of town just for the day--leave in the morning and return late (9pm or so)--what is the best thing to do for our dog?

Right now, he is happy in his crate when we are at work and at night for sleep, but if we go away for 12 hours that is just way too long to be in a crate.

I am wondering what people do in these situations. Would it be okay to have a dogloo, water and a safe zone for him to run around in the backyard when we are gone for so long? I don't totally trust him inside yet. We sometimes take a day trip to see my family (about 100 miles away) and I am not sure if they'd go for us bringing the dog. They haven't met him yet and aren't dog people at all.

Any suggestions? I know dogs are in backyards a lot and they are fine, but mine is an indoor dog (except for walks 2x a day and trips to the dog park).

I really can't afford to do doggie day care or kennel for a day trip and I am worried that would stress him out way more because he is still really fearful of other dogs.

briteday · 09-23-2008, 11:36 AM

We have another family like us in the neighborhood (they have dogs of their own and are trustworthy to be in our house) and their teenagers come in and feed/walk/play with the dogs while we are gone. Because we have 3 dogs and they have two already, they usually just come to our house every few hours.

But my daughter petsits for a family with just one dog. If they are going to be gone for a day or a week they trust us enough to bring their dog to our house to stay. And it works out great. Our daughter doesn't ahve to go to their house every few hours, none of us need worry that their dog is safe and secure/not too hot/cole outside in their dog run, and our dog just love it! So maybe you have someone in the neighborhood with a dog or two that wouldn't mind one more for a day.

Personally, I don't leave my dogs outside while we are gone, ever. Unless you have a dog run that has a cover on it (so no one can throw anything into the run) I wouldn't do it. My dogs were almost poisoned once when a well-meaning neighbor, trying to do away with some pesky ground squirrels, baited some chunks of bread with rat poison and birds must have carried it into our yard. Could have been bad. Also if you live on a normal urban/suburban lot there is always the chance that someone could put their hand through your fence, or worse, let themselves into your yard and do something bad. YOur dog could hurt them, they could let the dog loose in the neighborhood, they could feed the dog something that your dog shouldn't have, etc. And your neighbors may be annoyed if the dog starts barking out of boredom.

I just don't feel that leaving a dog unsupervised in the back yard is an option.

Try to find a young teen who babysits or has a dog of their own. Generally the "under 16" kids are better since they don't have real jobs, are home more, and will want the job for the money. Be sure to give them several contact numbers, talk to the parents, walk then through the routine (or better yet, let them come over while you are feeding the dog one day), have them get comfortable with locking/unlocking your door, leave kid snacks (chips, juice, soda) on the counter with a note to help themselves, and pay them fairly. My daughter generally gets $10/day. Now that she's been doing it for 5 years most of her regular people will round up, give her a bit more when she has watched the dog(s) for more than just a day.

jbray01 · 09-23-2008, 03:29 PM

i sometimes have that problem.

for instance, i went to the Eagles game this weekend, and our group is pretty big on tailgaiting etc, so all in all, i ended up being away from about 9am until 10 pm. I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving her alone for that amount of time. especially since she gets fed at 6, and she couldnt possibly hold it that long.

instead i took her, her food, a baby gate and tons of toys to my aunts house and had her watch the dog for the day. it worked out great because she got a lot of out of the crate time and lots of walks and play. and it was worry free. i didnt have to worry about her getting into anything she shouldnt or worry about coming home to a mess..

Mish Mish · 09-23-2008, 10:10 PM

I need more dog friendly friends! I am hoping that when he meets my family they will be okay with him traveling with us.

MaddiesMom · 09-24-2008, 09:51 AM

We take Maddie to my mother-in-laws house - "grandma". She had two dogs that passed away a few years ago and loves to have Maddie come over. I don't like to leave her in her crate more than 4 hours at a time, so if we are going to gone more than that, she's off to grandma's.

If we are with the in-laws for a daytrip, we take Maddie with us. The in-laws have a conversion van that Maddie loves. If we stop, one of us takes turns watching Maddie.

We love to take Maddie anywhere we can. She's a good traveler. We are in the process of planning our vacation for next year and we are thinking Maddie will probably have to stay with grandma. Finding lodging is easy, but most places won't let you keep your dog in the room while you are gone - hard to get something to eat, etc.

In a few years we are planning to get an RV, so Maddie can stay in her house-on-wheels and not be bothered. My parents have a fifth-wheel. They have a dog. Usually he goes with them on their daytrips, but sometimes he does have to stay in the camper if they are going to a museum, etc. They have never had a problem. They know he's safe and comfortable.

Rowdy · 09-24-2008, 10:33 AM

We use a professional dog walking service. The woman comes, feeds the dogs and walks them for an hour. It costs $20/visit.

Chuckles · 09-24-2008, 02:35 PM

I second that if you can afford it. Unless you have really good "dog" friends that you can trade dog-sitting favors, it's better to hire a walker or find a local kennel to board you dog for the day. A walker usually charges $15-20 a visit, doggie daycare is between $30-$50 a day.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rowdy

We use a professional dog walking service. The woman comes, feeds the dogs and walks them for an hour. It costs $20/visit.

mosbysmom · 09-25-2008, 03:04 PM

I have used a dog walking service or family/friends. I don't feel comfortable letting him be outside for so long unsupervised. He could get himself hurt or something could happen and it could be too long until I would know.

Elana55 · 09-25-2008, 03:13 PM

If it is just a day, I have a neighbor who will come over and let her out in her fenced yard for a couple of hours and stay at the house and keep an eye on her and then let her back in. I am in the process of setting up on out door kennel rum for those long days too in case the neighbor is not home.

I just came back from boarding my dog for 3 days at a kennel. I call it dog jail (the guys love her and she is in a kennel with a run, so it isn't REALLY dog jail LOL). I got home in time last night to "spring" her and I must say that last night and this morning I had the BEST behaved dog on earth. Sometimes a little time in Jail can straighten 'em right nout (tho she was very reactive while there.. lot of dogs and noise etc.).

Typically I do take her with me, but this was a work related thing and while I would take her with me if I had been going alone, I didn't have the going alone option this time.

Of course, it is my opinion that she should be able to go everywhere with me. She is better behaved and cleaner than most children... and a LOT quieter.. but the rest of the world just won't see it that way. *sigh*

wvasko · 09-25-2008, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mish Mish

I've had Charlie almost 4 weeks and things are going great. Here's my question--if we go out of town just for the day--leave in the morning and return late (9pm or so)--what is the best thing to do for our dog?

Right now, he is happy in his crate when we are at work and at night for sleep, but if we go away for 12 hours that is just way too long to be in a crate.

I am wondering what people do in these situations. Would it be okay to have a dogloo, water and a safe zone for him to run around in the backyard when we are gone for so long? I don't totally trust him inside yet. We sometimes take a day trip to see my family (about 100 miles away) and I am not sure if they'd go for us bringing the dog. They haven't met him yet and aren't dog people at all.

Any suggestions? I know dogs are in backyards a lot and they are fine, but mine is an indoor dog (except for walks 2x a day and trips to the dog park).

I really can't afford to do doggie day care or kennel for a day trip and I am worried that would stress him out way more because he is still really fearful of other dogs.

This is a suggestion, find a boarding kennel and board your dog for a week-end. Just think for a moment if you have an emergency, you may need a boarding facilitie and it's better to desensitize your dog ahead of time. Every once in a while I get a 4 or 5 year old dog that has never been boarded and it is a tad tough on them.

Mish Mish · 09-26-2008, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elana55

I just came back from boarding my dog for 3 days at a kennel. I call it dog jail (the guys love her and she is in a kennel with a run, so it isn't REALLY dog jail LOL). I got home in time last night to "spring" her and I must say that last night and this morning I had the BEST behaved dog on earth. Sometimes a little time in Jail can straighten 'em right nout (tho she was very reactive while there.. lot of dogs and noise etc.).

Dog jail! LOL!

Erick Aguilar · 09-26-2008, 11:05 PM

You could take your dog to the vet you rely in and pay for the dog to stay a few days.. doggy hotel some people call it.

That, if you don't have any friends, willing to take care of your dog.
But, unless you have a typicall american backyard ''Low fences, not closed in with a gate, people can throw stuff inside..'' then i would recommend what the rest of the people say here.

Allydog · 09-27-2008, 12:22 AM

I work part time for a dog sitting/walking company. We come to your house and take care of your dog/cat/ferret. I just went and took care of two Dobie tonight...their owners are away for the weekend. I took them on a long walk, feed them and played with them. It is so nice for them..they aren't stressed, in their own homes. And I love it!