A perfect world would be one that was 100% pet friendly. We would be allowed to have our dogs sit next to us on airplanes and our cats could come on cruises with us. Unfortunately, it is not a completely pet friendly world and there are times when we must leave them. The question then becomes “what is best for our pet when we are away?”

Home Care

Pets will experience less stress, obtain more exercise and generally receive more around-the-clock care than at a kennel facility. However, the pet sitter must be responsible to deal with any and all emergencies that may arise. Professional pet sitters should be well established and insured. If you elect to leave your pet in the care of someone either at your home or at their home, than you should do the following before going away to help keep them safe:

1) Leave your contact numbers, trip itinerary, a credit card, your pet’s medical record and the vaccine record in case of any emergencies. Most emergency medical care must be paid for up front and, unless you can be reached immediately, your pet sitter may be left making medical decisions for your pet. You should sign a letter that allows the pet sitter to make all medical decisions for your pet. This way your pet can receive medical care without delay. The pet sitter should understand your wishes for your pet in the event an emergency arises.

2) ID your pet: Place an ID tag and/or update your pet’s microchip information with the address and phone number of where your pet is staying. Rather than buying a new pet ID tag, you can write the updated information on a small piece of paper and then tape it over the existing tags (be sure to place tape all around it so it is waterproof). The fastest way to get a pet back if it becomes lost is to have it wear an ID tag and be microchipped.

Boarding Facilities

One of the biggest pros of leaving your pet at a boarding kennel is that you can rest knowing they are in a secure facility where human error is kept at a minimum. Be sure to find a well-established boarding facility. Many kennels offer play time for boarders or even training sessions for dogs while you’re gone. Make sure you view the area your pet is going to be staying. It should be warm and inviting. Good kennels are able to keep noise to a minimum. Dogs generally bark because they are bored, scared or frustrated. Certainly there will be some barking in every kennel, but it should be minimal. Most of the cats should be out at the front of their cages, instead of hiding, hissing or growling.

The kennel staff should be able to deal with all medical emergencies that may arise. Many kennels offer medical insurance that you will pay a little extra for, but allows the boarding facility to treat your pet medically in the event something arises.

For more information:

National Association of Professional Pet Sitters

Pet Sitter International

Pet Care Services Association

Informative articles on how to find the right kennel or pet sitter:

PetPlace (search keywords: pet sitter and kennel)

Humane Society of the United States

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This entry was posted on Monday, July 28th, 2008 at 11:08 am and is filed under Amy Breton, Pet Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.