If you can't take your pet along on your holiday vacation, consider either boarding it or finding a pet sitter. Choose carefully, because you want your best friend to be safe and happy while you are away.
************************************
If you have plans to travel during the holidays, you must decide what to do about your pet. Leave it at home? Board it? Take it with you?
If you take your pet with you, make arrangements ahead of time with the places you will stay, so you can be sure your pet will be welcome. When traveling by auto, you will have to limit stops as you should not leave your pet alone in the car.
Boarding is a good alternative. Many veterinary offices offer boarding services. There are boarding kennels that specialize in taking care of pets during their owners’ absence. Before boarding your pet in a kennel facility, check it out – go by for a visit, see if the staff is friendly, if the place looks and smells clean, if your pet will have enough space. Ask for recommendations from other pet owners.
Another option is leaving your pet at home and arranging for someone to visit and make sure it’s okay, feed it, take it outside if it’s a dog, maybe even play with it. You can hire a professional pet sitter – or you may have a friend or family member who is familiar with, and willing to care for, your four-footed friend, or even your fish or bird or whatever you have. That may be the best choice. Allowing a pet to remain in its own environment will help it to feel more secure and comfortable so it won’t have to feel stressed in strange surroundings.
This weekend, I am pet-sitting for a friend’s dog and two cats while she is out of town. The animals know me and I know they will be happier staying at home. I am delighted to do it because this is the friend that takes care of my animals when I’m away. She spends time with them, playing, petting, feeding, and it gives me a wonderful feeling of security knowing they are in good hands. Whoever is watching your pets would probably be willing also to take in the paper and the mail for you.
The holidays can be a busy and hectic time for all of us. It’s our responsibility to make sure our animal companions are safe and happy, even while we are away.
Advance planning and thoughtful choices will help you to have a safe trip, knowing your best friend is in good hands, when you’re speaking of pets.
__>^..^<__
