who baby sits your pets, when you go on vacation?...

[Dancing Fire]

how much does it cost for dogs and cats? a bird shop charge $10 per day,baby sitting my amazon parrot.

 

[Mara]

my parents always watch portia, they adore her (and visit her once a week even when we are home!)...if i will be out for an afternoon of shopping or something, sometimes i drop her off at my parents so they can spend some time with her. just like a grandchild!! hahaa.

if we all were ever on a trip together, i'd get recommendations from our neighbors on where to take her, some of the daycare places around us also do boarding...i think these places charge something like $50 per day? or i would have a friend come stay in our house with her.

 

[strmrdr]

I baby sit my tiger when my sis goes out of town.
He lives with her now cuz she has a huge fenced in yard and I cant have pets in my apartment.

 

[Kaleigh]

I have a pet sitter that comes to my house 3 times a day to let my dogs out and feed my bird. It costs $15 a day, and she gets my mail and newspapers too.

 

[CareBear]

My parents watch my dog for me. My dad was not a fan of dogs at all initially. But after spending time with him, he now adores the dog!

 

[CareBear]

Date: 3/2/2006 6:50:44 PM
Author: kaleigh
I have a pet sitter that comes to my house 3 times a day to let my dogs out and feed my bird. It costs $15 a day, and she gets my mail and newspapers too.

Kaleigh, how do you find a reputable pet sitter? I assume you have to give the person your keys and access to your house when you are not home.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 3/2/2006 6:45:43 PM
Author: Mara
my parents always watch portia, they adore her (and visit her once a week even when we are home!)...if i will be out for an afternoon of shopping or something, sometimes i drop her off at my parents so they can spend some time with her. just like a grandchild!! hahaa.

if we all were ever on a trip together, i''d get recommendations from our neighbors on where to take her, some of the daycare places around us also do boarding...i think these places charge something like $50 per day? or i would have a friend come stay in our house with her.

$50 bucks per day?

is the dog staying at the Hyatt?

 

[cinnabar]

Ours charges $10 per day to come in once/day to feed cat and empty litter tray. Our cat sitter also collects our mail.

We live on an estate with a housing association; there''s an association newsletter that has private ads for services like babysitting, pet sitting, piano lessons etc. The only people who advertise are association members (ie local residents). Our cat sitter happens to be the association treasurer, so I wasn''t worried that we were employing an arch-criminal.

I wouldn''t be as keen on the 15 year old kids who advertise babysitting/dog walking/pet sitting; our sitter is insured and does it as a business.

A friend of ours pays $20 for two visits/day, because her cat likes company. My cat hates people he doesn''t know and the cat sitter has never actually seen him (although something is obviously eating the food and pooping in the litter).

 

[widget]

Author: Dancing Fire

is the dog staying at the Hyatt?

I''ve always send my dogs to a local doggie "resort" that probably costs more than the Hyatt! They like it so much, and are so excited to go there, it''s almost insulting!

It really is a funny place...the proprietors are goofier about animals than I ever dreamt of being. They don''t advertise, and only accept well mannered dogs that don''t bark. They pick up and deliver their ''clients'' from all over the Bay Area.

I originally asked if they offered obedience training, and this was their response: "Oh, no...this place is like ''summer camp''....all fun and no work!"

When I first took my beasties there, I was so nervous that they wouldn''t "pass"...it was like trying to get your kid accepted into a snooty private school!

widget

PS: DF...I love your threads/questions!

 

[CareBear]

Date: 3/2/2006 7:50:03 PM
Author: widget

Author: Dancing Fire

is the dog staying at the Hyatt?

I've always send my dogs to a local doggie 'resort' that probably costs more than the Hyatt! They like it so much, and are so excited to go there, it's almost insulting!

It really is a funny place...the proprietors are goofier about animals than I ever dreamt of being. They don't advertise, and only accept well mannered dogs that don't bark. They pick up and deliver their 'clients' from all over the Bay Area.

I originally asked if they offered obedience training, and this was their response: 'Oh, no...this place is like 'summer camp'....all fun and no work!'

When I first took my beasties there, I was so nervous that they wouldn't 'pass'...it was like trying to get your kid accepted into a snooty private school!

widget

PS: DF...I love your threads/questions!

Widget, I also live in the bay area. where is this happy place you take your dog to?

 

[Mara]

Date: 3/2/2006 7:55:50 PM
Author: CareBear

Date: 3/2/2006 7:50:03 PM
Author: widget

Author: Dancing Fire

is the dog staying at the Hyatt?

I''ve always send my dogs to a local doggie ''resort'' that probably costs more than the Hyatt! They like it so much, and are so excited to go there, it''s almost insulting!

It really is a funny place...the proprietors are goofier about animals than I ever dreamt of being. They don''t advertise, and only accept well mannered dogs that don''t bark. They pick up and deliver their ''clients'' from all over the Bay Area.

I originally asked if they offered obedience training, and this was their response: ''Oh, no...this place is like ''summer camp''....all fun and no work!''

When I first took my beasties there, I was so nervous that they wouldn''t ''pass''...it was like trying to get your kid accepted into a snooty private school!

widget

PS: DF...I love your threads/questions!

Widget, I also live in the bay area. where is this happy place you take your dog to?

I was just gonna ask!! It sounds divine!! We typically are not in that situation but we are all talking about taking a family trip at some point over the next year so we may need a great place for P.

One of our neighbors found this place somewhere over near Santa Cruz where the owner has like 1-2 acres of fenced land and she babysits a few dogs a weekend/week or whatever and they get treated like part of the family a nd all sleep inside and they get to run and play all day, he said that his dog just LOVED it and didn''t want to come home.

So I''d love to find a place like that rather than the typical boarding place or whatever....I couldn''t just have someone come in for 30 minutes twice a day at all, I am only typically out of the house for 3-5 hours a day with work or errands, and then maybe we go to dinner for 2 hours later, and so she is used to having companionship for most parts of the day, if we just left her and had someone come like 2ce a day for 30 minutes, she''d be so absolutely unhappy!!

 

[Kaleigh]

Carebear,
I found my petsitter 10 years ago through on of my best friends. She is like a member of our family. I can call her at the last minute like for funerals which I did this week when we went to a funeral on Tuesday. She''s awesome.

 

[Diam100]

Ok count me as one of the "crazy New York pet owners" since here''s the link where my Doggie stays either for occasional Daycare or short overnight stays (yes I pay for a massage on occasion due to massive guilt). If it''s going to be a long vacation we pay a relative to hang out at our place much cheaper believe me!

http://www.ritzycanine.com/

 

[widget]

Author: CareBear

Widget, I also live in the bay area. where is this happy place you take your dog to?

It''s called the "Happy Pets Inn" in Sonoma. Actually I know that a lot of their customers are from SF...I''m not sure their pickup/delivery service includes the South Bay...

The place really is a riot...I could go on and on...You should see their kittycat facility! The owners are French, and ONLY speak French to the animals...who seem to understand every word...

 

[Dee Jay]

We take The Demon to the same place where he goes for doggie day care (while we're having our kitchen redone -- NOT every day as a matter of course!) and they charge $40/day. He loves it there. There are no cages; all the dogs roam free and sleep on big beds spread out in this giant room. He hates to come home...

There are also places that will do in-home vacation sitting, where someone comes and stays in your house, and I think they charge $55/day. Never tried them out since he's so happy at this other place.

DF - does this mean you're seriously considering having a dog in the house?

 

[mrssalvo]

My parents are our first choice. If they can''t do it, my sister would come over and stay at our house before she got married. Last December I was planning a trip home and no one could watch Zoe so I called my dad and he said bring her along and we did

She was so well behaved they wanted to keep her. they don''t have a fenced in yard and she didn''t even try to run off when we let out, it was freezing cold, so I wasn''t going to take her on any extended walk

. In 5 1/2 years we''ve never had to board her thankgoodness I''m sure I''d be a mess

 

[kbaker]

I would love to have family keep our doggie, but unfortunatly, that''s not an option due to location. BUT, for 41$ per day (lus 10 for an overnight) our little girl gets to go to doggie day care in ORange COunty! I am thrilled that I found a place that she loves, but DUDE, that really adds up while we''re in Europe. Lately we''ve been splitting the time with daycare and our neighbors.
My hubby and I are debating whether or not to get another Lab. I think our biggest reason is the traveling. BUT stay posted. I may breakdown and get her a sister...

 

[Sundial]

For shorter trips we board our Jack Russell at a local pet lodge where they dote on her. They have a fenced area for outdoor playtime. If we are gone longer like our recent trip to New Zealand we have my husband''s single adult nephew stay at the house and take care of her. Either way it is expensive.

 

[WTNLVR]

We have 2 dogs and for our upcoming vacation boarding total costs for 9 days will be $400.00!! Ouch! Good thing we rarely board them. This is a good rate where we are too

 

[decodelighted]

I''m ridiculous about this! Family members of mine have driven tweleve hours each way to pet/house sit for a few days. They''re not as available anymore so I''m seeking out other alternatives. For our 2 day V-day trip away we tried out a petsitting service that comes twice a day for 30 minutes. Tallulah is piddle-pad trained for winter so it worked okay I guess, but still not ideal ... like Mara said, she''s used to near constant companionship!

ps -- oh yes, one time I found a college student vet tech at my vet''s office who actually stayed at my place overnight like my family does. (He was awful though ... water bowls mucky when I got home etc. -- my fear is that he just took the $$ and didn''t even stay. I''ll never know either. How weird would it be to install "puppy peep" spy cams like people do with their babysitters??)

 

[widget]

Date: 3/2/2006 9:33:41 PM
Author: decodelighted
. How weird would it be to install ''puppy peep'' spy cams like people do with their babysitters??)

Hee hee....sounds like a good idea to me!

widget

 

[anchor31]

Our next door neighbour babysits our pets when we leave and we do the same for their dog when they leave. It works out great!

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 3/2/2006 7:50:03 PM
Author: widget

Author: Dancing Fire

is the dog staying at the Hyatt?

I''ve always send my dogs to a local doggie ''resort'' that probably costs more than the Hyatt! They like it so much, and are so excited to go there, it''s almost insulting!

It really is a funny place...the proprietors are goofier about animals than I ever dreamt of being. They don''t advertise, and only accept well mannered dogs that don''t bark. They pick up and deliver their ''clients'' from all over the Bay Area.

I originally asked if they offered obedience training, and this was their response: ''Oh, no...this place is like ''summer camp''....all fun and no work!''

When I first took my beasties there, I was so nervous that they wouldn''t ''pass''...it was like trying to get your kid accepted into a snooty private school!

widget

PS: DF...I love your threads/questions!

the next time make them stay in a motel 6

 

[firebirdgold]

When my parents aren''t available and my bf is with me, I board the doggy monster at this great cage-free place. All dogs have to be prescreened and they spend all day playing together and watching doggy tv. Acre+ yard outside and radiant heat floors inside. They each get a ''guest room'' at night with cushy beds and lots of blankets. It''s about $30, but it''s vastly cheaper than a normal boarding kennel. My monster baby is very house trained and will not go in his kennel, so I had to pay for twice daily walks outside, play times, feeding him his own food... the charges just added up like crazy. This new place is like an all-inclusive resort for dogs!
If I''m gone just for the weekend I leave the cat at home. Otherwise My kitty goes to a different boarding place that has kitty condos that are multi-level with windows and an inclosed outside ''balcony'' for fresh air and bird watching. I can''t remember how much that place is. I think about $20.

 

[littlelysser]

Our dogs are horribly spoiled and they stay at the Cozy Inn Pet Resort and Spa.

They are in a "condo" with TV and a bed...they get 10 outside trips a day and we buy each of them a one hour play session with other dogs per day and a one hour hike per day.

The cost? About $70/day. I think...maybe more...

We feel better though because they love it there and although they are happy to see us when we get home, it is clear that they had a good time.

 

[blodthecat]

We put Blod into kennels while we are away.

It costs £8 per day (approx $15) which is expensive considering we take all our own food for her.

Trouble is we can only go away for one week maximum. Blod doesn''t eat while we are away..she comes home thin and miserable and sulks when she gets home. This upsets everyone, my children usually end up in tears...vowing that they never want to go on holiday again.

 

[Caribou]

I have 2 cats, so they are a little easier than a dog. Right now, I''m at my mom''s until I get married so I don''t have to worry about them when I''m gone. Once we are married, I would just have someone come by every other day to make sure they had food and water.

One day we will have a dog...the good thing about us those is that we don''t take long vacations mostly long weekends and we travel to his parents house about once a month. When we take long weekends I would just take my dog to my friends or to my mom''s. When we go to his parents, we will be bringing him with us.

 

[AmberWaves]

We're lucky, my dad takes the puppy when we're not going to be home for a few hours (Laker game), or takes him for overnights when we have to be out of town. My dad just loves him, and loves to show him off around town.

He takes him to his favorite coffee joint and boasts that it's his "Grandpup, Woofus the second". It's kinda cute, we hadn't had a dog for about 6 years before we got the Woof-man, and now my dad is happy to have one around. Now that my Dad lives alone (I used to live with him), I think he gets lonely, so I'll walk the dog over every now and then, or he'll stop by and we'll take Woofie to the park together. That way my dad gets time with his best girl and his best grandpup.

I think it makes us both happy. Even though we now live a whopping 5 minutes apart, I miss my Dad! It makes him happy to have a dog around, and it makes me happy to see him happy! Woofie used to get freaked out with the parrots around my Dad's house, every time he walked by the cages, the african grey (Killer) would slide down her bars and taunt him. Now that the birds are being watched while my Dad remodels, Woofie is much happier!

 

[widget]

I''m so relieved to hear that so many others send their babies to fancy schmancy facilities! I may be nuts, but I''m not alone!

Author: blodthecat

Blod doesn''t eat while we are away..she comes home thin and miserable and sulks when she gets home. This upsets everyone....

Blodthecat...even the proprietors of the fancy place I mentioned recommend if it''s at all possible, to leave the kitties at home and have someone stop by occasionally to feed them. They''re so much happier in their own territory...

I''ve only left a cat at a boarding place once, and it was disaster. He was so depressed when we picked him up, it took what seemed like forever for him to return to his old self..

Isn''t there some way you could leave Blod at home when you''re gone??

widget

 

[fire&ice]

Our's go to "camp". Like Widget said, it's rather insulting - we have to spell c-a-m-p as if we don't they go into hyper "when are we going mode". They like the change of pace & are spoiled rotten. Since my travel times are off peak, they are sometimes one of only a few pups. I don't know what they do while there - but they are absolutely EXHAUSTED by the time they come home. You have the option of installing a doggie cam w/ images sent to your computer. We have thought about sending them to camp & just stay at home and watch them as entertainment.

Both places cost about $38.00/day. It adds up with two. Plus, I can't help but pay for the "extras".

ETA - our cat sitters who also bring in our mail charge $16.00/visit.